Sep 5, 2024
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...
Aug 30, 2024
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...
Aug 21, 2024
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...
Aug 14, 2024
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 -...
Aug 7, 2024
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...