KMTT - the Torah Podcast

Swords of Iron | Divrei Chizuk, by Rav Asher Weiss Motzaei Shabbat Parashat Shemot 5784, given to Bnei Chul following the Old City Shabbaton

The Magic and Meaning of Shabbat, by Rav Dovid Gottlieb First 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.

Shemot | "The Midwives of the Hebrews - And Their Houses?" by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom Who built houses for the midwives? And why? In the opening chapter of Sefer Shemot, we are informed about Pharaoh's plan to have the newborn Hebrew male children killed - or are they newborns? This is to be carried out by two Hebrew midwives - or are they Egyptian midwives of the Hebrews? These two, due to their fear of God, refuse Pharaoh's orders and God rewards them by having the nation increase in size. We are then told that since they feared God, "he made houses for them" - ויעש להם בתים. Who made houses? What type of houses? For whom? And to what end? The opinions about each of these unspecified words range broadly among the classic commentators - and we survey that range, explaining the methodological approach of each, with a brief interlude regarding the broader issue of the approach to a text and its impact on its understanding. We then propose a slightly nuanced explanation, based on a combination of insights of several Rishonim as well as the literary structure of the pericope. Source sheet >>

Ramban On The Torah | 27 | Shemot, by Rav Eli Weber An introduction to Sefer Shemot and the beginning of Moshe's journey to become a prophet

All It Takes to Change History Are Men and Women of Moral Courage, by Rav Moshe Taragin Sichat Mussar for Shemot

Vayechi | "My Father's Blessings Increased": Birkat Yosef and Birkat Yehuda, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom What did Yaakov mean when he said "The blessings of your father surged higher than the blessings of my parents..." (49:15 - if that's what הורי means...) The penultimate scene in Sefer Bereishit, undoubtedly one of the most dramatic and impactful to the future nation is the gathering of Yaakov's sons around his bed as he blesses each of them and alerts them as to what will befall them "at the end of days". Notably, nearly all of the brothers are given short (1-2 verse) blessings which are singular in focus. Yehuda and Yosef, however, are given much lengthier (5 verses each) blessings, each oriented to a range of blessings and roles. A careful look at these two heptads, which at first blush seem to be of different aims, proves that they not only share significant focal points, but that both of them seem to be anchored in the blessings that Yaakov himself received from Yitzchak. We explore the entire "blessing-scene" with an eye towards linking these two brothers' ברכות to the ברכות that Yaakov himself was granted. Source sheet >>  

Ramban On The Torah | 26 | Vayechi, by Rav Eli Weber

Vayigash | "Seventy Souls" - Reconsidering the Count, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom Q. Who is #70 in the count? Q: Where are all the girls? Q: How did the LXX get to LXXV?  Parashat Vayigash includes the detailed list of Bnei Yisrael who descended to Egypt, detailed by son, clan and then a total. This list raises three questions - one internal, one intrinsic and one external. The number "70" does not fit the itemized count, which reaches 69 (or, arguably, 68). The lopsided amount of males (67/69) in the list is a statistical improbability which is also challenged by the text. In addition, the LXX (Septuagint) lists five additional descendants of Yaakov and presents a total of 75 (as it does at the beginning of Shemot). We explore all three of these anomalies, beginning with traditional exegetical answers and then proposing an explanation for all three omissions and/or additions. This shiur was given in memory of Rebbetzin Miriam Wise z"l, מרים בת יצחק ורבקה, whose yahrzeit is on ט' בטבת. She was a true inspiration of a student and devotee of Tanakh. יהי זכרה ברוך. Source sheet >>

Ramban On The Torah | 25 | Vayigash, by Rav Eli Weber

Miketz | Haftara: Mishpat Shlomo - Solomon's Famous Judgment, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom How did Shlomo figure out which was the "real" mother? The rarest Haftara chanted is read when Parashat Miketz is not on Chanuka - as is the case this year for the first time in two decades. The Haftara read in this unusual year is the story of Shlomo's brilliant solution to the dispute between two "zonot" over a single baby. We explore the text of the story carefully to discern what Shlomo heard - and understood - that led him to his great bluff and which exposed the treachery of the "faux-mere". Source sheet >>