KMTT - the Torah Podcast

Ki Tavo | Why Did Bnei Yisrael Need a Second Tokhacha? by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom Why is the imprecation (תוכחה) in our Parasha so much more frightening and graphic than the earlier one in Vayikra 26 Parashat Ki Tavo is perhaps most well-known for the lengthy and painful imprecation which Moshe integrates into the covenant which he initiates with Bnei Yisrael in the Plains of Moav - a decidedly second and "other" covenant to the original one entered into at Sinai. We explore the need for a second covenant and the significantly more frightening imagery in the second תוכחה and propose why it may have been needed for this second generation, born free in the desert. לע"נ אחי יונתן הלל בן הרב אשר אהרן ומרים Source sheet >>

Ramban on the Torah | 60 | Ki Tavo, by Rav Eli Weber What is the meaning of Vidui Bikkurim? Is there a meaning to what the goyim think of us? What is the meaning of writing the Torah on stones?

The Road to Teshuva | Part 5, by Rav Moshe Taragin Teshuva Paradoxes- "We Will be in the Same Place Next Year"- 3 Ways to Solve the Hypocrisy of Religious Recidivism

The Road to Teshuva | Part 4, by Rav Moshe Taragin Can Teshuva Aspiration be Too Ambitious; Divine Reassurances Without Reducing Standards

The Road to Teshuva | Part 3, by Rav Moshe Taragin Is Teshuva Too Foundational to be "A Mitzva"?

Ki Tetze | The Slanderer, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom What was the "motzi shem ra" attempting to accomplish? A challenging sugya in peshuto shel mikra Much of the middle of Parashat Ki Tetze is devoted to laws relating to sexual impropriety, expanding (per our approach) on the Dibber - לא תנאף. The most puzzling passage (22:13-21) addresses a case of possible slander on the part of a new husband, besmirching his new wife's reputation and making claims about her lack of virtue in advance of their marriage. What begins as an apparently transparent attempt to get out of a marriage he now regrets leads to one of two far more unpleasant results - either his being punished and publicly shamed or, far worse, her execution. We examine the intersection between text and law, identifying the difficulties and suggesting a solution as to the import of this unusual pair of rulings. Source sheet >>

Ramban on the Torah | 59 | Ki Tetze, by Rav Eli Weber What is the point of the mitzvah to build a railing? Why are there special mitzvot for war? What's the problem with prostitution?

Rav Soloveitchik on Teshuva (3): Do We Deserve to be Forgiven If We Do Teshuva? by Rav Dovid Gottlieb Third in a series of mini-shiurim on R Soloveitchik's approach to Teshuva based on his famous and incredible sefer Al HaTeshuva Is the forgiveness promised if we do teshuva a result of Hashem's Midat HaRachachamim or Midat HaDin? The Rav addresses this - and other fascinating questions - as we conclude the 1st essay in 'Al HaTeshuva'.

Carrying our Broken Hearts to the End of a Cursed Year, by Rav Dovid Gottlieb How can we process the murder of the 6 hostages and what should we be thinking about as 5784 comes to a close? Swords of Iron | Day 339

Rav Soloveitchik on Teshuva (2): Going Beyond the Sin Itself and Repenting for the "Lifestyle" of Sin, by Rav Dovid Gottlieb Second in a series of mini-shiurim on R Soloveitchik's approach to Teshuva based on his famous and incredible sefer Al HaTeshuva When is it enough to "just" repent for the sin itself and when - and why - must we sometimes repent even for the lifestyle that led to the sin?