WebYeshiva.org

WebYeshiva.org

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WebYeshiva.org episodes

  • MythBusting: Jewish Urban Legends & Misunderstood Texts with Rabbi Uri Cohen - Session 10

    Class description

    Here are the topics for Session Ten:

    Urban Legend:

    “We say ‘Migdol’ in Birkat HaMazon on Shabbat because of a misunderstanding!”

    An Unlikely Story:

    “The Sha’agat Aryeh was crushed to death by a bookcase!”

    Street Torah:

    “A Chanukah menorah is disqualified if the candles are at different heights!”

    Folk Etymology:

    “The letters on a dreidel stand for ‘Nes gadol hayah sham’!”

    Don’t Know Much About History:

    “The Maccabees played dreidel to cover up for learning Torah!”

    Misunderstood Text:

    “The third Beit HaMikdash will not have animal korbanot, according to the Rambam and Rav Kook!”

    Stranger Than Fiction:

    Hebrew U makes millions a year because Albert Einstein was ahead of his time.

    1 hr 5 min
  • MythBusting: Jewish Urban Legends & Misunderstood Texts with Rabbi Uri Cohen - Session 9

    Class description

    Urban Legend:

    “During Birkat Kohanim, don’t look or you’ll go blind!”

    An Unlikely Story:

    “The Chofetz Chaim woke up his daughter to go pay a tailor in the middle of the night!”

    Street Torah:

    “Women are exempt from positive time-bound mitzvot because they’re too busy taking care of their children!”

    Folk Etymology:

    “The word ‘afikoman’ means dessert in Greek!”

    Don’t Know Much About History:

    “The Netziv closed the Volozhin Yeshiva rather than allow any secular studies!”

    Misunderstood Text:

    “The Gemara says ‘Woe to someone whose children are girls’!”

    Stranger Than Fiction:

    A prominent rabbi gave haskamot to books that he himself had published anonymously.

    1 hr 3 min
  • MythBusting: Jewish Urban Legends & Misunderstood Texts with Rabbi Uri Cohen - Session 8

    Class description

    Urban Legend:

    “Mishlo’ach manot need to be two foods that have two different berakhot!”

    An Unlikely Story:

    “Simon & Garfunkel got the tune for ‘Scarborough Fair’ from ‘Dror Yikra’!”

    Street Torah:

    “Women aren’t allowed to touch (or look at) a Sefer Torah!”

    Folk Etymology:

    “The word ‘hamantasch’ means that Haman became weak (tash)!”

    Don’t Know Much About History:

    “Moshe Rabbeinu’s portrait showed that his natural inclination was to be a bad person!”

    Misunderstood Text:

    “The halakhah requires us to judge people favorably all the time!”

    Stranger Than Fiction:

    Rabbi Yisrael Salanter’s list of 13 middot is adapted from Benjamin Franklin.

    1 hr 2 min
  • MythBusting: Jewish Urban Legends & Misunderstood Texts with Rabbi Uri Cohen - Session 7

    Class description

    Urban Legend:

    “We don’t eat giraffes because we don’t know where to shecht them!”

    An Unlikely Story:

    “Rav Gustman was impressed by the milkman – Rav Aharon Lichtenstein!”

    Street Torah:

    “Saying ‘Jesus’ is not allowed!”

    Folk Etymology:

    “The Satmar sect of Chassidim is from a town whose name means St. Mary!”

    Don’t Know Much About History:

    “Rashi’s pregnant mother was saved when the shul wall miraculously moved!”

    Misunderstood Text:

    “The halakhah says a woman shouldn’t wear tefillin because she doesn’t have a clean body!”

    Stranger Than Fiction:

    The “I’m really Amish” story actually happened – with a well-known Chassid.

    1 hr 2 min
  • MythBusting: Jewish Urban Legends & Misunderstood Texts with Rabbi Uri Cohen - Session 6

    Class description

    Urban Legend:

    “Eliyahu’s cup at the seder is called that because he shows up and drinks from it!”

    An Unlikely Story:

    “There’s an orange on the seder plate (of liberal Jews) because a man once yelled, ‘A woman belongs on the bimah like an orange belongs on a seder plate’!”

    Street Torah:

    “Tzara’at was a punishment for Lashon HaRa only!”

    Folk Etymology:

    “The anointing oil included k’neh bosem, which is clearly cannabis!”

    Don’t Know Much About History:

    “Jewish life shifted from Babylonia to Spain because of the four captive rabbis!”

    Misunderstood Text:

    “Mitzvot in the Torah are all meant to be Lekhat’chilah!”

    Stranger Than Fiction:

    Rabbis have discussed what berakhah the Jews would have said on manna.

    1 hr 5 min
  • MythBusting: Jewish Urban Legends & Misunderstood Texts with Rabbi Uri Cohen - Session 5

    Class description

    Urban Legend:

    “Some Orthodox Jews have sex through a hole in a sheet!”

    An Unlikely Story:

    “When Rav Preil’s daughters sang zemirot, Rav Baruch Ber walked out!”

    Street Torah:

    “You have to be forty in order to learn Kabbalah!”

    Folk Etymology:

    “The word ‘teiku’ stands for ‘Tishbi yitaretz kushyot ve’ibayot’ (Eliyahu will resolve all difficulties)!”

    Don’t Know Much About History:

    “Ellis Island officials made my family change their last name!”

    Misunderstood Text:

    “A midrash says that the first woman was Lilith, but she was too feminist for Adam!”

    Stranger Than Fiction:

    176 is the length of the longest parashah, the longest perek of Tehillim, and the longest masekhet.

    1 hr 5 min
  • MythBusting: Jewish Urban Legends & Misunderstood Texts with Rabbi Uri Cohen - Session 4

    Class description

    Urban Legend:

    “The Gemara starts with Daf Bet in order to teach us an important lesson!”

    An Unlikely Story:

    “When Rav Moshe Feinstein found out that he drank non-Cholov Yisroel milk, he made himself throw up!”

    Street Torah:

    “If a Sefer Torah falls, everyone has to fast for forty days!”

    Folk Etymology:

    “The word ‘abracadabra’ comes from the Aramaic for ‘I will create as I speak’!”

    Don’t Know Much About History:

    “The Rambam was Saladin’s doctor!”

    Misunderstood Text:

    “The Gemara says that you have to eat meat on Yom Tov!”

    Stranger Than Fiction:

    The spread of Shavuot all-night learning is associated with the spread of coffee.

    1 hr 4 min
  • MythBusting: Jewish Urban Legends & Misunderstood Texts with Rabbi Uri Cohen - Session 3

    Class description

    Urban Legend:

    “Chazal say that if you make three shiddukhim, you’ll go to Olam HaBa!”

    An Unlikely Story:

    “The location of the Beit HaMikdash is because of a beautiful story about two brothers!”

    Street Torah:

    “Covering your head with your hand is no substitute for a yarmulke!”

    Folk Etymology:

    “The word ‘yarmulke’ comes from the Aramaic ‘yerei malka,’ fear of God!”

    Don’t Know Much About History:

    “Rashi wrote in Rashi script!”

    Misunderstood Text:

    “The Gemara says that women are feeble-minded!”

    Stranger Than Fiction:

    In Raiders of the Lost Ark, Belloq recites part of “Brikh Sh’mei.”

    1 hr 8 min
  • MythBusting: Jewish Urban Legends & Misunderstood Texts with Rabbi Uri Cohen - Session 2

    Class description

    Urban Legend:

    “A Kohen must marry a virgin!”

    An Unlikely Story:

    “The Maharal made a golem!”

    Street Torah:

    “When Rivkah met Eliezer and married Yitzchak, she was three years old!”

    Folk Etymology:

    “The name ‘MarCheshvan’ means the month is bitter because it has no holidays!”

    Don’t Know Much About History:

    “The Menorah is hidden in the Vatican!”

    Misunderstood Text:

    “A midrash says that in the future, pigs will become kosher!”

    Stranger Than Fiction:

    Rabbis have discussed whether a golem can count in a minyan.

    1 hr 14 min
  • MythBusting: Jewish Urban Legends & Misunderstood Texts with Rabbi Uri Cohen - Session 1

    Urban Legend:

    “If you have a tattoo, you can’t get buried in a Jewish cemetery!”

    An Unlikely Story:

    “The Chofetz Chaim had an encounter from which he learned that you shouldn’t say Lashon HaRa even about yourself!”

    Street Torah:

    “Reclining at the Seder is to the left, because if you lean right you could choke!”

    Folk Etymology:

    “The phrase ‘bubbe mysehs’ is the Yiddish equivalent of ‘old wives’ tales’!”

    Don’t Know Much About History:

    “Jewish slaves built the pyramids!”

    Misunderstood Text:

    Pirkei Avot says “Don’t talk too much with a woman”!

    Stranger Than Fiction:

    A teacher accused a girl of lying when she said her father had composed Al HaNissim.

    1 hr 9 min

About WebYeshiva.org

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WebYeshiva.org, the world’s first fully interactive online Torah study program, was founded in 2007 by Rabbi Chaim Brovender with the goal of making Torah accessible to every Jew around the world.