Yeshayah, Week 18: 11:1-9 - The Era of a Righteous Mashiach - Mar 5, 2019 - Conclusion of our Utopia discussion; When does this happen?; Traits and Job Description of Mashiach; Declawing the Wild Beasts?

The Bissli Wedding Ring - Mar 4, 2019 - Rav Asher Weiss addresses a modern iteration of a centuries-old halachic problem: A wedding whose participants insist that they were only joking.

The Kiyor: What's In Your Sink? - Feb 28, 2019 - Why does the Torah stress creation of the Kiyor from the re-purposed "mirrors of the women who gathered at the entrance to the Ohel Moed"? Why is the base of the kiyor enumerated separately? And why did Shlomo put images from the Divine Throne on the base of his kiyor? Three levels in understanding the kiyor.

Shemuel #24 - 8:1-6 - Request and Reaction - Feb 28, 2019 - Continuing the discussion: How could Shemuel's sons accept bribes, the antithesis of the traits of their grandmother and father? Why wasn't Shemuel punished as Eli was? And why did Shemuel want to reject their request for a king?

Yeshayah, Week 17b: Introducing 11-12: What is a Jewish Utopia? - Feb 26, 2019 - Tying visions of Utopia in Devarim, Melachim I, Yeshayah and Rambam's Hilchot Melachim.

Yeshayah, Week 17a: 10:16-34 - Assyria will be Stopped / An Assyrian Invasion - Feb 26, 2019 - 1) Assyria will be stopped before they can destroy Judea; 2) A description of an Assyrian invasion - but which one?

Was Lavan Right? Who Marries First? - Feb 25, 2019 - Minchat Asher 2:74 on the question of whether younger siblings must wait for older siblings to marry, and related issues.

Why Jews and Calves Don't Mix - Feb 21, 2019 - Cheit haEigel/The Golden Calf: Why did Aharon or Hashem choose to make a calf, specifically? And why did Yeravam adopt the same image? The calf vs. the ox.

Yeshayah, Week 16: 10:5-19 - Addressing Assyria - Feb 19, 2019 - Yeshayah turns his attention from the collapse of the Northern Kingdom and its Syro-Ephraimite Alliance to the arrogant Assyrian invaders, foretelling their demise as the weapon of G-d which is no longer needed.

The Tripartite Agreement: A Prenup Like No Other - Feb 18, 2019 - Brief summary of arguments for and against the "Tripartite" prenuptial agreement, from both technical and psychological standpoints.