This episode discusses a halachik Shayla: If one accepts early Shabbos and designates something away from usage at the moment he accepts Shabbos, is it muktza? Or does muktza always go by bein hashmashos?

A few Rashis in Parshas Shoftim (16:20 and 20:1) express the importance of justice in the success of Bnei Yisrael. This episode analyzes this connection and thereby uncovers an important idea about reward and punishment.

The Torah (Devarim 19:11) tells of a person who hates his fellow and kills him. Rashi says this teaches that if a person violates a lenient mitzvah (hating), he is likely to violate a strict mitzvah (killing). This episode analyzes the truth of this statement and what it teaches us about mitzvos.

Eliyahu bringing a korban to Hashem at Har HaCarmel is a classic example of horaas shaah, a case where a navi temporarily suspends the halachik system. Rashi (Devarim 12:13) seems to imply differently - that Eliyahu was using a built in exception to the prohibition of bringing a korban outside of the mikdash. This episode addresses this apparent contradiction. It also discusses a contradictory Rashi in Devarim 18:22 and the Rambam in the ninth perek of Yesodei Hatorah.

The Torah generally demands that we treat other Jews - even great sinners - with love and compassion. There’s one exception: the meisis (a person who privately tries to convince another Jew to worship avoda zara). This episode discusses why the meisis is treated differently than all other sinners.

Some suggest that even though dinosaur bones seem to attest to the fact that the world is older than 6,000 years, they are merely a test from Hashem as to whether we will accept scientific knowledge or our tradition. They support this type of idea from the passuk in Re’eh (Devarim 13:4) which Rashi interprets to mean that Hashem gives a false prophet a miraculous sign to test us and determine whether we love Hashem with all our hearts and souls. This episode analyzes this idea and assesses the validity of the comparison.

In the second Parsha of krias shema (Devarim 17:11), the Torah tells us that if we turn to idols in the land of Israel, then we’ll perish quickly. Two Rashi’s on this passuk discuss (1) why this is an appropriate punishment; and (2) why it’s quickly given that the dor hamabul was given 120 years. This episode analyzes these Rashis and questions whether it really was so quickly.

At the beginning of Va’eschanan (Devarim 3:23) Moshe asks Hashem to go into Eretz Yisrael. Rashi deduces from the extra word “laimor” that he also “demanded” to know how Hashem would answer his request. Rashi cites 2 or 3 other examples of such requests by Moshe. This episodes analyzes this type of request and discusses if/when it’s appropriate.

This episode discusses Rashi’s claim (Va’eschanan 4:19) that Hashem “tricked” the nations into worshipping the heavenly bodies.

This informal discussion took place around the first yahrtzeit of my mother Shani Feder A'H.