Jewish History with Rabbi Dr. Dovid Katz

To help support this podcast, please consider giving a tax deductible contribution here: https://thechesedfund.com/rabbikatz Rabbi Dovid Katz, PhD is lauded for his extensive knowledge of Jewish History, his engaging and insightful lecture series, and eye opening historical international tours. Follow him weekly. New content released each week, including Personalities in Jewish History, Insights into Tefillah and Perspectives on the Haftarah and Parshah. Sponsorships of podcasts are available. He can be reached at the following email: rabbidkatz@gmail.com.

How the Judith Story in the Apocrypha (or a different version of the story) entered orthodox rabbinic literature AND practice

Some old widespread chanukah customs had no source in REGULAR rabbinic literature, but were accepted (despite some opposition) by basing them on sources in IRREGULAR Jewish literature

12-09
42:02

הַפְטָרַת פָּרָשַׁת וַיֵּשֶׁב תשפ"ו - Amos blasts the social injustice prevalent in his time

NOT the idolatry! Although there WAS idolatry, it is the abuse of the poor and helpless that will cause the חֻרְבַּן!

12-08
27:37

פָּרָשַׁת וַיֵּשֶׁב תשפ"ו - The remarkable tale of the character-development of Joseph

From oblivious to the impact of his actions and words on others (in Canaan) to the extreme-opposite in Egypt. A lesson for us all?https://thechesedfund.com/rabbikatz/support-rabbi-katzz-podcast

12-08
28:39

Chanukah 2025: The Story of the Greeks depriving the Jews of doors and windows

From (apocryphal?) non-mainstream midrashim on the Hellenistic persecutions. This one is mentioned by Rambam in his אִגֶּרֶת הַשְׁמַד

12-08
43:03

The Current Big Threat to Israel from ... Turkey

Turkey today is more of a threat than Iran!

12-07
30:27

Haftarah VaYishlach: Who exactly was Ovadiah?

Past history PLUS future historical (cyclical?) patternshttps://thechesedfund.com/rabbikatz/support-rabbi-katzz-podcast

12-05
27:04

Israel & France (and Syria) : Connecting Dots

The two faces of France in its dealings with Israel

12-04
35:12

Chanukah 2025: Was the oil in the jar in the Temple the only kosher oil available?

If you go by the Talmudic literature, there was other oil available, but they started with the oil in the famous jar and it burned for eight days.https://thechesedfund.com/rabbikatz/support-rabbi-katzz-podcast

12-03
34:27

Parshas VaYishlach: Why does Jacob say to Esau that he observed all 613 Mitzvos?

Why didn't Jacob send messengers to his father Yitzchak? Instead of to Esau?https://thechesedfund.com/rabbikatz/support-rabbi-katzz-podcast

12-02
27:22

The "בַּת עַיִן" in Historical Context (1765-1840)

The challenges of living in צְפַת in the terrible 1830sHow to live in the old אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל without being victimized by the חֲלֻקָּה system

12-01
01:11:46

Haftarah VaYeitzei: Hoshea 11:7, an extremely difficult verse to parse

Sponsored by Dr. and Mrs. Mordy Gardyn 'in honor of my parents may they have אֲרִיכַת יָמִים וְשָׁנִיםand sponsored by "a member of the local fan club"🙂 How can you get a unified response to crisis when the theological causes are not clear?  וְאֶל עַל יִקְרָאֻהוּ יַחַד לֹא יְרוֹמֵםhttps://thechesedfund.com/rabbikatz/support-rabbi-katzz-podcast

11-27
30:23

What's with this Israeli preoccupation with the bodies of their dead, killed by Hamas & Co.?

Why does Israel release live Arab terrorists (who admit they will kill again if they can!) in exchange for the corpses of Jewish dead? Is this a Halachic thing? A Zionist thing?

11-27
32:04

Parshas VaYeitzei: What is Yaakov afraid of?

Let's examine the image of the ladder closely

11-25
30:51

Some thoughts on Self-Hating and Self-Denying Jews in the current antisemitic climate, now and a century ago

When Arabs slaughtered (literally) the Jew in Hebron in 1929, the Communist Party said it was the fault of the Jews and the Arabs were in the right. And Jewish Communists sided with the Party! Similar things are happening today ...https://thechesedfund.com/rabbikatz/support-rabbi-katzz-podcast

11-25
31:10

Answering a listener's query re: allegorical interpretations of Biblical stories in ultra-orthodox sources

If the Hebrew language pre-existed the physical world, then it is not subject to the rules of linguistic evolution, and if is constitutive of the physical world and its history, then the non physical interpretations are NOT at the expense of the literal meanings. https://thechesedfund.com/rabbikatz/support-rabbi-katzz-podcast

11-24
27:15

The Recent Posthumous Promotion of Alfred Dreyfus to General in the French Army

Was Alfred Dreyfus really a self-hating or self-denying assimilated Jew?

11-20
47:23

Haftarah Toldos: Quantity vs. quality in the performance of mitzvos. An age-old problem. Sigh

"אֶת עֵקֶב אָהַבְתִּי וְאֶת עֵשָׂו שָׂנֵאתִי" - ?Why

11-19
26:15

Manasseh Ben Israel's (very recently translated from the Latin) "Thirty Problem Concerning מַעֲשֵׂה בְּרֵאשִׁית"

Giving the Jewish POV of Genesis to the world of European Intellectuals in the 17th Century

11-18
28:23

Parshas Toldos: Was Yitzchak Avinu poverty-stricken (Ibn Ezra)?

Yaakov acquires claim to Israel through purchase, a sale subsequently resented by the seller. Sounds like Jewish History in Israel 1880-1948https://thechesedfund.com/rabbikatz/support-rabbi-katzz-podcast

11-17
26:13

The recent 50th anniversary (November 10, 1975) of Moynihan's great speech at the UN excoriating the אֻמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם for officially branding Zionism as Racism

One of the great speeches in the English language of the 20th century חֲבָל עַל דְּאָבְדִין וְלָא מִשְׁתַּכְחִיןhttps://thechesedfund.com/rabbikatz/support-rabbi-katzz-podcast

11-13
29:54

E Pfluch

Last episode of Shabtai Tzvi, please!

02-04 Reply

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