Mar 11, 2024
Purim | Hiding in Plain Sight, by Rav Dovid Gottlieb
The magic and miracle of Purim.
A shiur in practical halakha given at Kehillat Haela, Ramat Beit Shemesh, on March 6th, 2024.
Mar 7, 2024
A Tale of Two Adars, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom
Why do we delay celebrating Purim until Adar Sheini?
The Mishna in Megila addresses the circumstance where after fully celebrating Purim, the Beit-Din decided to add another month to the year; although the Tosefta records a dissenting opinion, the Mishna rules (and such is...
Mar 2, 2023
From Bereishit to Esther: A Midrashic Journey, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom
Chazal take the position that "Esther was the end of the (era of) miracles" (BT Yoma 29b). We explore how the Ba'alei haMidrash were guided by this perspective, seeing the story of Mordekhai and Esther as the ultimate resolution of remaining...
Feb 23, 2023
Purim | Midrash Esther and the Sinaitic Covenant, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom
One of the types of Midr'shei Aggadah utilized by the composers of Midrashim is the "petichta" - (proem) which served as an introduction to the public reading of the text to which the Midrash attached. Among the more prolific and well-known...
Dec 22, 2022
Chanuka | The Evolution of a Berakha, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom
What is the meaning of the phrase "bayamim hahem bazeman hazeh" - both in birkat hanisim and al hanisim?
The well-known and familiarly sung 2nd Berakha that accompanies the lighting of the Ner Chanuka is praise for God Who has wrought great miracles for our...