KMTT - the Torah Podcast

Ha'azinu and the Levi'im, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom Why is Haazinu the only Parashah which has "hard-wired" Aliyot (הזיו לך)? "Now, write for yourselves this poem and teach it to Bnei Yisrael, place it in their mouths..." According to Rambam, the essential command for every Jew to write a Sefer Torah is anchored in the obligation to write Moshe's prophetic poem "Haazinu" (Dev. 32:1-43). Not only was this poem to be taught to all the people, but it served as the Levitical song to accompany the Musaf offering every Shabbat, broken down into six sections (identified by the acronym - הזיו לך) and completed every six weeks. We examine the significance of this poem, its particular relevance to the season of Teshuva and the significance of this six-part division, as well as the aptness of it serving as the unique Song of Shabbat in the Mikdash.

Ramban On The Torah | 13 | Rosh Hashana, by Rav Eli Weber  

Rosh Hashana | Akedat Yitzchak (4), by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom Why didn't Avraham protest God's command? In this four-part series, we examine one of the most mysterious and troubling stories in all of Tanakh - the story of Akeidat Yitzchak (Bereishit 22:1-19). We discuss the selection of this narrative as the קריאת התורה for (2nd day) Rosh Hashana (#1), the larger narrative contexts within which this story operates (#2), some classical approaches to unraveling the mystery of this "test" (#3) and some suggestions for a new approach to understanding this startling story (#4). Source sheet >>

Ramban On The Torah | 12 | Nitzavim-Vayelekh, by Rav Eli Weber Why does HKDBH sometimes seem so angry with us? And other times, so encouraging? It's because He knows us.

Rosh Hashana | Akedat Yitzchak (3), by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom How do the Midrashim interpret the word נסה in 22:1 - is it a "test" or something else? In this four-part series, we examine one of the most mysterious and troubling stories in all of Tanakh - the story of Akeidat Yitzchak (Bereishit 22:1-19). We discuss the selection of this narrative as the קריאת התורה for (2nd day) Rosh Hashana (#1), the larger narrative contexts within which this story operates (#2), some classical approaches to unraveling the mystery of this "test" (#3) and some suggestions for a new approach to understanding this startling story (#4). Source sheet >>

Ramban On The Torah | 11 | Ki Tavo, by Rav Eli Weber

Akedat Yitzchak (2), by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom How ought the Akedah be viewed from the larger perspective of the Avraham story?  In this four-part series, we examine one of the most mysterious and troubling stories in all of Tanakh - the story of Akeidat Yitzchak (Bereishit 22:1-19). We discuss the selection of this narrative as the קריאת התורה for (2nd day) Rosh Hashana (#1), the larger narrative contexts within which this story operates (#2), some classical approaches to unraveling the mystery of this "test" (#3) and some suggestions for a new approach to understanding this startling story (#4) Source sheet >>

Akedat Yitzchak (1), by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom How did Akedat Yitzchak become selected as the preferred Keriat haTorah for 2nd day Rosh Hashana? Source sheet >>

Ramban On The Torah | 10 | Ki Tetze, by Rav Eli Weber

Ramban On The Torah | 09 | Shoftim, by Rav Eli Weber