Vashti’s Sin and Punishment
Rashi (Esther 1:12, based on the Gemara Megilla 12b) says that Vashti was asked to come out naked on Shabbos because she demanded that the Jewish women would work naked on Shabbos.
Mar 14, 2025•33 min
Simply Deep
Although the words of the Torah, Chazal, and Rishonim may at times seem simple, they are deeply layered with profound insights and lessons. This podcast explores the hidden depths beneath seemingly straightforward statements in Rashi, Aggadata, and other Torah sources.
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Episodes
Megilla 19a - How Much of the Megilla must you Read #3
What lessons are we supposed to learn from reading the Megilla?
Mar 12, 2025•52 min
Megilla 19a - How Much of the Megilla must you Read #2
Which of the four tokefs (strengths) much you read about: Achashverosh, Mordechai, Haman, or the nes? Why not all four? This episode analyzes this machlokes.
Mar 10, 2025•32 min
Megilla 19a - How Much of the Megilla must you Read #1
This is the first of a three part shiur discussing the machlokes tanaim about how much of the Megilla one must read to be yotzei. This sugya is a mix of Halacha and Hashkafa/megillah.
Mar 07, 2025•42 min
Why is it Called Purim?
While the Megilla (9:26) tells us why it’s called Purim (because of Haman’s lottery), this explanation seems unsatisfying. After all, it’s based on a seemingly inconsequential element of the action-packed Purim story. This episode discusses the significance of the name Purim and derives a lesson that’s applicable to politics in our day and age.
Mar 07, 2025•22 min
The Mishkan is like a Bride
Rashi (Shemos 26:9) says that the covering of the Mishkan is reminiscent of the veil of a modest bride. Rashi (26:13) also says that the covering of the covering of the Mishkan teaches that a person should take care of beautiful things. This episode analyzes these Rashis and elucidates basic ideas about the beauty of the Mishkan.
Feb 28, 2025•14 min
The Malach Splitting the Blood of the Covenant
The Torah in Shemos 24:6 describes Moshe putting half of the blood of the korbanos on the mizbeach and the other half on the people. Rashi is bothered: Who split the blood??? He answers that a malach came and split it. This episode analyzes why there’s any need for a malach to do something as mundane as splitting the blood. In doing so, we discuss ideas about a covenant between Hashem and man.
Feb 26, 2025•40 min
Hashem Returns Your Soul Daily
Rashi (Shemos 22:25) says that just like Hashem returns your nefesh daily, so too you should return the poor person’s collateral daily. This episode analyzes this strange analogy.
Feb 21, 2025•7 min
What Did Yisro Hear?
The first passuk in Yisro describes what Yisro heard that caused him to come to the Jews in the desert. The Rashis on this passuk add alot to the pshat in the passuk. This episode analyzes these Rashis.
Feb 19, 2025•30 min
Lessons from Pharaoh’s Heart
While people often learn lessons from Hashem hardening Pharaoh’s heart, this shiur focuses more on the lessons to be learnt from Pharaoh hardening his own heart. It also discusses the confusing issue of who hardened Pharaoh’s heart after Barad.
Feb 16, 2025•1 hr 20 min
Moshe Judging from Morning until Evening
Even though the passuk (Shmos 18:13) says Moshe judged from morning until evening, Rashi says that this isn’t literal but is teaching us a lesson. Namely, someone who judges a true din, even for one moment, it’s as if he is involved in Torah all day and it’s as if he’s a partner with Hashem in Creation (where it often says, “and it was evening, and it was morning, day x.”)
Feb 14, 2025•11 min
What Demons Won’t Do
The Gemara in Sanhedrin 44a says that Yehoshua knew that the malach of Hashem wasn’t a sheid because he did something that no sheid would do…
Feb 12, 2025•42 min
Which Firstborns?
In Shmos 11:5 and 12:29, Rashi discusses why makas bechoros extended to all firstborns, even of the maidservants and the captives. This episode discusses the justice of this and deals with the question why the makkah would have extended to Jewish firstborns but for Hashem’s salvation (as indicted in Rashi on Bamidbar 8:17).
Feb 07, 2025•14 min
Invisible Mazikin
The Gemara in Brachos 6a discusses various ideas about mazikin or sheidim. Among other points, it discusses their chicken footprints in ashes around your bed. This episode (a shiur given during COVID time) provides an approach to explaining this and similar gemaras about sheidim.
Feb 04, 2025•1 hr 13 min
Reward for Accepting, Going, and Doing
This episode analyzes the various elements of reward that Rashi (Shmos 12:28) says the Jews received for doing the Korban Pesach.
Jan 31, 2025•11 min
Bechira and Hardening Pharaoh’s Heart
In Shmos 7:3, Hashem tells Moshe that He’ll harden Pharaoh’s heart. Why is it just to punish him if he didn’t have free will? This episode discusses various answers to this question, with a specific focus on Rashi.
Jan 29, 2025•34 min
Stoning from Sinai
The details of the mitzvah of stoning certain sinners are learned from how the Torah describes what would be done to someone who breached the boundary of Har Sinai (Sanhedrin 45a). This episode analyzes why the details of this permanent mitzva would be learned from the momentary event at Har Sinai. In doing so, we discuss some fundamental ideas about capital punishment in the Torah.
Jan 24, 2025•16 min
Detecting Sheidim
This episode analyzes the Gemara in Gittin 66a that discusses how to detect if someone is a sheid (demon) or a regular person: look if his shadow has a shadow.
Jan 17, 2025•25 min
Yaakov’s Gift of Shechem to Yosef
In Bereishis 48:22, Yaakov gave Yosef one “Shechem” over his brothers. Rashi has two pshatim in Shechem: (1) the city Shechem; (2) a portion. This episode analyzes how each of these pshatim learn this passuk.
Jan 15, 2025•42 min
How Yosef Appeased his Brothers
After Yaakov died, Yosef’s brothers worried that he would take revenge. Yosef appeased them by saying (Bereishis 50:19-20) two points: 1) Am I in place of God? 2) While you planned evil against me, God planned that this would be for the good, so that I can be here, in Egypt, to support our nation. On the surface, Yosef’s answers don’t seem compelling. This episode analyzes them according to Rashi and Rashbam.
Jan 10, 2025•10 min
Pharaoh’s Prophecy
Rashi in Bereishis 45:18 teaches that when Pharaoh told Yosef that he would give his family the good of the land of Egypt, he was unknowingly expressing a prophecy that the Jews would empty Egypt of all its wealth. This episode discusses the meaning and significance of this hidden prophecy.
Jan 08, 2025•35 min
Binyamin’s Ten Sons
Rashi (Bereishis 43:30) tells us that Binyamin’s ten sons were all named for Yosef and the tzaros that happened to him. This episode analyzes these names to derive lessons about Binyamin’s relationship with Yosef.
Jan 03, 2025•19 min
Three Forefathers and the Many Similarities Between Yaakov and Yosef
Rashi (Bereishis 37:2) quotes a Midrash that lists more than twenty similarities between the lives of Yaakov and Yosef. This episode analyzes the significance of these similarities and develops two perspectives for viewing the unfolding of our nation.
Jan 01, 2025•35 min
Tamar and Avraham’s Tent
This episode analyzes Rashi’s (Bereishis 38:14) claim that Tamar chose to meet Yehuda at Avraham’s door.
Dec 25, 2024•40 min
Benefits of Learning Gemara
This episode discusses three benefits of learning gemara.
Dec 20, 2024•1 hr 15 min
Dinah in a Box
Rashi (Bereishis 32:23) says that Yaakov hid Dinah in a box to prevent Eisav from taking her. He was therefore punished with Dinah being raped by Shechem. This episode discusses the following questions and more: 1) Would it really have been a good idea to use Dinah to bring Eisav to Torah? 2) Why was this appropriate punishment for Yaakov? 3) Where’s the justice to Dinah?
Dec 18, 2024•36 min
Dealing with your mazik - takeaways from the 7-headed serpent
After hearing the episode on the seven-headed serpent, someone asked me how one should deal with their own mazikim. This episode discusses some practical takeaways from this story.
Dec 18, 2024•29 min
Rav Acha vs. The Seven-Headed Serpent
This episode discusses the Gemara in Kiddushin 29b about the “mazik” that appeared like a seven-headed serpent in the Beis Midrash of Abayei.
Dec 13, 2024•21 min
Lavan’s Dream
Hashem told Lavan in a dream to be careful not to speak to Yaakov from good to bad (Bereishis 31:24). While it’s not clear exactly what this means, Lavan followed up by engaging Yaakov in an extended conversation - an apparent violation of Hashem’s warning. This episode analyzes the import of Lavan’s dream and the dialogue that followed.
Dec 11, 2024•41 min
Who Named Levi: Leah or Gavriel?
After providing Leah’s reason for the name of her third son, Levi, the Torah says (Bereishis 29:34) says, “Therefore, he called him Levi.” Rashi says that the passuk used the masculine because the one who named Levi was the malach, Gavriel. This episode analyzes this strange claim and provides an important framework for understanding other events of this parsha.
Dec 06, 2024•17 min
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