The Road to Teshuva | Part 9, by Rav Moshe Taragin Personal and Collective Viduy; Macro and Micro Teshuva; Creating Shock and SorrowBy Rav Moshe Taragin

Exploring the Themes and Pesukim of Rosh Hashana Part 2, by Rav Moshe Taragin Take Our Pain As Our Prayer; The Ashes; Love, Not Memories; Sacred Thunderclaps; The Melody of PrideBy Rav Moshe Taragin

Changing the Tone of Selichot after October 7th, by Rav Moshe Taragin This shiur was delivered before selichot Motzaei Shabbat Nitzavim-Vayelekh, in Congregation Rinat Yisrael, 2024 (Teaneck, NJ)By Rav Moshe Taragin

Elevating our Sacrifice and Commitment, by Rav Dovid Gottlieb The soldiers are committed to the mission above all else - how can we make ourselves worthy of their commitment this Rosh Hashana?By Rav Dovid Gottlieb

Rav Soloveitchik on Teshuva (5): The Two Dimensions of Teshuva, by Rav Dovid Gottlieb Fifth in a series of mini-shiurim on R Soloveitchik's approach to Teshuva based on his famous and incredible sefer Al HaTeshuva. Part 2 of our discussion of the second essay in the sefer. Is Teshuva an "obligation of the heart" or is there a required action?…

Rav Soloveitchik on Teshuva (4): Is Teshuva a Mitzva? Must I Repent? by Rav Dovid Gottlieb Fourth in a series of mini-shiurim on R Soloveitchik's approach to Teshuva based on his famous and incredible sefer Al HaTeshuva. Part 1 of our discussion of the second essay in the sefer. If a person sins MUST he / she do teshuva or is that something that ca…

Exploring the Themes and Pesukim of Rosh Hashana, by Rav Moshe Taragin Bringing Hashem to a G-dless World; The Anthem of Jewish HistoryBy Rav Moshe Taragin

Ramban on the Torah | 61 | Nitzavim-Vayelekh, by Rav Eli Weber "You stand this day, all of you, before your God." Don't we always live our lives in God's presence? And more...By Rav Eli Weber

Vayelekh | Hakhel in Yavneh... And Beyond, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom What is the impact of Hakhel in our day? The penultimate Mitzva found in the Torah is the command to assemble all of the people at the end of the Shemitta year, to hear a public reading of the Torah (התורה הזאת) - including the men, the women and the children. In a famous story rec…

The Road to Teshuva | Part 8, by Rav Moshe Taragin Avoiding "Viduy Traps": Denial, Deflection, DisingenuousnessBy Rav Moshe Taragin

The Road to Teshuva | Parts 6-7, by Rav Moshe Taragin Paradoxes of Teshuva: Can Teshuva Be Selective?; The Halakhic Definition of What is Considered "Forgotten" Paradoxes of Teshuva: Personal Teshuva vs. Collective Teshuva; Believing in Jews as a Route to Teshuva; Covering With Snow Rather Than Cleansing…

Ki Tavo | Why Did Bnei Yisrael Need a Second Tokhacha? by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom Why is the imprecation (תוכחה) in our Parasha so much more frightening and graphic than the earlier one in Vayikra 26 Parashat Ki Tavo is perhaps most well-known for the lengthy and painful imprecation which Moshe integrates into the covenant which he initiates with Bne…

Ramban on the Torah | 60 | Ki Tavo, by Rav Eli Weber What is the meaning of Vidui Bikkurim? Is there a meaning to what the goyim think of us? What is the meaning of writing the Torah on stones?By Rav Eli Weber

The Road to Teshuva | Part 5, by Rav Moshe Taragin Teshuva Paradoxes- "We Will be in the Same Place Next Year"- 3 Ways to Solve the Hypocrisy of Religious RecidivismBy Rav Moshe Taragin

The Road to Teshuva | Part 4, by Rav Moshe Taragin Can Teshuva Aspiration be Too Ambitious; Divine Reassurances Without Reducing StandardsBy Rav Moshe Taragin

The Road to Teshuva | Part 3, by Rav Moshe Taragin Is Teshuva Too Foundational to be "A Mitzva"?By Rav Moshe Taragin

Ki Tetze | The Slanderer, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom What was the "motzi shem ra" attempting to accomplish? A challenging sugya in peshuto shel mikra Much of the middle of Parashat Ki Tetze is devoted to laws relating to sexual impropriety, expanding (per our approach) on the Dibber - לא תנאף. The most puzzling passage (22:13-21) addresses a case of …

Ramban on the Torah | 59 | Ki Tetze, by Rav Eli Weber What is the point of the mitzvah to build a railing? Why are there special mitzvot for war? What's the problem with prostitution?By Rav Eli Weber

Rav Soloveitchik on Teshuva (3): Do We Deserve to be Forgiven If We Do Teshuva? by Rav Dovid Gottlieb Third in a series of mini-shiurim on R Soloveitchik's approach to Teshuva based on his famous and incredible sefer Al HaTeshuva Is the forgiveness promised if we do teshuva a result of Hashem's Midat HaRachachamim or Midat HaDin? The Rav addresses …

Carrying our Broken Hearts to the End of a Cursed Year, by Rav Dovid Gottlieb How can we process the murder of the 6 hostages and what should we be thinking about as 5784 comes to a close? Swords of Iron | Day 339By Rav Dovid Gottlieb

Rav Soloveitchik on Teshuva (2): Going Beyond the Sin Itself and Repenting for the "Lifestyle" of Sin, by Rav Dovid Gottlieb Second in a series of mini-shiurim on R Soloveitchik's approach to Teshuva based on his famous and incredible sefer Al HaTeshuva When is it enough to "just" repent for the sin itself and when - and why - must we sometimes rep…

Rav Soloveitchik on Teshuva (1): The Duality of Sin and the Duality of Repentance, by Rav Dovid Gottlieb First in a series of mini-shiurim on R Soloveitchik's approach to Teshuva based on his famous and incredible sefer Al HaTeshuva In order to understand how teshuva works we first need to understand the impact of sin - once we appreciate in what w…

The Road to Teshuva | Parts 1 and 2, by Rav Moshe Taragin Is Teshuva Optional; How Did Rav Aharon Lichtenstein View the Realm of "Reshut" Why is There No Mitzva for Teshuva?; Maximizing Free Will; Teshuva for Lost OpportunitiesBy Rav Moshe Taragin

Shoftim | The Prohibition of "Raising" a Stele, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom Why is the matzeiva described as "abhorred by God"? In the middle of the presentation of the laws of the Beit Din HaGadol (the central national court), the Torah interjects three seemingly disconnected prohibitions - planting a tree near the altar, raising a stele (מצבה) and o…

Ramban on the Torah | 58 | Shoftim, by Rav Eli Weber Why do people die in wars? What is the point of Egla Arufa? What does it mean to be "Tamim"?By Rav Eli Weber

Reeh | Ish haYashar beEinav | Revisiting a Biblical Conundrum, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom What did Moshe mean when he said "that which is right in each man's eyes" in reference to the Mikdash? Moshe Rabbenu, in describing the difference between the sacral worship in the desert and that which the people are imminently going to practice once they enter…

Ramban on the Torah | 57 | Reeh, by Rav Eli Weber What is the role of the navi?By Rav Eli Weber

Explaining the Wisdom of Harav Yehuda Amital zt"l (Part 34), by Rav Moshe Taragin In light of the recent publication of the sefer לעולם יהא אדם, מתורותיו של הרב יהודה עמיטל, Rav Taragin discusses with his talmidim many of the issues brought up in his rebbe's sichot: Should a Person Develop Personal Torah Chiddushim? The Price of Shifting Torah Auth…

Ramban on the Torah | 56 | Ekev, by Rav Eli Weber How could Moshe Rabbeinu willingly shatter luchot written by the hand of HaKadosh Barukh Hu?! This and more... about our intimate relationship with God.By Rav Eli Weber

Ramban on the Torah | 55 | Vaetchanan, by Rav Eli Weber Which is the "real" text of the aseret hadibrot? Treating a derabanan mitzva as deoraita - is that bal tosif? And more...By Rav Eli Weber

Ekev | How Do You Spell "Mezuzot"? by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom How many ways can "Mezuzot" be legitimately spelled? The Orthography of the Torah Rashi, in his comment on Devarim 6:9, infers from the written form of "Mezuzot" - מזוזת - that we need only write the words of שמע...ואהבת (and the rest) on one doorpost, since the written version alludes to …

Explaining the Wisdom of Harav Yehuda Amital zt"l (Parts 32-33), by Rav Moshe Taragin In light of the recent publication of the sefer לעולם יהא אדם, מתורותיו של הרב יהודה עמיטל, Rav Taragin discusses with his talmidim many of the issues brought up in his rebbe's sichot: #32: Rabbis Should Be Humans Not Angels; Too Much Kavod?; Rav Amital's Honest a…

Vaetchanan | The Second "Version" of the Decalogue, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom The dibrot are repeated in Devarim, but with some significant (and some subtle) variations. The Decalogue is repeated in Devarim, but with some significant (and some subtle) variations. An approach to understanding all of these variations - large and small - is proposed, i…

KMTT - Explaining the Wisdom of Harav Yehuda Amital zt"l (Parts 30-31), by Rav Moshe Taragin In light of the recent publication of the sefer לעולם יהא אדם, מתורותיו של הרב יהודה עמיטל, Rav Taragin discusses with his talmidim many of the issues brought up in his rebbe's sichot: Torah Wisdom of HaRav Amital #30: Two Ways To Understand the "Eternity o…

Tisha BeAv | Why Were the Keruvim Hugging at the Time of the Churban? by Rav Dovid Gottlieb The Romans couldn't understand why they found the keruvim in a loving embrace when they destroyed the Beit HaMikdash. As a result they ridiculed us for this seemingly base display of affection. How do WE understand this phenomenon? What should we know that t…

Eicha | "Cheit Chat'a Yerushalayim" by Rav Dovid Gottlieb On the power and potential of our actions Chazal seem to emphasize that we - the Jewish people - are uniquely responsible for our actions and their impact on the events of history - how do we understand this and why is it fair?By Rav Dovid Gottlieb

Ramban on the Torah | 54 | Devarim, by Rav Eli Weber Why are some mitzvot only written down in Sefer Devarim? What do the Meraglim have to do with Moshe not entering Eretz Israel? Why does Hashem make the goyim fear Am Israel?By Rav Eli Weber

Amos | The Opening Oracles Against the Nations, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom Many of our literary prophets issued rebukes, warnings and dire threats against the nations surrounding Israel and Amos's opening chapters are often cited as the paradigm for this genre of prophetic oratory. Yet, a closer look at these prophecies and their setting reveals that…

9 BeAv | Text Study of Psalm 137 - על נהרות בבלת, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom When and why was על נהרות בבל composed? Psalm 137, the dirge of the Levi'im "at the waters of Babylon" is an intricate and multi-layered psalm that evokes a surprisingly hopeful and defiant message. (This session was held in Ramat Beit Shemesh; thank you to the Reichs for th…

The "Sin of the Spies" and Tish'a BeAv, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom By analyzing the accounts in both Shelach and Devarim, we will assess the connection between these two events? Chazal, in a famous Aggada (at the end of Masekhet Ta'anit) generate a calendar in order to "time" the arrival of the scouts at the camp on the afternoon of the 8th of Av so …

KMTT - Explaining the Wisdom of Harav Yehuda Amital zt"l (Part 29), by Rav Moshe Taragin In light of the recent publication of the sefer לעולם יהא אדם, מתורותיו של הרב יהודה עמיטל, Rav Taragin discusses with his talmidim many of the issues brought up in his rebbe's sichot: Torah Wisdom of HaRav Amital #29: Building Religion Upon a Human 'Frame"; Ac…

Explaining the Wisdom of Harav Yehuda Amital zt"l (Part 28), by Rav Moshe Taragin In light of the recent publication of the sefer לעולם יהא אדם, מתורותיו של הרב יהודה עמיטל, Rav Taragin discusses with his talmidim many of the issues brought up in his rebbe's sichot: Torah Wisdom of HaRav Amital #28: Individualism Can Lead to Lack of Collectivism an…

Explaining the Wisdom of Harav Yehuda Amital zt"l (Parts 26-27), by Rav Moshe Taragin In light of the recent publication of the sefer לעולם יהא אדם, מתורותיו של הרב יהודה עמיטל, Rav Taragin discusses with his talmidim many of the issues brought up in his rebbe's sichot: Torah Wisdom of HaRav Amital #26: Should Religion Make You Tense Or Relaxed?; W…

Matot-Masei | The Detailed Tax on the Spoils of Midian, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom Why were the spoils of the war with Midian divided in such an unusual manner? In Bamidbar 31, the Torah presents, in exact (and seemingly superfluous) detail, the spoils of the war against Midian, along with an exact accounting of the Divinely mandated levy placed upon…

Ramban on the Torah | 53 | Matot-Masei, by Rav Eli Weber What is the place of Nedarim in Jewish life? What were Shevet Gad and Shevet Reuven asking for? What is the meaning of Yishuv Eretz Israel?By Rav Eli Weber

Explaining the Wisdom of Harav Yehuda Amital zt"l (Part 25), by Rav Moshe Taragin In light of the recent publication of the sefer לעולם יהא אדם, מתורותיו של הרב יהודה עמיטל, Rav Taragin discusses with his talmidim many of the issues brought up in his rebbe's sichot: The Five Pillars of How We Treat Non-Jews; Kiddush Hashem and Calibrating National …

Explaining the Wisdom of Harav Yehuda Amital zt"l (Parts 23-24), by Rav Moshe Taragin In light of the recent publication of the sefer לעולם יהא אדם, מתורותיו של הרב יהודה עמיטל, Rav Taragin discusses with his talmidim many of the issues brought up in his rebbe's sichot: Applying Rav Kook to A Changed Modern World: Land Isn't the Only Value; Jewish …

Is Torah Compatible With Material Indulgence? (Avot 6:4), by Rav Dovid Gottlieb Sharing the Torah of Rav Asher Weiss Do you have to be poor to become a talmid chakham?By Rav Dovid Gottlieb

Ramban on the Torah | 52 | Pinchas, by Rav Eli Weber How were the nachalot decided? What was Zelophchad's sin? Why does Moshe not die at the end of the parasha?By Rav Eli Weber

Pinchas | "And Their Libations", by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom Why are the libations and grain offerings (נסכים ומנחות) repeated with each korban in our parasha? Parashat Pinchas is known for its presentation of the "Mikdash-Calendar", i.e. the listing of Korbanot to be brought daily, every Shabbat, Rosh Chodesh and on Moadim in the Mikdash. However, in…