KMTT - the Torah Podcast

Explaining the Wisdom of Harav Yehuda Amital zt"l (Part 28), by Rav Moshe Taragin In light of the recent publication of the sefer לעולם יהא אדם, מתורותיו של הרב יהודה עמיטל, Rav Taragin discusses with his talmidim many of the issues brought up in his rebbe's sichot: Torah Wisdom of HaRav Amital #28: Individualism Can Lead to Lack of Collectivism and Societal Responsibility; Individual Passion Can Become Too Chaotic and Disorganized; Too "Excited" to Arrange the Seder Plate Properly

Explaining the Wisdom of Harav Yehuda Amital zt"l (Parts 26-27), by Rav Moshe Taragin In light of the recent publication of the sefer לעולם יהא אדם, מתורותיו של הרב יהודה עמיטל, Rav Taragin discusses with his talmidim many of the issues brought up in his rebbe's sichot: Torah Wisdom of HaRav Amital #26: Should Religion Make You Tense Or Relaxed?; Why Is A Sense of Humor Helpful for Avodas Hashem; In Europe the Word "Frum" Was an Insult! Torah Wisdom of HaRav Amital #27: Individualism Isn't The Enemy of Religion, It is Crucial for Religion; Listening to Moral Conscience In Making Decisions; Violating Menshlichkeit for Personal Piety; Inconveniencing Others With Chumrot

Matot-Masei | The Detailed Tax on the Spoils of Midian, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom Why were the spoils of the war with Midian divided in such an unusual manner? In Bamidbar 31, the Torah presents, in exact (and seemingly superfluous) detail, the spoils of the war against Midian, along with an exact accounting of the Divinely mandated levy placed upon the nation (2%) and the warriors (.2%) for their respective halves of the Midianite spoils. This detailed accounting, including some simple division, would seem to be unneeded and strains our general assumption of the Torah's avoidance of verbosity. Exploring the nature of this war, along with the double-edged vengeance - on behalf of God as well as on behalf of the people - we suggest an approach to understanding this "wordy" presentation that is instructive for generations. Source sheet >>

Ramban on the Torah | 53 | Matot-Masei, by Rav Eli Weber What is the place of Nedarim in Jewish life? What were Shevet Gad and Shevet Reuven asking for? What is the meaning of Yishuv Eretz Israel?

Explaining the Wisdom of Harav Yehuda Amital zt"l (Part 25), by Rav Moshe Taragin In light of the recent publication of the sefer לעולם יהא אדם, מתורותיו של הרב יהודה עמיטל, Rav Taragin discusses with his talmidim many of the issues brought up in his rebbe's sichot: The Five Pillars of How We Treat Non-Jews; Kiddush Hashem and Calibrating National Policies Based on the Response of Non-Jews; Redemption Depends on The Little Things

Explaining the Wisdom of Harav Yehuda Amital zt"l (Parts 23-24), by Rav Moshe Taragin In light of the recent publication of the sefer לעולם יהא אדם, מתורותיו של הרב יהודה עמיטל, Rav Taragin discusses with his talmidim many of the issues brought up in his rebbe's sichot: Applying Rav Kook to A Changed Modern World: Land Isn't the Only Value; Jewish Nationalism Can Intensify Particularism; The"Ugliness" of Imperfect Sovereignty; After the Holocaust We Had No Choice Religious Militantism; Subliminal Fear of Our Return to Yerushalayim and the Kingdom of G-d; Christian Evangelism; Drawing a Red Line at Returning Har Habayit

Is Torah Compatible With Material Indulgence? (Avot 6:4), by Rav Dovid Gottlieb Sharing the Torah of Rav Asher Weiss Do you have to be poor to become a talmid chakham?

Ramban on the Torah | 52 | Pinchas, by Rav Eli Weber How were the nachalot decided? What was Zelophchad's sin? Why does Moshe not die at the end of the parasha?

Pinchas | "And Their Libations", by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom Why are the libations and grain offerings (נסכים ומנחות) repeated with each korban in our parasha? Parashat Pinchas is known for its presentation of the "Mikdash-Calendar", i.e. the listing of Korbanot to be brought daily, every Shabbat, Rosh Chodesh and on Moadim in the Mikdash. However, in spite of the already presented laws of the grain+oil offerings (מנחות) and wine libations (נסכים) that are to accompany most Korbanot, these are spelled out and repeated in each section in our presentation. We explore the dual nature of these Parashot - one standard and one unique - and suggest that the "surprising" perspective may hold the key to these seemingly needless repetitions. This shiur was given on the occasion of Rav Etshalom's father's 25th yahrzeit: לע"נ אבי מורי הרב אשר אהרן בן אברהם בנימין ז"ל - may his memory always be an inspiration. Source sheet >>

Explaining the Wisdom of Harav Yehuda Amital zt"l (Parts 21-22), by Rav Moshe Taragin In light of the recent publication of the sefer לעולם יהא אדם, מתורותיו של הרב יהודה עמיטל, Rav Taragin discusses with his talmidim many of the issues brought up in his rebbe's sichot: Rav Amital's Holocaust Infused "Grounded" Zionism; A Country for the Jews; Response to the Partition Plan The Value of Imperfect Jewish Sovereignty; Yitzchak's "Failed" Gamble For Jewish History; The Evolution of Political Systems; The Dashed Expectations of 1948