Yeshayah, Week 24: Chapter 16 - Moav, Refugees and Grapevines - May 7, 2019 - A call to Moav to shelter Jewish refugees? The destruction of Moav's grapevines. More of the Lot/Sdom/Moav association. Three years!

The State of Israel: Dwelling Alone or International Partner? - May 5, 2019 - We have two imperatives - to be benign and to dwell alone - which lead to conflicting conclusions when running a state. How do we decide which one to choose? Three approaches.

Shechutei Chutz: The Power of Place - May 2, 2019 - Understanding the mitzvah of bringing korbanot only in the Mishkan or Beit haMikdash, and the severe penalty for slaughtering or sacrificing a korban outside the Mishkan or Beit haMikdash, in light of the transformative power of space. Application to laws of Hotzaah. Ramifications for aliyah and tefillah.

Shemuel #28 - 9:3-14 - Gd's King - May 2, 2019 - What trait causes Shaul to be Gd's chosen king, and how do we see it in his first recorded actions? And why would someone ask Shemuel haNavi about lost donkeys - and pay him a quarter-shekel for it?

Yeshayah, Week 24: 15 - Moav's Cities in Ruins; Yeshayah Cries? - Apr 30, 2019 - Yeshayah blends the sins and punishment of Moav past and present - and does he cry for the envisioned suffering of Moav?

Brief divrei torah on Tzaraat - Apr 12, 2019 - 1) Is tzaraat a favour? (Seforno)

2) The metzora's korban asham (Seforno)

3) The role of the kohen

4) The Zohar on tzaraat of homes

B'rchush Gadol: Who Cares? - Apr 11, 2019 - Why would Avraham, or the Jews who left Egypt, care about receiving gold and silver upon leaving? Is that really meant to be some form of restitution for everything we suffered? Or is this like Iyov's experience, in which a righteous and wealthy person suffers without having sinned, is distanced from Gd, and then receives great wealth as a sign that he is still the righteous person he was at the start?

Yeshayah, Week 23a: 14:28-32 - The Philistines Snakebitten - Apr 9, 2019 - The Philistines who rejoiced and invaded in the time of Achaz will be routed in the time of Chizkiyahu, pursued by venomous snakes.

Yeshayah, Week 23b: 15 - Introducing the Vision Against Moav - Apr 9, 2019 - The historic relationship between Moav and the Jews; the running theme of selfishness and refugees; the Mesha Stele

The Other Villains of Passover, Part 2 of 2 - Apr 8, 2019 - The destructive "Us vs. Them" outlook that began with Lavan's swap of Rachel and Leah, continued with the decision to sell Yosef, and continues with Datan and Aviram. Rav Zalman Sorotzkin sees our Egypt experience as a corrective, as represented by matzah. However, we still preserve tribalism post-Egypt. What are the benefits of tribalism?. Geared toward an audience including people without strong background in Torah text study.