KMTT - the Torah Podcast

Ramban On The Torah | 29 | Bo, by Rav Eli Weber What really happened in Makkat Choshekh? What is the mitzva of "החודש הזה לכם ראש חודשים"? 

Women and Kaddish, by Rav Dovid Gottlieb "Why can't I say kaddish like my brother?" Or can she??

Kiddush: Principles and Practical Applications | 2, by Rav Dovid Gottlieb 3rd part in a series on The Sanctity of Shabbat, combining questions of both philosophy and halakha. Shiur given to the weekly women's group in Kehilat Ha'Ela. Topics discussed include: grape juice vs wine, whisky, who has to drink, plastic cups and more

Special | Thoughts about the "Trial of Israel" in The Hague, by Rav Moshe Taragin As we stand "on trial" in The Hague we are literally living through a prophecy. Fortunately, we know how it ends.

Vaera | The Makkot In Narrative and in Song, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom Why are only 7 of the Makkot mentioned in Tehillim 78? Why are a different 7 or 8 listed in Tehillim 105?    Although we are all instinctively familiar with "10 Makkot", we have a wide range of approaches to read the story of God's punishment/education of the Egyptians; indeed, in the famous Midrash which appears in the Haggada, as many as 50 Makkot are suggested. Yet in two of the Psalms, the Makkot are adumbrated yet only 7 of them are listed - and not the same 7. In Tehillim 78, כנים (lice), שחין (boils) and חשך (darkness) are omitted. In Psalm 105, the cattle plague (דבר) and boils (שחין) are left out - and the "swarm" (ערוב) may also be omitted. We explore each of these lists, the order of their presentation and the rhetoric of their description to suggest that the author of each of these psalms utilized those Makkot and particular features of each of them to drive home the particular message of his psalm. To that end, we explore the overall theme of each psalm and then suggest how the selected Makkot and their particular order and descriptions fit each of those themes.   Source sheet >>

Ramban On The Torah | 28 | Vaera, by Rav Eli Weber How can God suspend Paroh's free will? It seems unfair. The Pasuk וידבר ה' אל משה לאמור is the most repeated Pasuk in the Torah. But what does it really mean? That and more in this week's Ramban al HaParsha!

Kiddush: Principles and Practical Applications, by Rav Dovid Gottlieb 2nd part in a series on The Sanctity of Shabbat, combining questions of both philosophy and halakha. Shiur given to the weekly women's group in Kehilat Ha'Ela.

Archaeology, Epistemology and Orthodoxy, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom How far can we, as traditional Jews, dig below the earth to discover meaning in Tanakh? This lecture was given at Century Village, Boca Raton FL as part of a Scholar-In-Residence weekend. Although the central topic was the positive role of archaeology and related disciplines in aiding our understanding of Tanakh, broader issues such as the reliability of sources, the breadth of informational sources we are willing to gain from in our study of Torah and other related topics. Source sheet >>

Shemot | The Mystery Behind Moshe's Name, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom Is "Moshe" a Hebrew name or an Egyptian name? We explore the first 10 verses of Shemot 2, detailing the birth of the baby who would prove to be the agent of salvation - his being hidden in the reeds of the Nile, the role of his sister and the princess in saving him and his naming. We review the passage carefully, noting each unusual twist in the text, including unexpected additions and surprising omissions from the story. Along with numerous methodological parenthetic observations, we analyze the Egyptian and/or Hebrew meaning of the name of this baby who ultimately leads Bnei Yisrael from Egypt to Sinai to the east banks of the Jordan. This shiur was given in memory of החבר יחיאל at the Young Israel of Hollywood. Source sheet >>

Q+A with Rav Asher Weiss 2nd half of a special shiur with Rav Asher Weiss, given to the Bnei Chul, following the Old City Shabbaton, motzaei Shabbat Parashat Shemot 5784