KMTT - the Torah Podcast

Lekh Lekha | The Ethics of Rejoicing Over the Death of our Enemies, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom The current war that we are fighting has brought many moments of despair and sadness, but there have also been moments of triumph, including the notifications of the "neutralization" of some of our worst, bloodthirsty, barbaric enemies. Looking past the understandably human reaction to celebrate the vengeance, we look to our sources to explore whether it is seen as inappropriate, acceptable or even praiseworthy to exult at the death of our worst enemies. Much of this shiur was inspired by the work of Prof. David Henshke. Source sheet >>

Ramban on the Torah | 5785 | 02 | Lekh Lekha, by Rav Eli Weber  

Iggeret HaRamban | 2 | Anger is a "Gateway to Sin" - Stay Away! by Rav Dovid Gottlieb A new series of shiurim on Iggeret HaRamban. The Ramban wrote a letter to his son which is a classic of machshava and mussar. The letter is basically an ethical will about what's important in life and how to be a good. Everyone knows that anger is bad and that we're better off if we can control our temper:  * what is so bad about anger?  * what practical steps can we take to try to control our temper

Torah Study vs Army Service: What Do the Sources Say? by Rav Dovid Gottlieb In light of Rav Gottlieb's recent shiurim on Rav Asher Weiss and his teshuvot regarding army service, and the debate that ensued, we felt it more than appropriate to release a shiur given by Rav Gottlieb to his shana bet talmidim in Har Etzion, to better understand his personal view on the subject. 

Iggeret HaRamban | 1 | The Importance of Midot and Modeling Proper Behavior, by Rav Dovid Gottlieb A new series of shiurim on Iggeret HaRamban. The Ramban wrote a letter to his son which is a classic of machshava and mussar. The letter is basically an ethical will about what's important in life and how to be a good person. As such, it is just as relevant to each of us as it was to his son.

Rav Asher Weiss on War (2): The Day After - Now What?? by Rav Dovid Gottlieb In his recently published "Minchas Asher - Emunah U-Bitachon" R. Asher has a section dedicated to discussing the religious challenges of of the war. On October 8th, 2023, Isru Chag, the day after the horrific attacks, R. Asher gave his 1st public address, during which he attempts to process the shock and horror of what happened on Simchat Torah.

Rav Asher Weiss on War: "Shema" is a Segula for the Soldiers, by Rav Dovid Gottlieb In his recently published "Minchas Asher - Emunah U-Bitachon" R. Asher has a section dedicated to discussing the religious challenges of of the war.

Ramban on the Torah | 5785 | 01 | Noach, by Rav Eli Weber Did Hashem give up on humanity? Was Noach a tzadik? What does it mean that Hashem remembers?

Noach | Days of Wine and Curses: A Fresh Look at The Curse of Canaan, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom What was Cham's sin in the tent?  The immediate postdiluvian scene (Bereishit 9:18-29) is troubling on several accounts. Why is Cham introduced (twice!) as "father of Canaan"? What did he do that was so egregious that he earned his father's eternal curse? Why was that curse placed on Canaan, Cham's youngest son? How did Noach even know what happened, if he was asleep? Who are Canaan's brothers, to whom he is to be enslaved? Building off of Midrash Chaza"l and several contemporary observations, we propose a more text-friendly way of reading Cham's sin and Canaan's curse. Source sheet >>

Teshuva and the Fatal Flaw of Religious Mediocrity, by Rav Dovid Gottlieb What does it take to be "written" in the Book of Life?  Is it enough NOT to be wicked or is something more impressive and ambitious expected of us?