Parashat Emor with Rav Dovid Gottlieb

#1 - Classical Commentators - Sefiras HaOmer - The Deeper Reason Why We Count #2 - Modern Commentators - Why Do We Celebrate Holidays? The Remarkable - and Surprising - Insight of the Netziv #3 - MIdrash - What do the Arba Minim Symbolize? 3 Approaches from the Midrash #4 - Sparks of Musar - The Destructive Power of Negative Speech #5 - Halacha from the Parsha - Are Women Obligated in Sefiras HaOmer?

Kedoshim Tiheyu | The Responsibility of Atzma'ut, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom

Yom Ha'Atzmaut always falls out during the season that we read אחרי מות and קדושים. A fresh look at the end of אחרי מות and the first half of פרשת קדושים presents the Divine recipe for our sustained independence and sovereignty in the Land. Not only are we adjured to avoid the pagan fetishistic practices of the prior inhabitants, we are commanded to develop a holy society in which, ultimately, each individual is cared for in such a way that the rest of the world sees the beauty of this Godly community and ultimately knocks on our gates to be let in, to study and to learn how to build an everlasting and uplifting nation. זה היום עשה ה', נגילה ושנמחה בו!

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Thanking Rosh Beit Midrash SKA Migdal Oz בית המדרש לנשים מגדל עז Rabbanit Esti Rosenberg for speaking with us today about her father, Rosh Yeshiva, HaRav Aharon Lichtenstein zt'l on his 7th Yahrtzeit, 1 Iyar 5782

חים שאין בהם בושה וכלימה

Torah of HaRav Aharon Lichtenstein: How Did Rav Lichtenstein zt"l Impact Religious Zionism, shiur given by Rav Moshe Taragin at Cong. Rinat Yisrael (Teaneck, NJ) in honor of Harav Lichtenstein's 7th yahrzeit, Sunday May 1, 2022.

Kedoshim | לא תקום ולא תטור - Vengeance AND/OR/ON ACCOUNT OF Bearing a Grudge, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom

The crescendo of laws governing interpersonal relationships is undoubtedly "You shall love your fellow as yourself" - ואהבת לרעך כמוך. This command is prefaced with an unusual pair of prohibitions - לא תקום ולא תטור את בני עמך - "Do not take vengeance nor hold a grudge against the members of your people." (Lev. 19:18). Are these two independent restrictions or part of a more expansive prohibition? Although the Rishonim reckoned them as two לאוין, there are several Midrashic comments as well as both legal and exegetical comments that seem to indicate a seamless unity between them. We explore the passage, in its context and suggest a new perspective on the entire pericope of Lev. 19:17-18.

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Parashat Acharei Mot - Kedoshim with Rav Dovid Gottlieb

#1 - Classical Commentators - The Timeless Message of Sa'ir HaMishtaleach #2 - Contemporary Commentators - Understanding the Mitzvah of Rebuke: Hashem's Policeman or Loving Brother? #3 - Midrash - "Kedoshim Tihiyu" - 3 Insights from the Midrash #4 - Sparks of Chassidus - Appreciating the Sanctity of Every Jew: An Amazing Teaching of the Lubavitcher Rebbe #5 - Halacha from the Parsha - Lifnei Iver - Understanding the Parameters of the Prohibition

Yom HaAtzma'ut | מדיניות ומדינה - Statecraft and State, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom

Proper appreciation not only for the miracle of Jewish statehood but for the significance of the state in the larger scope of Jewish destiny and legacy is a vital preface to understanding the role of thanksgiving to Hashem for the precious gift of Medinat Yisrael. This shiur examines both steps - the significance of the State within Jewish thought and the obligation to give thanks to HaKadosh Barukh Hu for the modern redemptive process which we are witnessing, experiencing and, if we are zokheh, promoting and furthering.

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Yom HaShoah | Rav Asher Weiss on Emuna, by Rav Dovid Gottlieb

What are the three things we must teach about the Shoah?

Pesach | As if We Came Out from Egypt - The Pedagogy of the Pilgrimage Festivals, by Rav Alan Haber

What does it mean that we are to see ourselves as if WE left Egypt? Why does the Torah describe the 3 Regalim (Pilgrimage Festivals) in primarily agricultural terms? Why do we tell the story of the Exodus when bringing Bikkurim (First Fruits)? What does all of this have to do with our Pesach Seder? Shiur given to English-speaking students in Bar Ilan University.

Pesach | "Five" Phrases of Redemption, pre-Pesach zoom shiur by Rav Moshe Taragin, April 7, 2022

The core part of the seder which describes the actual exodus often gets "passed over". How can we learn about the actual liberation from the 4 pesukim known as Arami Oved Avi?