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A 30-40 shiur on a Torah topic, every working day, from Yeshivat Har Etzion and the VBM.
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Vaera | The Makkot Curriculum, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom A paideia for Pharaoh. How many Makkot were there? We inevitably approach our study of Parashat Va'era with an assumption of 10 Makkot (plagues) with which Hashem smote and 'judged" the Egyptians. However, that number does not appear in the Torah's record of the events and other presentations of the Exodus story in Tanakh highlight only some of these plagues, ending up with a smaller number - and the Midrash famously expands this number by a factor of up to 50, seeing 5 sub-plagues within each one. We look back at the structure of the plagues, following Hashem's directives to Moshe regarding warning - or not warning - Pharaoh before each one and discern a clear pattern which opens up an additional perspective on the purpose of these plagues and their role as didactic, beyond the punitive. Source sheet >>
Shemot | And In that Day a Great Shofar Shall be Sounded, by Rav Eli Weber Yeshayahu 27:6-28:13. On geula and materialism.
Shemot | What were the ערי המסכנות? And Why Does It Matter? by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom What is the meaning and significance of the ערי המסכנות which בני ישראל were forced to build? The first labor forced upon the Hebrews in Egypt was a labor tax, forcing them to build ערי מסכנות. We explore the possible meanings of this unusual phrase, set it in apposition to the later back-breaking work to which they were subjected and the significance of this type of work, considering the storied history of Yaakov's progeny in Egypt. Source sheet >>
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
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!
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... Source sheet >>
Vayigash | 5786 | And I Will Make Them One Nation, by Rav Eli Weber Yechezkel 37: 15-28 How do we create unity?
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. Source sheet >>
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. Source sheet >>
Vayeshev | 5786 | For Three Transgressions of Yisrael, by Rav Eli Weber Amos 2:6 - 3:8 How does God communicate with us?
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. Source sheet >>
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.
Vayishlach | 5786 | Thus says the Lord God Concerning Edom, by Rav Eli Weber What was Esav's plan? Who is Edom?
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. Source sheet >>
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. Source sheet >>
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
Yet I Love Yaakov. And I Hated Esav | Toldot | 5786, by Rav Eli Weber Malachi 1:1-2:7. How should we worship God?
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. Source sheet >>
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. Source sheet >>
Now King David was Old | Haftara | Chayei Sara | 5786, by Rav Eli Weber Rav Eli Weber begins a new series of shiurim, "This Week's Haftara". What is the legacy of David HaMelekh?
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Truly enlightening - it answered questions I've had about the truth and relevance of Medrashim. Thank you for this wonderful lesson!