KMTT - the Torah Podcast

Ramban on the Torah | 5785 | 03 | Vayera, by Rav Eli Weber Why was Sedom punished? What does this have to do with Pilegesh BaGiv'a? What is the point of the Akeda?

Vayera | What Really (Almost) Happened in Sedom, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom How could Lot conceivably offer his daughters to the men of Sedom? We are accustomed to reading the story of Sedom and imagining an angry gang of the men of the town surrounding Lot's house and demanding that he send out the two visitors for purposes of a gang-rape. We reexamine that assumption and note that our reading is influenced by the text in Shoftim 19 - and even that, as Rada"k points out, may not be as prurient a story as we imagine. In addition, Lot's readiness to offer his unmarried daughters to the gang is, in light of the common understanding, the most dastardly thing we could imagine a father doing. We propose a different understanding of the intent of the townsfolk and, in light of that, the context of Lot's offering his daughters to the crowd. Source sheet >>

Rav Asher Weiss on War (4): The "Spier and the Shield" of Torah Study, by Rav Dovid Gottlieb The 3rd and final installment of R. Asher's 1st public address, delivered "the day after", on 10/8, highlighting the need for "offense and defense" both in war and in Torah study. "

Rav Asher Weiss on War (3), by Rav Dovid Gottlieb What is the role of Torah study during the war? Does people learning "on the home front" help the soldiers? [Needless to say, this is part of a very sensitive topic currently being debated]

Lekh Lekha | The Ethics of Rejoicing Over the Death of our Enemies, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom The current war that we are fighting has brought many moments of despair and sadness, but there have also been moments of triumph, including the notifications of the "neutralization" of some of our worst, bloodthirsty, barbaric enemies. Looking past the understandably human reaction to celebrate the vengeance, we look to our sources to explore whether it is seen as inappropriate, acceptable or even praiseworthy to exult at the death of our worst enemies. Much of this shiur was inspired by the work of Prof. David Henshke. Source sheet >>

Ramban on the Torah | 5785 | 02 | Lekh Lekha, by Rav Eli Weber

Iggeret HaRamban | 2 | Anger is a "Gateway to Sin" - Stay Away! by Rav Dovid Gottlieb A new series of shiurim on Iggeret HaRamban. The Ramban wrote a letter to his son which is a classic of machshava and mussar. The letter is basically an ethical will about what's important in life and how to be a good. Everyone knows that anger is bad and that we're better off if we can control our temper: * what is so bad about anger? * what practical steps can we take to try to control our temper

Torah Study vs Army Service: What Do the Sources Say? by Rav Dovid Gottlieb In light of Rav Gottlieb's recent shiurim on Rav Asher Weiss and his teshuvot regarding army service, and the debate that ensued, we felt it more than appropriate to release a shiur given by Rav Gottlieb to his shana bet talmidim in Har Etzion, to better understand his personal view on the subject.

Iggeret HaRamban | 1 | The Importance of Midot and Modeling Proper Behavior, by Rav Dovid Gottlieb A new series of shiurim on Iggeret HaRamban. The Ramban wrote a letter to his son which is a classic of machshava and mussar. The letter is basically an ethical will about what's important in life and how to be a good person. As such, it is just as relevant to each of us as it was to his son.

Rav Asher Weiss on War (2): The Day After - Now What?? by Rav Dovid Gottlieb In his recently published "Minchas Asher - Emunah U-Bitachon" R. Asher has a section dedicated to discussing the religious challenges of of the war. On October 8th, 2023, Isru Chag, the day after the horrific attacks, R. Asher gave his 1st public address, during which he attempts to process the shock and horror of what happened on Simchat Torah.