KMTT - the Torah Podcast

Reeh | Ish haYashar beEinav | Revisiting a Biblical Conundrum, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom What did Moshe mean when he said "that which is right in each man's eyes" in reference to the Mikdash? Moshe Rabbenu, in describing the difference between the sacral worship in the desert and that which the people are imminently going to practice once they enter the Land, uses an odd phrase - "You shall not do after all the things that we do here this day, every man whatever is right in his own eyes". We explore the various ways in which this phrase was understood by the Rishonim and, inspired by a comment in the  Pesikta Zutrata (Lekah Tov), use the parallel phrase at the end of Sefer Shoftim for a deeper understanding of the role of the Mikdash and its association with justice and proper behavior in the Land. Source sheet >>

Ramban on the Torah | 57 | Reeh, by Rav Eli Weber What is the role of the navi?

Explaining the Wisdom of Harav Yehuda Amital zt"l (Part 34), by Rav Moshe Taragin In light of the recent publication of the sefer לעולם יהא אדם, מתורותיו של הרב יהודה עמיטל, Rav Taragin discusses with his talmidim many of the issues brought up in his rebbe's sichot: Should a Person Develop Personal Torah Chiddushim? The Price of Shifting Torah Authority from Community Rabonim to Roshei Yeshiva

Ramban on the Torah | 56 | Ekev, by Rav Eli Weber How could Moshe Rabbeinu willingly shatter luchot written by the hand of HaKadosh Barukh Hu?! This and more... about our intimate relationship with God.

Ramban on the Torah | 55 | Vaetchanan, by Rav Eli Weber Which is the "real" text of the aseret hadibrot? Treating a derabanan mitzva as deoraita - is that bal tosif? And more...

Ekev | How Do You Spell "Mezuzot"? by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom How many ways can "Mezuzot" be legitimately spelled? The Orthography of the Torah Rashi, in his comment on Devarim 6:9, infers from the written form of "Mezuzot" - מזוזת - that we need only write the words of שמע...ואהבת (and the rest) on one doorpost, since the written version alludes to "Mezuzat". However, our Sifrei Torah all have that word written מזזות. We explore the phenomenon of כתיב מלא וחסר - (plene and "defective" orthography), where Hebrew letters are used to "guide" reading and are read as vowels. We also explore the rabbinic history of variant texts of the Torah and how that challenge was met. Source sheet >>

Explaining the Wisdom of Harav Yehuda Amital zt"l (Parts 32-33), by Rav Moshe Taragin In light of the recent publication of the sefer לעולם יהא אדם, מתורותיו של הרב יהודה עמיטל, Rav Taragin discusses with his talmidim many of the issues brought up in his rebbe's sichot: #32: Rabbis Should Be Humans Not Angels; Too Much Kavod?; Rav Amital's Honest and Brilliant Confession; Gaining the Respect of the "Rebetzin" #33: Encountering the Modern Culture; "I Have No Easy Solutions ("Patentim" in Hebrew); Avoiding Simplistic Faith

Vaetchanan | The Second "Version" of the Decalogue, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom The dibrot are repeated in Devarim, but with some significant (and some subtle) variations. The Decalogue is repeated in Devarim, but with some significant (and some subtle) variations. An approach to understanding all of these variations - large and small - is proposed, in light of the significantly different station of the generation born in the desert. Source sheet >>

KMTT - Explaining the Wisdom of Harav Yehuda Amital zt"l (Parts 30-31), by Rav Moshe Taragin In light of the recent publication of the sefer לעולם יהא אדם, מתורותיו של הרב יהודה עמיטל, Rav Taragin discusses with his talmidim many of the issues brought up in his rebbe's sichot: Torah Wisdom of HaRav Amital #30: Two Ways To Understand the "Eternity of Torah"; Torah Isn't Meant to Be Heavy; Focus on Chumra Saps Religious Energy for Internalism  #31: Naturalist Religion: Avodas Hashem of Volition or of Compulsion?; The Maharal's Calibration ;Holiness Isn't Esoteric or Detached from Daily Routine; Can "Values" Become Mitzvot?

Tisha BeAv | Why Were the Keruvim Hugging at the Time of the Churban? by Rav Dovid Gottlieb The Romans couldn't understand why they found the keruvim in a loving embrace when they destroyed the Beit HaMikdash. As a result they ridiculed us for this seemingly base display of affection.  How do WE understand this phenomenon?  What should we know that they were missing? A number of new approaches to understand the symbolism of the keruvim's embrace at the time of the churban: Hashem's enduring love of the Jewish people, Hashem comforting us - and us comforting Him, advice about the need to be active, mindful and serious about Yiddishkeit in galut.