KMTT - the Torah Podcast

Asara BeTevet | History and Laws, by Rav Eli Weber Source sheet >>

The Mysterious Date of Chanuka, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom Why does Chanuka begin on the 25th of Kislev?  Every other day that is marked in our calendar for celebration has a clear source as to why that date was chosen. In the case of festivals marked in the Torah - that is the source. In the case of Purim, the text records that the Jews of the Persian Empire celebrated on the 14th (and, in Shushan, on the 15th) of Adar and declared that those days will be kept for generations. There is, however, no clear source as to why Hanukkah begins on the 25th. Suggestions, such as that that was the day the battle for Yerushalayim was won or that was the day that the Mikdash was finally under Jewish control don't fit with what we know about the history of the event. The Mikdash had to be cleansed, the defiled altar destroyed and the new one built. Furthermore, there is evidence in Megilat Ta'anit that the Hashmonaim had control of the Mikdash already in the month of Marcheshvan - over 4 weeks earlier. Why did they wait to renew the Avoda? This mystery and a number of others are addressed in this shiur.  

Ramban on the Torah | 5785 | 10 | Vayigash, by Rav Eli Weber What's the purpose of Yehuda's speech? Why does Yehuda quote Yaakov as saying his wife had two sons? What was it that moved Yosef so much?

Vayigash | Yaakov's Daughters, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom How many daughters did Yaakov have? (it's not so simple...) As we all know, Yaakov had 12 sons and one daughter; he had over 45 grandsons and - one granddaughter. This is the information given to us throughout the second half of Bereishit, culminating in the list of emigres to Egypt in Bereishit 46. The statistical improbability of this gender gap is difficult; in addition, the text makes several references to the "daughters" of Yaakov. We survey the opinions of several of the Rishonim in grappling with this problem and then discover a (possibly) surprising approach adopted by both Shmuel David Luzzato as well as R. Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin, contemporaneously in two corners of the 19th century Jewish world. Source sheet >>  

Ramban on the Torah | 5785 | 09 | Miketz - Chanuka, by Rav Eli Weber What does the Torah have to do with Chanuka? Why is the commandment for the menorah where it is? What did the brothers feel guilty of? Why did the brothers lie to Yaakov?

"Mizmor Shir Chanukat haBayit...leDavid?" An analysis of Psalm 30 and its association with Chanuka, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom Why is there a psalm titled "Mizmor Shir Hanukkat haBayit leDavid" - if David never saw the Mikdash built? A custom is recorded in Maskhet Soferim (c. 9th century) to recite Psalm 30 on Hanukkah. We study the psalm, exploring the meaning of the words, structure of the psalm and its powerful message - and then present an innovative explantion as to the propriety of its recitation on Hanukkah. Along the way, several methodological strategies for the study of Tehillim are presented. Source sheet >>

Miketz | Pharoah's Dreams | Chida veChalom, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom How are we to understand the amazement with which Pharaoh and his advisors reacted to Yoseph's solutions to the king's dreams?  Pharaoh's Dreams (the cows and the sheaves) reexamined, based on an observation of Dr. Moseh Zeidel z"l. The "Hidah" (riddle) and "Halom" (dream) are associated in Bamidbar 12 and therein begins our inquiry, including an analysis of Shimshon's famous riddle. Source sheet >>

The Overlap Between Chanuka and A Christian Holiday: Perspectives Upon the Impact of Chanuka upon the Non-Jewish World, by Rav Moshe Taragin

Ramban on the Torah | 5785 | 08 | Vayeshev, by Rav Eli Weber Why did Esav go to Edom and why does Yaakov stay? Did Yaakov believe Yosef's dreams? Was Yosef always a tzadik?

Where Mikra Meets Midrash - The Case of Yosef haTzaddik, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom In this shiur, we examine the Midrashic martyrology of the עשרה הרוגי מלכות and how it developed from several Midrashic tropes in a reading of the story of the sale of Yosef. The shiur was given in the context of the SAR-sponsored Yemei Iyyun in Tanakh (June 23, 2024) and was given in memory of Ari Levine. ארי בן מנחם צבי ז"ל. Source sheet >>