YUTORAH: R' Dr. Aaron Rakeffet-Rothkoff -- Recent Shiurim

History of Eastern European Yeshivot - October 12 - Oct 12, 2026 -

Responsa Literature - October 11 - Oct 11, 2026 -

History of Eastern European Yeshivot - September 7 - Sep 7, 2026 -

Responsa Literature - September 6 - Sep 6, 2026 -

History of Eastern European Yeshivot - August 31 - Aug 31, 2026 - R' Yozel Horwitz's living in isolation compared to the life of a Nazir. How and why R' Horwitz changed from a businessman to a Torah personality. How and why his yeshiva in Novardok succeeded. Park East Synagogue's Chabad Rabbi. Why Chabad influences Jews to become observant more successfully than Litvaks. Life in the USSR in the 1980s. Legacy of Resilience by Nuchie Schapiro. Chabad in Maplewood. Essas family leaves the USSR. Letter to Tel Aviv University faculty. Chabad stayed and functioned as actively as was possible in the USSR. Why Novardok left the USSR. R' Rakeffet's experiences in Communist Russia. The Nineteen Letters: R. Dr. Bernard Drachman's translation. The impact of sending—in particular—young Americans into Russia on Jews living in Russia. Being expelled from the USSR on Shabbat. Putin and Chabad. קראתי שמך ה' מבור תחתיות by Avraham Yisrael ארנברג. His interactions with Chabad during WW2 in Siberia (available at Yad Vashem library or archive).

R' Rakeffet in the IDF. The Resolution of the Status of the MIAs of the Battle of Sultan Yacoub. Comments on the R' Moshe Meiselman Interview and the R' Hershel Schachter Interview. Chabad Rabbis in US Shuls. R' Yitzchok Lichtenstein. - Aug 30, 2026 - R' Rakeffet's career in the IDF: Basic-training, teaching, Lebanon. The tragedy of the Battle of Sultan Yacoub. Ehud Barak's role. The creation of International Coalition for Missing Israeli Soldiers (ICMIS). R' Rakeffet joins ICMIS. An overview of Zachary Baumel, Tzvi Feldman, Yehuda Katz and their families. Meyer "Mike" Kaplan's background and his role in the MIAs issue. Examples of false leads. An overview of the agunot issue. Applying the concept of התרת עגונות to determine the status of the MIAs. ספיקא ספק S'feik S'feika. R' Yitzchak Elchanan Spector. How the IDF adopted the process of determining whether a missing husband is still alive to the MIAs. Positive consequences of declaring the three MIAs dead. Supreme Court case to reverse the Military Rabbinic Court decision. The R' Moshe Meiselman interview. How and why, he portrays accurately only part of R' Yosef Soloveitchik's total personality. R' Hershel Schachter interview. Three points of R' Rakeffet's disagreement: 1) Dr. Belkin and nature of YU. 2) Serving in the IDF. 3) Rabbis leaving the USA to move up to Israel. Chabad rabbis taking over US shuls. How and why R' Yitzchok Lichtenstein disagrees with his parents.

Responsa Literature - August 23 - Aug 23, 2026 -

R' Yozel Horowitz and Novardok Yeshivot. Focusing on a Comparison of How Differently Chabad and Novardok Reacted to the Communist Takeover of Russia. Life in the Soviet Union in the 1980's both in General and Specifically for Jews. - Aug 24, 2026 - R' Yozel Horwitz's living in isolation compared to the life of a Nazir. How and why R' Horwitz changed from a businessman to a Torah personality. How and why his yeshiva in Novardok succeeded. Park East Synagogue's Chabad Rabbi. Why Chabad influences Jews to become observant more successfully than Litvaks. Life in the USSR in the 1980s. Legacy of Resilience by Nuchie Schapiro. Chabad in Maplewood. Essas family leaves the USSR. Letter to Tel Aviv University faculty. Chabad stayed and functioned as actively as was possible in the USSR. Why Novardok left the USSR. R' Rakeffet's experiences in Communist Russia. The Nineteen Letters: R. Dr. Bernard Drachman's translation. The impact of sending—in particular—young Americans into Russia on Jews living in Russia. Being expelled from the USSR on Shabbat. Putin and Chabad. קראתי שמך ה' מבור תחתיות by Avraham Yisrael ארנברג. His interactions with Chabad during WW2 in Siberia (available at Yad Vashem library or archive).

Responsa Literature - August 23, 2026 - Aug 23, 2026 -

Pictures of Women. Novardok Yeshiva. It's Move to Russia Then Out of USSR. Mussar in Novardok Yeshiva – It's Implementation, Goals, and Effect. Yevsektsia. Bundism. Hostility to Hesder Yeshivot. - Jun 15, 2026 - No photographs of women & omitting their names. Ad in Mishpacha Magazine: Come to Norfolk, VA. Peleg demonstrations. Single man, early Shabbat, when to light nerot. The 2 pants pockets of Kotzker. Holocaust survivor stories. Traveler who made no Shabbat arrangements. He trusted in God. 2 different mussar views on Yosef going to Mitzrayim. Novardok Yeshiva (NY) to Russia. Why Yevsektsia hated Torah Jews so much. NY decides to leave USSR. This was very difficult but done quite successfully. Chabad stayed & suffered. Post 1980, less suffering. Satmar Rav visits Israel. Social vs. ideological Satmar. Shoah and State: Which is ma'aseh Hashem & which is ma'aseh Satan? Intensity of study of Mussar vs. Talmud in NY. Donating time to the community. Lakewood – almost no zemirot while NY sang with exuberance. R' Revel & Bundism. Bundism echoes yovel. NY students get used to being laughed at. This helped them survive ridicule for living Torah lives. NY Times 2100 edition. The "stock exchange" of NY – pros and cons. Private mussar schmooze at NY. Torah centered in Tel Aviv, then to Bnei Brak. Why do Hesder yeshivot & rabbis bother chilonim more than charedi ones? Smotrich. Sohn's Delicatessen.