Jan 22, 2025
Vaera | Pharaoh's Wizards (and the Parenthetic Phrase), by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom
Why did the חרטומים imitate the first two plagues - and why were they stymied at the third?
חרטומי מצרים - the wizards of Egypt - make 5 appearances in the Exodus narrative; the first and last are easily understood but the...
Jan 20, 2025
Ramban on the Torah | 5785 | 12 | Shemot, by Rav Eli Weber
On the Ramban's idea that every sefer in the Torah is a separate entity: on the one hand, a stand-alone sefer, but of course, also the continuation of Bereishit and the introduction to Vayikra.
Jan 16, 2025
The Education of Pharoah, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom
As we begin our reading of Sefer Shemot, the grand story of Yetziat Mitzrayim unfolds before our eyes. We are all aware of the "Ten Plagues" with which Hashem punished the Egyptians - but why was there a need for plagues at all? If the goal was to redeem His "firstborn...
Jan 10, 2025
Ramban on the Torah | 5785 | 11 | Vayechi, by Rav Eli Weber
Why did Yaakov make Yosef swear to bury him? Where does a miracle come into play? Why does Yaakov curse Shimon and Levi?
We apologize for the missing minutes at the end of this episode. The recording has been replaced.
Jan 9, 2025
Vayechi | Ad Ki Yavo Shilo: Solving A Biblical Riddle, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom
Yaakov's deathbed blessing to Yehuda, at which point he appoints/designates or foretells his fourth son's ascendancy to leadership of the nascent nation, is replete with philological and exegetical difficulties. The central verse of his...