KMTT - the Torah Podcast

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?

Pesach | עמלנו: אלו הבנים - The Depths of our Tragedy in Egypt, pre-Pesach shiur given over zoom by Rosh Hayeshiva Harav Mosheh Lichtenstein, April 7, 2022

What exactly is the level of suffering that Bnei Yisrael experienced in Egypt? Source cited is "Redemption, Prayer, Talmud Torah" in Tradition 17:2 (Spring 1978)

Pesach | How Many Matzot? by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom

There are two disputes between Rambam and the Tosafists regarding the Seder. Rambam maintains that the Pesach could be eaten all night, allowing for the "Afikoman" to be eaten quite late; Tosafot takes the position that the Pesach must be eaten by midnight; consequently, the final matza of the evening must be eaten by then. In what seems to an unrelated dispute, Rambam maintains that we use 2 matzot at our Seder whereas Tosafot argue that we need 3. In this shiur, we examine the role of matza in our commemoration and inquire as to how many different matzot there are in the story. We then use this inquiry to explain the odd inclusion of R. Elazar b. Azariah's promotion of remembering the Exodus every night...

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Pesach | Insights into the Haggada, by Rav Dovid Gottlieb, shiur given to the weekly women's group in Kehilat Ha'Ela

Pesach | Cleaning and Kashering for Pesach, by Rav Dovid Gottlieb, shiur given to the weekly women's group in Kehilat Ha'Ela