KMTT - the Torah Podcast

The Road to Teshuva | Part 3, by Rav Moshe Taragin Is Teshuva Too Foundational to be "A Mitzva"?

Ki Tetze | The Slanderer, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom What was the "motzi shem ra" attempting to accomplish? A challenging sugya in peshuto shel mikra Much of the middle of Parashat Ki Tetze is devoted to laws relating to sexual impropriety, expanding (per our approach) on the Dibber - לא תנאף. The most puzzling passage (22:13-21) addresses a case of possible slander on the part of a new husband, besmirching his new wife's reputation and making claims about her lack of virtue in advance of their marriage. What begins as an apparently transparent attempt to get out of a marriage he now regrets leads to one of two far more unpleasant results - either his being punished and publicly shamed or, far worse, her execution. We examine the intersection between text and law, identifying the difficulties and suggesting a solution as to the import of this unusual pair of rulings. Source sheet >>

Ramban on the Torah | 59 | Ki Tetze, by Rav Eli Weber   What is the point of the mitzvah to build a railing? Why are there special mitzvot for war? What's the problem with prostitution?

Rav Soloveitchik on Teshuva (3): Do We Deserve to be Forgiven If We Do Teshuva? by Rav Dovid Gottlieb Third in a series of mini-shiurim on R Soloveitchik's approach to Teshuva based on his famous and incredible sefer Al HaTeshuva Is the forgiveness promised if we do teshuva a result of Hashem's Midat HaRachachamim or Midat HaDin? The Rav addresses this - and other fascinating questions - as we conclude the 1st essay in 'Al HaTeshuva'.

Carrying our Broken Hearts to the End of a Cursed Year, by Rav Dovid Gottlieb How can we process the murder of the 6 hostages and what should we be thinking about as 5784 comes to a close? Swords of Iron | Day 339  

Rav Soloveitchik on Teshuva (2): Going Beyond the Sin Itself and Repenting for the "Lifestyle" of Sin, by Rav Dovid Gottlieb Second in a series of mini-shiurim on R Soloveitchik's approach to Teshuva based on his famous and incredible sefer Al HaTeshuva When is it enough to "just" repent for the sin itself and when - and why - must we sometimes repent even for the lifestyle that led to the sin?

Rav Soloveitchik on Teshuva (1): The Duality of Sin and the Duality of Repentance, by Rav Dovid Gottlieb First in a series of mini-shiurim on R Soloveitchik's approach to Teshuva based on his famous and incredible sefer Al HaTeshuva In order to understand how teshuva works we first need to understand the impact of sin - once we appreciate in what way(s) sin is damaging, then we can analyze how teshuva rehabilitates us.

The Road to Teshuva | Parts 1 and 2, by Rav Moshe Taragin Is Teshuva Optional; How Did Rav Aharon Lichtenstein View the Realm of "Reshut" Why is There No Mitzva for Teshuva?; Maximizing Free Will; Teshuva for Lost Opportunities  

Shoftim | The Prohibition of "Raising" a Stele, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom Why is the matzeiva described as "abhorred by God"?  In the middle of the presentation of the laws of the Beit Din HaGadol (the central national court), the Torah interjects three seemingly disconnected prohibitions - planting a tree near the altar, raising a stele (מצבה) and offering a blemished animal. We address the middle of these passages and note the curious phrasing of the prohibition - אשר שנא ה' אלקיך and observe that both אשר as well as שנא has multiple possible meanings within the verse. We then briefly survey the history of the מצבה in the narrative of the תורה, where it seems to have Divine approval - and then we see three main approaches in the Midrashim and the Rishonim, each with its own difficulties. We then suggest a variation of one of these approaches, based on a careful reading of our text. This shiur was dedicated to the memory of the six חטופים who were murdered, in cold blood, just before their imminent rescue. השם יקום דמם ויהא זכרם ברוך Source sheet >>

Ramban on the Torah | 58 | Shoftim, by Rav Eli Weber   Why do people die in wars? What is the point of Egla Arufa? What does it mean to be "Tamim"?