KMTT - the Torah Podcast

Noach | The Rainbow and the Covenant, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom Who are the parties to the first Berit, symbolized by the rainbow?  The first ברית made in the Tanakh is between God and...? (People? Animals? The Earth?) in the immediate aftermath of the cataclysmic flood. The rainbow is presented as the "sign of the Berit", which is there so that God will "remember" His commitment to never again destroy the world or its inhabitants. Besides the obvious theological challenges inherent in this presentation, it is also unclear what the role of this covenant is and who the two "sides" of the agreement are and what obligations they have towards each other. We propose that this original Berit be seen through the eyes of the "original audience" of Sefer Bereishit, the nation standing at Sinai, who are entering an eternal covenant with HaKadosh Barukh Hu.

Bereishit | Unravelling a Bereishit Enigma, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom The story of Kayin's descendants concludes with a return to Adam and to the "replacement" son that he had, Sheth and his son, Enosh. The story concludes with a puzzling phrase, אז הוחל לקרא בשם השם, a phrase which has been interpreted in numerous ways, including interpretations which are seemingly diametric opposites of each other. Why is this phrase so confusing and how does it lead to so many different possibilities? We survey the exegetical literature from the 3rd c. BCE through the 19th century CE - and then propose a panoramic approach to the story which puts this verse in a multi-faceted light which allows for this multiplicity of meanings, not as alternative takes but rather as complementary contributions to the larger picture. Source sheet >>

Six Shifts in the "History" of Torah, by Rav Moshe Taragain Shiur given Leil Hoshana Rabba 5783, at Heichal Shlomo, Jerusalem Simchat Torah is a human invention. Source sheet >>

Sukkah Zu al Shum Mah? by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom The Torah commands us to live in Sukkot in order "that your generations know that I made/allowed/enabled (?) Bnei Yisrael to dwell in Sukkot as I took them out of Egypt". As far back as the Tannaitic era, there is an array of opinions as to the referent "Sukkot". Were they clouds of glory, booths in the desert - or the name of a place? The various opinions of Haza"l and the Rishonim are assayed with some surprising approaches shared. Source sheet >>

The Gates of Ne'ila - Harav Amital's Revolutionary Idea, by Rav Moshe Taragin

ובכן תן פחדך - The Unusual Additions to the Third Berakha on Yamim Noraim, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom There are three (or four, or five) paragraphs which are added to every Tefilla on Rosh Hashana and Yom haKippurim during the third berakha -"Kedushat haShem". Each paragraph begins with the word "Uvekhen" and anticipate an epoch when the whole world will recognize God as the Master of the World and will subjugate themselves to Him. It will be a day of great rejoicing for the righteous - and a complete "shutdown" of the wicked. Where do these paragraphs come from? Why were there some customs to only add them on Rosh Hashana? Why do some communities (e.g. the Yemenite Baladi) add them in every Tefilla during Aseret Yemei Teshuva? We explore these issues and more in this shiur, in preparation for the Yamim Noraim. Source sheet >>

Special - Hashem Ori veYish'i - Psalm 27, shiur given by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom, Sept 18, 2022 There is a relatively recent custom to recite Psalm 27 ה' אורי וישעי, twice a day (either שחרית/מנחה or שחרית/ערבית) from the beginning of אלול through סוכות. This is, in and of itself, an anomaly, as there are no other practices which stretch through the penitential period of Elul through the festive season of Sukkot. A closer look at the psalm reveals an internal contradiction as well and the nature, message and tone of the psalm seems to be at odds with itself. We study the text, propose a structure and then suggest a message which resonates with both the deep reflection of Elul as well as the overwhelming rejoicing of Sukkot. This shiur was given at the Kingsway Jewish Center. Source sheet >>  

Nitzavim | Sos Asis - The Seventh Stage of Consolation, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom Why does this final Haftara in the series of שבעה דנחמתא frequently utilize the first person, reflecting an autobiographical bent? Source sheet >>

Pre-Selichot Sicha Elul 5782, by Rav Eli Weber, given to the Overseas Talmidim Motzaei Shabbat Parashat Ki Tavo 5782. With a few minutes of nigunim both prior to and following the sicha.

The Roots of Teshuva: The hidden depths of return and renewal in the thought of Rav Aharon Lichtenstein zt"l  A Mishnat HaRAL Program in memory of David Landes z"l upon his third Yahrzeit. Sunday, Sept 11, 2022 at Cong. Rinat Yisrael, Teaneck NJ. A discussion with Rosh Yeshiva Rav Mosheh Lichtenstein and Rabbi Dr. Benjamin Samuels '92, Rabbi, Cong. Shaarei Tefillah, Newton, MA. Moderated by Rabbi Chaim Strauchler '95, Senior Rabbi, Cong. Rinat Yisrael. With remarks by Dr. Tovah Lichtenstein Dr. David J. Landes z"l learned in Yeshivat Har Etzion over the course of three years during the 1970's. He remained a loyal talmid and committed alumnus of Yeshivat Har Etzion throughout his life, serving as the Chairman of the Board of the Etzion Foundation, and was a parent of Yeshivat Har Etzion and Migdal Oz alumni. An independent scholar, his penetrating studies of contemporary Orthodox Judaism, deeply informed by anthropology, broke new ground in the study of Jewish life.