KMTT - the Torah Podcast

War and Religion #5: Protecting "Innocent" Civilians During War, by Rav Moshe Taragin On allowing escape routes and preserving human dignity

War and Religion #4: Unifying Three 'Sectors' for War, by Rav Moshe Taragin Gidon's success and Devorah's frustration

War and Religion #3: Believing that Hashem Directs War, by Rav Moshe Taragin While also celebrating the heroism of our soldiers.

War and Religion #2: When Evil Cultures Hold Back Humanity, by Rav Moshe Taragin Looking at Tanakh figures as warriors

War and Religion #1: War and the Cleansing of Cultural Evil, by Rav Moshe Taragin

Vayishlach | An Embrace, A Kiss and Those Mysterious Masoretic Dots, by Rav Yitzchak Etshalom Yaakov's long-awaited and long-feared reunion with his brother, Esav, proves to be joyous, welcoming and ultimately, Yaakov's trepidation was proved to be baseless. When the two formerly competitive siblings finally see each other after decades of separation, Esav "falls on his neck, kisses him and they weep." The word וישקהו ("he kisses him") is directed by the Masorah to be dotted and every Sefer Torah has a dot over each of those six letters. We explore the phenomenon of "dotted words", surveying the literature and the various explanations for the seemingly random dotted words. We then look at the particular use of the dots in this instance and suggest a far-reaching implication that the dots may carry, one which gives us a fresh and more charitable perspective on Esav's feelings towards his brother during these long years of separation. Source sheet >>

Ramban On The Torah | 22 | Vayishlach, by Rav Eli Weber

Swords of Iron | The Overlap between Halakha, Machshava and Emuna, by Rabbi Daniel Z. Feldman, Rosh Yeshiva, RIETS Shiur given to the Overseas Talmidim, Nov 27, 2023

Swords of Iron | On Pidyon Shvuyim, by Rav Moshe Taragin Religious perspectives upon releasing hostages from Azza; feeling gratitude even under imperfect conditions.

Swords of Iron | Happiness and Horror: Reflections on the Hostage Deal, by Rav Dovid Gottlieb On the belief in the value of every individual. We pray for the safe return of all the hostages.