KMTT - the Torah Podcast

Torah - one shiur every day

Thoughts for Asara B'Tevet 5786 12/31/2025

Thoughts for Asara B'Tevet 5786 Thoughts for Asara B'Tevet 5786, by Rav Moshe Taragin Was the Translation of Torah Tragic? Was the Holocaust a Historical Shift? When the Narrative Changes. Preserving Halakha and Masorah. The Dangers of Hyper-Preservationism in Charedi Culture /episode/index/show/kmtt/id/39576600

Vayechi | David's Last Words: Moral Complexity and Leadership 12/31/2025

Vayechi | David's Last Words: Moral Complexity and Leadership Vayechi | David's Last Words: Moral Complexity and Leadership, by Rav Eli Weber Understanding moral complexity reveals the Haftara's deepest wisdom about leadership and ethics. I Melakhim 2:1 - 2:12 This shiur examines the Haftara for Parshat Vayechi, which parallels King David's final charge to his son Shlomo with Yaakov's blessings to his children. The Haftara divides into two contrasting sections that seem almost contradictory, religious wisdom followed by orders to kill! /episode/index/show/kmtt/id/39575680

Vayechi | Yaakov's Deathbed Charge 12/31/2025

Vayechi | Yaakov's Deathbed Charge Vayechi | Yaakov's Deathbed Charge, Rav Yitzchak Etshalom What is the rationale behind the sequence of Yaakov's deathbed blessings? In the final scene of Yaakov's storied life, he lies in his bed surrounded by all twelve of his sons - for the first time, named שבטי ישראל - the "tribes of Israel". He then imparts (blessings?) (prophecies?) (assignments?) to each of them in an unusual sequence and with an imbalanced emphasis towards two of his sons. We explore possibilities of Yaakov's intent in his final moments and suggest a far-reaching vision that our patriarch has - and which speaks to a seemingly irreparable tear in the fabric of the family...which helps us understand an inscrutable line in our Haggada. All that and more... /episode/index/show/kmtt/id/39575550

Vayigash | 5786 | And I Will Make Them One Nation 12/25/2025

Vayigash | 5786 | And I Will Make Them One Nation Vayigash | 5786 | And I Will Make Them One Nation, by Rav Eli Weber Yechezkel 37: 15-28 How do we create unity? /episode/index/show/kmtt/id/39532935

Vayigash | "And Yosef Could No Longer Restrain Himself" 12/24/2025

Vayigash | "And Yosef Could No Longer Restrain Himself" Vayigash | "And Yosef Could No Longer Restrain Himself", by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom Why does the text add the phrase לכל הנצבים עליו when defining Yosef's inability to restrain his outburst? When Yosef is finally ready to reveal his identity to his brothers, the text uses a rare word - להתאפק - and tells us that ולא יכל יוסף להתאפק לכל הנצבים עליו. This latter phrase is enigmatic and the Rishonim take a number of varied approaches to explain the role of the bystanders in his decision to empty the room before "the big reveal". We survey these approaches and suggest two more - one based on the well-known article by R. Yoel Bin-Nun about Yosef's thinking during this entire episode - and another, new approach to this specific phrase, which curiously leads us to the latter-day story which is heavily reliant on the Yosef-in-Egypt narrative - Megilat Esther, pitting Yosef's ויתאפק against that of Haman. /episode/index/show/kmtt/id/39527710

Mitzvat Chanuka | A Fresh Look at the "Beraitot" of Chanuka 12/17/2025

Mitzvat Chanuka | A Fresh Look at the "Beraitot" of Chanuka Mitzvat Chanuka | A Fresh Look at the "Beraitot" of Chanuka, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom Why is "Sugyat Chanuka" the only place in the Bavli where a Mitzva is presented with a tiered system of fulfillment? (BT Shabbat 21b) Most students are familiar with the Beraitot defining the Mitzvah of Ner Chanuka, found near the beginning of the 2nd chapter of Masekhet Shabbat - including the tri-level performance schedule (basic, 'Mehadrin' and 'Mehadrin min haMehadrin'). We analyze this Beraita and the attendant discussion, identifying difficulties in the text along the way and then share the approach taken by several contemporary scholars as to the background of the discussion and thereby arriving at a solution to the conundrum of this multi-layered Sugya. /episode/index/show/kmtt/id/39437845

Vayeshev 5786 | For Three Transgressions of Yisrael 12/16/2025

Vayeshev 5786 | For Three Transgressions of Yisrael Vayeshev | 5786 | For Three Transgressions of Yisrael, by Rav Eli Weber Amos 2:6 - 3:8 How does God communicate with us? /episode/index/show/kmtt/id/39431825

Vayeshev | The Apocrypha and the Midrash 12/10/2025

Vayeshev | The Apocrypha and the Midrash Vayeshev | The Apocrypha and the Midrash, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom Is there anything legitimately "Jewish" about apocryphal Midrashim? We are accustomed to thinking of the Apocrypha (the "hidden" or "buried" writings of the 3rd century BCE through the first century CE) as external to our Rabbinic tradition and to reflecting purely sectarian approaches and interpretations. Yet - we sometimes find a common thread between the interpretive approaches taken in these somewhat esoteric books and those found in our "mainstream" Midrashic literature. We examine an unusual passage in the apocryphal "Testament of Judah" and find a curious commonality appearing nearly a millennium later in Midrash Bereishit Rabbati. /episode/index/show/kmtt/id/39352370

Two Giants, One Vision: The Legacy of Rav Aharon Lichtenstein and Rav Yehuda Amital zt"l 12/09/2025

Two Giants, One Vision: The Legacy of Rav Aharon Lichtenstein and Rav Yehuda Amital zt"l Two Giants, One Vision: The Legacy of Rav Aharon Lichtenstein and Rav Yehuda Amital, by Rabbi Michael Rosensweig Our overseas talmidim were zocheh to Rabbi Rosensweig, '73, telling them about his time at Gush with stories of Rav Lichtenstein zt"l and Rav Amital zt"l. The shiur examines how Yeshivat Har Etzion benefited from two contrasting gedolim: Rav Amital's passionate decisiveness and transformative honesty, and Rav Lichtenstein's analytical depth and measured deliberation. Like Yaakov Avinu who synthesized Avraham and Yitzchak's qualities, these leaders offered diverse role models united by integrity and mutual respect. Their complementary approaches demonstrated that Torah leadership can embrace different styles while maintaining shared values and unwavering commitment to truth. Rabbi Rosensweig is a Rosh Yeshiva at RIETS of YU and the Rosh Kollel of the Beren Kollel Elyon. /episode/index/show/kmtt/id/39341330

Vayishlach | 5786 | Thus says the Lord God Concerning Edom 12/04/2025

Vayishlach | 5786 | Thus says the Lord God Concerning Edom Vayishlach | 5786 | Thus says the Lord God Concerning Edom, by Rav Eli Weber What was Esav's plan? Who is Edom? /episode/index/show/kmtt/id/39281760

Vayishlach | Hegemonism or Conquest? 12/04/2025

Vayishlach | Hegemonism or Conquest? Vayishlach | Hegemonism or Conquest? by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom ולזרעך נתתי את הארץ - What was at the core of Yaakov's dispute with his sons after the massacre of Sh'khem? Continuously throughout Sefer Bereishit, our Patriarchs are promised by Hashem that their descendants will be "given" the Land - but there is no indication of how that gift will be given, of how that "inheritance" will be achieved. We explore what may have been the perspective of our Avot in that regard - and how and why it changed by the time we arrived in Mitzrayim. /episode/index/show/kmtt/id/39281035

Vayetze | Back to Gerar (The Parenthetic Statement) 11/28/2025

Vayetze | Back to Gerar (The Parenthetic Statement) Vayetze | Back to Gerar (The Parenthetic Statement), by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom How do we explain the references to Avraham having passed away in Beresheet 26 if, as proposed, this narrative cycle took place before Yaakov and Esav were born (i.e. well before Avraham passed on). As a follow-up to our shiur about Gerar and my argument that the events described in Bereishit 26:1-33 took place during the twenty years of Yitzchak and Rivka's childlessness, several thoughtful and pointed challenges were raised by podcast listeners and participants in the shiur. By surveying and classifying the various types of parenthetic statements in Biblical narrative, we respond to these challenges and, thereby, explain two anomalous verses (v. 15 and v. 18) in the Gerar narrative. /episode/index/show/kmtt/id/39194970

And Thou Knowest No God but Me | Vayetze | 5786 11/28/2025

And Thou Knowest No God but Me | Vayetze | 5786 And Thou Knowest No God but Me | Vayetze | 5786, by Rav Eli Weber Hoshea 12:13-14:10. On the difficulties in the Jews' relationship with God /episode/index/show/kmtt/id/39194790

Yet I Love Yaakov. And I Hated Esav | Toldot | 5786 11/20/2025

Yet I Love Yaakov. And I Hated Esav | Toldot | 5786 Yet I Love Yaakov. And I Hated Esav | Toldot | 5786, by Rav Eli Weber Malachi 1:1-2:7. How should we worship God? /episode/index/show/kmtt/id/39107505

Toldot | The Gerar Conundrum 11/19/2025

Toldot | The Gerar Conundrum Toldot | The Gerar Conundrum, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom What happened during Yitzchak and Rivka's twenty years of childlessness? In reading through the presentation of Yitzchak's life in Parashat Toldot, there seems to be a disconnect between the opening narratives of the birth and early years of Yaakov and Esav, and the subsequent narrative cycle of Yitzchak and Rivka in Gerar (chapter 26:1-33). We propose what at first seems to be a revolutionary explanation for the puzzles this sequencing raises - but, on further reflection, note that it is built upon an approach that is well-anchored in rabbinic sources. /episode/index/show/kmtt/id/39092535

Chayei Sara | Ketura and the Sons of the East 11/16/2025

Chayei Sara | Ketura and the Sons of the East Chayei Sara | Ketura and the Sons of the East, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom Why Ketura? As the story of Avraham's life comes to a close, we are informed that at some point (perhaps after Sara died), he took another wife - Ketura and, as the straightforward reading indicates, he also took several concubines. He had children with all of these and sent the sons of his concubines away - to the east - with gifts. We aren't told where he directed Ketura's six sons and their progeny to go. More intriguing is the story itself - why did he marry again, and have so many more children - only to send them away? We explore several points in Avraham's life, informed by the opening charge to him (Bereishit 12:1-3) and how his understanding of this charge evolved over time. /episode/index/show/kmtt/id/39049475

Now King David was Old | Haftara | Chayei Sara | 5786 11/16/2025

Lekh Lekha | Avraham's Early Years: The Genesis of Midrashic Visions 10/29/2025

Lekh Lekha | Avraham's Early Years: The Genesis of Midrashic Visions Lekh Lekha | Avraham's Early Years: The Genesis of Midrashic Visions, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom What are the sources of the well-known Midrashim about Avraham's early years? There are numerous Midrashim that explore the early years of Avraham, attempting to explain his selection as the progenitor of a great nation and the source of blessing for "all of the families of the earth." Some of these Midrashim portray Avraham as a philosopher, arriving at his belief in one God through observation and contemplation. Others describe him as more of an intuitive believer, imbued with a deep sense of God from his youngest years. Exploring passages from the proto-Midrashic literature found in the Apocrypha, we find that each of these approaches can be found in this literature. We also discuss these sources, their likely provenance and their impact on the literature of the Midrash with which we are familiar. /episode/index/show/kmtt/id/38821805

Noach | "My Covenant" 10/22/2025

Noach | "My Covenant" Noach | "My Covenant", by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom What Berit is Hashem referring to before the Flood? In Hashem's instructions to Noach regarding the construction of the Ark, He prefaces the command that Noach, his family and the representatives of the animal kingdom all enter the Ark with an odd phrase - "I will fulfill My covenant with you" - והקימותי את בריתי אתך - to which ברית is this alluding? The Rishonim are divided on its referent; by exploring Beritot in the Torah and a telling passage in Yirmiyahu, we propose a new understanding of this enigmatic phrase which, in turn, illuminates the role for which Avraham was later chosen. /episode/index/show/kmtt/id/38739295

Should You Make a Berakha on Seeing the Freed Hostages 10/12/2025

Should You Make a Berakha on Seeing the Freed Hostages Leil Hoshana Rabba 5786 | Should You Make a Berakha on Seeing the Freed Hostages, by Rav Dovid Gottlieb IY"H they will be released in the morning, Hoshana Rabba. /episode/index/show/kmtt/id/38556385

Thoughts About the Coming Week and The Release of our Hostages 10/11/2025

Thoughts About the Coming Week and The Release of our Hostages Thoughts About the Coming Week and The Release of our Hostages, by Rav Moshe Taragin /episode/index/show/kmtt/id/38550605

Sukkot | Zman Simchatenu 10/05/2025

Sukkot | Zman Simchatenu Sukkot | Zman Simchatenu, by Rav Dovid Gottlieb Sukkot and the simcha of second chances, in the words of the Alei Shur. /episode/index/show/kmtt/id/38468775

How To Free Ourselves from Our Fears 09/30/2025

How To Free Ourselves from Our Fears Rav Soloveitchik on Teshuva (12): How To Free Ourselves from Our Fears, by Rav Dovid Gottlieb Most people are beset by many fears: fear of dying, fear of poverty, fear of loneliness, etc. Surprisingly, if we internalize one specific - and big - fear of Heaven we can free ourselves from all of our other fears. /episode/index/show/kmtt/id/38414310

The Glory of "Teshuva Gedola" 09/29/2025

The Glory of "Teshuva Gedola" The Glory of "Teshuva Gedola", Shabbat Shuva 5786, derasha by Rav Moshe Taragin /episode/index/show/kmtt/id/38390545

Nitzavim | The Devarim "Revolution" 09/17/2025

Nitzavim | The Devarim "Revolution" Nitzavim | The Devarim "Revolution", by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom What are we to make of Moshe's "Teshuva speech" in Devarim 30:1-10? The "Parashat haTeshuva" (Devarim 30:1-10) seems to double back on itself, introducing Teshuva and then - introducing it again. Based loosely on a wonderful shiur by Rav Baruch Gigi, Rosh Yeshivat Har Etzion, we analyze the difference between the obeisance directed in Sefer Shemot-Bamidbar as opposed to the emotional attachment between HKBH and Knesset Yisrael introduced by Moshe in his grand speech of Sefer Devarim. Using this dichotomy to suggest two different sets of consequences of "non-compliance" (or "Divine disappointment"), we propose reading the two segments of Parashat haTeshuva as first and foremost addressing the core relationship with HKBH and only after that relating to the practical commitment to Mitzvot. /episode/index/show/kmtt/id/38249725

Sefer Yonah | Chapter 3 09/17/2025

Sefer Yonah | Chapter 3 Sefer Yonah | Chapter 3, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom Why did the king of Nineveh respond so quickly and so forcefully to Yonah's declaration? As we continue our study of Sefer Yonah, we note the many peculiarities of the narrative in chapter 3. In only 10 verses, it tells us of Yonah's immensely successful prophetic mission to Nineveh, where his simple cry elicits immediate fasting, mourning and (apparently) heartfelt repentance on the part of the Ninevites. We note the striking parallels between the first narrative - on the boat - and this one and how in each case, the foreign audience (sailors, Ninevites) serve as helpful background players and throughout the story, the real character is Yonah himself. Some of the questions that we have raised will be addressed in the final installment of this mini-series. /episode/index/show/kmtt/id/38249670

Sefer Yonah | Overview, Introduction and Chapter 1 09/17/2025

Sefer Yonah | Overview, Introduction and Chapter 1 Sefer Yonah | Overview, Introduction and Chapter 1, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom In this opening shiur of a three-part series, we explore the historic background of both Yonah and the Assyrian Empire and its impending conquest of Samaria. We then analyze the first chapter of the story - Yonah on the boat - looking for textual and literary clues to understand the underlying message of the story. More to come... /episode/index/show/kmtt/id/38249605

Ramban on the Torah | 5785 | 39 | Ki Tavo 09/15/2025

Ramban on the Torah | 5785 | 39 | Ki Tavo Ramban on the Torah | 5785 | 39 | Ki Tavo, by Rav Eli Weber How do we show gratitude to Hashem? How do we deal with failure in Avodat Hashem? /episode/index/show/kmtt/id/38229405

Appreciating Our Dual Relationship With Hashem 09/15/2025

Appreciating Our Dual Relationship With Hashem Rav Soloveitchik on Teshuva (11): Appreciating Our Dual Relationship With Hashem, by Rav Dovid Gottlieb What is the basis of our relationship with Hashem - what we inherit from our parents or something more personal? What does sin do to that relationship and how does teshuva repair the relationship? /episode/index/show/kmtt/id/38229275

Ki Tetze | 5785 | Sha'atnez 09/04/2025

Ki Tetze | 5785 | Sha'atnez Ki Tetze | 5785 | Sha'atnez, by Rav Tzvi Chaim Kaye The issur appears twice in the Torah; what does the word itself mean?! And what processes are required to create a violation of this mitzva. This and more... /episode/index/show/kmtt/id/38084140

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