Rabbi Joseph Dana hosts classes every Friday at 6:45 AM at West Deal Shul.

In this class on Parashat Behar/Behukotai, Rabbi Dana focuses on a single pasuk describing a brother who becomes impoverished and must sell his ancestral land, with a family redeemer obligated to buy it back. On the level of pshat, he draws on Rav Soloveitchik's insight that helping someone in poverty means caring for the whole person — their emotional state, confidence, and dignity — not just their finances. Shifting to a Chassidic lens, Rabbi Dana explores the Noam Elimelech's reading of the pasuk as describing spiritual poverty, where a person becomes distracted by the pleasures of this world and drifts from their true mission of serving God. The Noam Elimelech identifies the 'redeemer who is close' as the tzaddik or rabbi, who shares a spiritual root with the person and has the power to pull them back to their connection with Hashem. Rabbi Dana closes with a practical call to action rooted in the Mishna in Pirkei Avot — not only should every person cultivate a real relationship with a rabbi, but friends too carry an obligation to bring one another closer to Torah, meaning we are all participants in the work of kiruv.

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Rabbi David Semah hosts classes every day at 6:45 AM at West Deal Shul.

Rabbi David Semah opens with the pasuk from Parashat Behar, V'chi Yamuch Achicha — if your brother becomes poor, you must strengthen him. He develops a powerful mashal comparing a struggling person to a load on a donkey: it is far easier to steady the load while it is still on the donkey than to lift it off the ground after it has fallen. The Rabbi applies this practically, noting that we often hesitate to help someone in decline, but once a person has fully fallen, the burden of helping becomes overwhelming. He emphasizes the Torah's double language of V'chai Achicha — your brother shall live — teaching that one must also maintain their own livelihood while helping others, not giving away everything to the point of personal ruin. The class closes with a reference to a Midrash on V'chai Achicha and a call to go out of our way to ensure our fellow Jews are truly okay.

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Rabbi Moshe Tobal hosts classes Monday through Friday at 6:10 AM at West Deal Shul.

Rabbi Moshe Tobal opens by addressing a deeply challenging question: the Torah promises three years of blessing to those who keep Shemitah, yet this miraculous outcome does not always visibly occur. He cites the Chafetz Chaim and Chazon Ish, who explain that Torah blessings and rabbinic berachot are not automatic — they depend on the full picture of a person's merits — but Rabbi Tobal notes this answer alone feels incomplete. He adds that the one exception is Maaser, where Hashem uniquely says "test Me," indicating that Tzedakah is the one area where the blessing is guaranteed regardless, giving a person a clear anchor for Emunah. To connect Parashat Behar and Bechukotai, Rabbi Tobal brings the story of Achav visiting Chiel during shiva after Chiel's sons died from Yehoshua's curse, and Achav's challenge to Eliyahu HaNavi questioning why Moshe Rabbeinu's curse of drought had not materialized. The lesson is that just as Hashem delays curses out of patience and mercy, so too are blessings sometimes delayed — both operate within a larger Divine calculation — and Tzedakah remains the one reliable test of Hashem's direct and certain response.

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Rabbi Ike Hanon hosts classes Monday through Friday at 6:10 AM at West Deal Shul.

In this class on Parashat Behar, Rabbi Ike Hanon explores the Sefer HaChinuch's four reasons behind the mitzvah of Shemittah. The first reason is that the cycle of six years of work followed by a seventh year of rest mirrors the six days of creation and Shabbat, reinforcing our belief that Hashem created the world. The second reason is that continuing to be sustained while not working reminds us that our parnasah comes from Hashem and not from the earth itself. The third reason is that being required to declare one's fields Hefker — ownerless — cultivates the midah of vatranut, the ability to let go of possessions and become more charitable. Finally, the fourth reason is that completely refraining from work for an entire year builds true bitachon, a deep and unwavering reliance on Hashem.

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Rabbi Ike Hanon hosts classes every day at 6:10 AM at West Deal Shul.

The class covers Pesachim 38a, focusing on a question posed by Rish Lakish regarding whether a Kohen can fulfill his matzah obligation using challah that was separated from Ma'aser Sheni produce in Jerusalem. The Gemara first establishes that the question is only relevant according to Rebbe Akiva, who permits using Ma'aser Sheni for matzah, while Rebbe Yosi HaGlili is disqualified outright since he already restricts plain Ma'aser Sheni. A second version of the question introduces a more complex case where challah is purchased using Ma'aser Sheni money, raising the issue of whether the redemption leniency (ho'il) still applies when the sanctity was acquired through money rather than directly from produce. The Gemara grapples with whether two separate ho'il arguments can be stacked to permit using such challah for matzah, particularly according to the opinion that food purchased with Ma'aser Sheni money that becomes impure must be buried rather than redeemed. Rava resolves the question by ruling that Ma'aser Sheni is "shem echad" — one unified category — meaning that if the original produce case is permitted, derivative cases reached through multiple ho'il arguments are equally permitted.

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Rabbi Ike Hanon hosts classes Monday through Friday at 6:10 AM at West Deal Shul.

The class continues the ongoing debate between Rabbi Yochanan and Reish Lakish over whether food cooked in a pan qualifies halachically as bread, with implications for Hafrashat Challah and the validity of matzah. The Gemara introduces a Beraita discussing two types of boiled dough — meisa and chalita — and examines the seemingly contradictory positions of Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel, ultimately concluding that the Beraita must reflect two different traditions since their opinions cannot be internally consistent. The Gemara then attempts to use the Chachamim's ruling — that only oven-baked items are obligated in Challah — as a challenge to Rabbi Yochanan's position that pan-cooked bread is valid. Rabbi Yochanan tries to defend himself by pointing to the Tanakama in the Beraita, but the Gemara dismantles this defense by showing that both the Tanakama and Rabbi Yehuda agree a pan alone is insufficient — they only argue about whether subsequent oven-baking can redeem it. Rava traces Rabbi Yehuda's opinion to a pasuk in Parashat Bechukotai, and the class closes with a brief discussion of who receives Challah today and the rare opinion that Kohanim in chutz la'aretz may still eat it.

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Rabbi Joseph Dana hosts classes every day at 6:50 AM at West Deal Shul.

This class covers the laws of Kriat Shema as they apply to those involved in a funeral, beginning with the Mishnah's ruling that pallbearers and their replacements are exempt from Shema. The Gemara discusses whether one may schedule a funeral so early that it interferes with the time for Shema, concluding that it is forbidden unless the deceased is a great scholar, in which case the large attendance constitutes Kavod HaTorah. The class then examines what a mourner says during the eulogy, including the Siduk HaDin prayer, and raises the principle of Al Tiftach Peh L'Satan — that one must be careful not to verbally invite further punishment. The Gemara also addresses a contradiction between the Mishnah and a Baraita regarding whether one must complete the entire Shema or whether finishing even one verse or paragraph is sufficient, with the conclusion supporting opinions that the first verse or paragraph carries biblical-level obligation. Finally, the class explores how the rows of consolers at a mourner's house affect the Shema exemption, with the opinion of Yehudah suggesting that personal intent to console — rather than physical proximity — is the determining factor.

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(0:00) Nosé HaMéta: Carrying the Coffin

(1:33) Early Funerals and Shema Timing

(5:55) Rav Yosef's Funeral: Adam Hashuv

(6:34) Hakham Ovadia vs. Ariel Sharon

(9:09) Eulogies and Saying Shema

(10:00) The Mourner's Prayer: Siduk HaDin

(13:40) Al Tiftach Peh L'Satan

(16:00) Proof from Yeshayah

(18:47) Returning from Burial: Shema Rules

(20:05) Contradiction Between Mishnah and Baraita

(23:49) Value of One Pasuk of Shema

(24:53) Rows of Consolers and Shema Exemption

(26:56) Yehudah: Intent Determines Exemption

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Rabbi Albert Setton hosts classes every Shabbat morning at 7:00 AM at West Deal Shul.

In this class, Rabbi Albert Setton begins Perek Dalet of Pirkei Avot by exploring three foundational Mishnayot that redefine our core human drives. He opens with Ben Zoma's famous fourfold teaching, examining how wisdom, strength, wealth, and honor are each redirected inward — away from comparison with others and toward self-mastery and inner contentment. Rabbi Setton then turns to Ben Azzai, who teaches that every mitzvah pulls another mitzvah in its wake and every sin drags along another, and who warns against dismissing any person or thing as irrelevant since everything and everyone has their moment. The class continues with the Mishnah of Rabbi Levitas of Yavneh, where Rabbi Setton draws on the Rambam at length to distinguish between humility and lowliness, arguing that arrogance is so dangerous — effectively displacing God's presence — that one should lean toward the extreme of Shefal Ruach rather than risk tipping into Gaavah. The session closes by introducing the complementary concept of Kiddush Hashem, framing it as the outward-facing balance to humility, and briefly touching on the imperative to learn Torah not merely to teach but to live it.

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Rabbi Ike Hanon hosts classes Monday through Friday at 6:10 AM at West Deal Shul.

The class begins with a recap of the decorated matzot discussion from 37a, where Rav Yose rules that thin, cracker-like matzot may be decorated without concern for chametz. The Gemara then transitions into a related discussion about hafrashat challah, examining which unusual bread types — including pan-made, sun-baked, and fried varieties — are exempt from the obligation. A major dispute between Resh Lakish and Rabbi Yochanan is explored: Resh Lakish holds that only oven-baked bread requires challah, while Rabbi Yochanan maintains that pan-made bread is also obligated, and the exemptions stem from breads baked in the sun. The Gemara defends Resh Lakish through the concept of a preheated pan making it equivalent to oven baking, and this framework is applied to whether pan-made matzah qualifies for use at the Seder. A brief digression defines matzah hina — underdone matzah — as valid for use as long as it no longer pulls strings when broken, with the same threshold applied to the loaves accompanying a korban todah.

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Rabbi Joseph Dana hosts classes Monday through Friday at 6:50 AM at West Deal Shul.

This class continues the Gemara in Berachot 19a, exploring cases where rabbis faced or deserved excommunication for undermining rabbinic authority. Rabbi Dana examines the story of Todos Ish Romi, who instructed his community to roast whole animals on Pesach night in a way that resembled bringing a korban outside the Beit HaMikdash, leading Shimon ben Shetach to threaten him with excommunication. The class then transitions into the famous story of Tanur Shel Achnai, in which Rabbi Eliezer refused to accept the majority ruling on the purity status of a reconstructed clay oven, invoking miraculous signs to prove his position, only to be overruled by the principle that Torah is no longer in heaven. The discussion highlights the foundational concept that once the Sanhedrin votes, no individual rabbi — and not even a heavenly voice — can override that ruling, illustrating the complete transfer of halachic authority to the sages. The class concludes by explaining the discrepancy between finding only three explicit cases of excommunication in the Mishnah versus the traditionally cited number of twenty-four, noting that some authorities derive the larger count by comparing similar cases rather than requiring explicit mention.

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(0:00) Introduction: Excommunication

(1:18) Honi HaMeagel Recap

(3:02) Todos Ish Romi Case

(5:07) Roasting Meat on Seder Night

(9:58) Tanur Shel Achnai Background

(14:05) The Oven of the Snake

(16:33) Rabbi Eliezer's Miracles

(18:30) Burning Rabbi Eliezer's Rulings

(19:09) Zaken Mamreh & Sanhedrin Power

(20:55) Torah Is Not in Heaven

(27:27) Why Only 3 Cases in Mishnah

(28:10) How 24 Cases Are Counted

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