PODCAST · religion
Simply Deep
by Elie Feder
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.
Episodes
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The Naming of the Isha
Adam named his wife Isha. Rashi (Bereishis 2:23) says that this teaches that the world was created with Lashon HaKodesh. What does this mean?
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The Naming of Noach
The Torah (Bereishis 5:28) says Noach was named because he would bring rest to man after the curse of Adam. Rashi says this refers to the fact that he invented the plow. How did Lemech, his father, know this?
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What is the Livyasan (Leviathan)?
In Bereishis 1:21, the Torah describes the creation of the taninim gedolim (big sea-giants). Rashi cites a Gemara in BB 74b that says this refers to the Livyasin and its mate that Hashem created, but killed the female and preserved it for tzadikim in the world to come, because if they would...
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3 Types of Teshuva
The Gemara in Yomah 86a discusses three types of Teshuva: from love, from fear, and from afflictions. We analyze these types and their features.
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Hayom Haras Olam
Why do we say this paragraph after each of the middle Brachos of musaf Rosh Hashana. How is it different from Zichronos? And what’s it all about?
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Vidui Maaser and Hashkifa
Zoom summary: The meeting focused on understanding the meaning and context of the Vidui Maaser prayer, particularly the phrase "look out from Your holy abode from the heavens." Elie explored the anthropomorphic language and its implications, referencing Rashi and Ramban to discuss the nature of...
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Why Does Hashem Trick Idolaters?
Rashi tells us that Hashem tricks idolaters to worship the heavenly bodies (Devarim 4:19) and Baal Tzefon (Shmos 14:2). Why would He do this? It doesn’t seem just.
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Two Facets of Teshuva on Tisha B’av
We discuss the two Halachik aspects of Tisha B’av and show how they have philosophical analogues which motivate two different types of Teshuva.
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Lessons on the Churban from Eliyahu Hanavi and a Bas Kol
The Gemara in Brachos 3a recounts a story of Rabbi Yossi going into one of the ruins of Yerushalayim to daven, where he hears a bas kol singing like a bird and has a conversation with Eliyahu Hanavi about what he heard. We analyze this story and present tentative theories about Gemaras that…
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Why Couldn’t Moshe Judge the People?
Devarim: Rashi (Devarim 1:9) says that Moshe (and Shlomo) couldn’t judge the people alone because Hashem punishes Jewish judges for mistakes they make. We analyze the unique role, responsibility, and challenge of Jewish judges and see what Moshe’s hesitation was all about.
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Moshe’s Anger about Sparing the Daughters of Midyan
Parshas Mattos: While Moshe got angry that the Jews left the daughters of Midyan alive, Rashi (Bamidbar 31:13) introduces a different problem that’s seemingly absent from the text: that the children were taking some spoils of war. This episode investigates where Rashi gets this idea and analyzes...
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How to Balance Hashem’s Hashgacha with the Laws of Nature? The Middle Path of Tefilla and Gratitude
This shiur was given on the 13th Yahrtzeit of my mother, Shani Feder A’H.
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Bilaam’s Power
What would have happened if Bilaam was able to curse the Jews? Did his curses somehow have power?
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Aharon’s Argument with the Malach Hamaves
Parshas Korach: When the plague threatened to wipe out the Jews, Moshe instructed Aharon to muse the ketores to stop it - a secret Moshe learned from the Malach Hamaves. Rashi (Bamidbar 17:13) describes the argument between Aharon and the Malach Hamaves about stopping the mageifa. This Rashi...
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The Middas Hashem of Erech Apayim (Slow to Anger)
Parshas Shelach: After the sin of the spies, Moshe begged Hashem to make His strength great, as He had previously said, “Hashem, who is slow to anger…” Rashi (Bamidbar 14:17-18) explains that this tefilla was based on a previous dialogue between Moshe and Hashem about whether it’s appropriate to…
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Hashem’s Mussar to Aharon and Miriam
Rashi (Bamidbar 12:4) explains how Hashem miraculously simultaneously spoke to Moshe, Aharon, and Miriam in order to rebuke Aharon and Miriam for speaking against Moshe. Because they hadn’t been Tahor from being with their spouses, they couldn’t handle the experience - they said, “Water! Water!”...
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Techiyas Ha’meisim and the Dry Bones
The Gemara in Sanhedrin 92a-b discusses nine different approaches to understanding the Dry Bones Nevuah of Yechezkel 37, including whether it was literal or metaphorical, and who the resurrected people were.
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Lessons from the Minchas Sotah on Avoiding Sin
Parshas Naso: We follow Rashi’s path (Bamidbar 5:15-17) in explaining the details of the Minchas Sotah, the sacrifice brought by the suspected adulteress. We derive relevant lessons about the allure of sexual sins and how to avoid them.
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Moshe’s debate with Malachim about who should receive the Torah
The Gemara in Shabbos 88b discusses a lengthy argument between Moshe and the Malachim whether man was fitting to receive the Torah.
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Massive Pearls and Mocking Chachamim
The Gemara in Sanhedrin 100a tells a story of Rav Yochanan claiming that in the future, the gates of Yerushalayim will be massive pearls (30x30 Amos) that are hollowed out. When a student mocked this claim, he ended up seeing angels actually hollowing out such pearls. After Rav Yochanan…
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Taking on Your Parents’ Punishment
When quoting your parent after their death, the Gemara in kiddushin 31b says that it’s kavod for you to say “I should be an atonement for their bed.” What does this mean? Rashi says that you’re asking for the punishment for their sins to come upon you. This doesn’t seem like a Jewish idea?! Also,...
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Omer, Shtei Ha’lechem, and Rabbinic Curses
The Gemara in Menachos 68b discusses a question Rav Tarfon asked in the Beis Midrash: why is a korban brought before the Omer passul while one brought before the shtei halechem, while not allowed, is kasher. After Yehuda bar Nechemia gave the correct answer, with a big smile, Rabbi Akiva told...
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Achav and the Spirit of Navos
Sanhedrin 89a and Melachim I:22 The Navi/Gemara describes how Hashem sent the spirit of Navos to seduce Achav to go to war (and get killed, as punishment for the death of Navos). We analyze this strange story.
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How to Give a Shiur
Source sheet for the shiur Steps in Giving a Shiur Intro/Hook: sometimes vitally important, sometimes not needed at all The Facts: read and explain clearly The Questions: from students, then you add questions they missed. No answers allowed at this step. Try to ignore your answers at this…
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Kappara through Kohanim eating a Korban Chatas
Rashi in Vayikra 10:17 deduces from the passuk that the kohanim eating a korban chatas brings atonement to the person who brings the korban. Why should this be?
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Why is a Metzora isolated?
Though we ordinarily think a metzora is isolated in order to break his addiction to social approval, Rashi (13:46) provides a different explanation: because he separated with his lashon hara between a man and his wife or a man and his friend, he too must be separated from people.
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Aharon’s Remaining Sons
The Torah (Vayikra 10:12) refers to Elazar and Isamar as Aharon’s remaining sons. Rashi explains that they too were supposed to die because Aharon’s role in the egel warranted total obliteration of his sons. But Moshe’s tefilla helped to atone halfway and save these two remaining sons while Nadav...
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Hashem Calling Moshe and How to Learn from a Rebbe
The first Rashi in Vayikra says that before speaking to Moshe, Hashem called him - in a loving manner - unlike the way he speaks to non-Jewish prophets. He then says that this “calling” didn’t apply to the gaps between the parshios. Rather the gaps served to give Moshe a chance to think about…
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The Miraculous Building of the Mishkan
Rashi (Shemos 39:33) says that when the Mishan was too heavy for anyone to erect, Hashem told Moshe to pretend to lift it and Hashem would help him. Why?
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Why is an Avel patur in Tefillin?
The Gemara in Sukkah 25a says an avel doesn’t wear tefillin because thy are called a pe’er — an adornment. Firstly, how so? And more importantly, so what? Why does this create an exemption? In three different places, Rashi gives three subtly different explanations.
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Purim 2026: What was Mordechai “Over”?
Was it the river or fasting on Pesach?
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Brisker Math: Unnatural Powers
What sense is there to numbers being raised to the 0 power? Or to a negative power? Or to the 1/2 power? To answer these questions, we have to define what exponents really are. See here for the shiur on The Benefits of Learning Gemara:...
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Were Mordechai and Esther Married?
The Gemara in Megilla 13b says that Esther would go right from sleeping with Achashverosh (and washing herself off) to sleeping with Mordechai. It’s hard to believe that such a risky move would be literal, but if not, what is it teaching us?
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Esther or Hadassa?
The gemara in Megilla 13a cites a 5-way machlokes about which was her real name and which name teaches an idea about her. We analyze these five positions and see what they're all trying to explain.
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The Connection between Haman’s Lottery and the Death/Birth of Moshe
The Gemara in Megilla 13b says that Haman was happy that his lottery landed on the month Moshe died. But he didn’t realize it was also the month he was born. What’s the significance of all this?
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Zachor v’Shamor b’dibur echad
What’s the import of Zachor and Shamor being said by Hashem simultaneously ? And how does it relate to the other three examples of dibur echad that Rashi (Shemos 20:8) cites (musaf on Shabbos, shatnez in tzitzis, and yibum).
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The Difference between Honoring Parents and Idolatry
The Rambam describes the origin of Avoda Zara as giving honor to created beings as a means of giving honor to God. Isn’t this what we do when we honor our parents?
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Moshe, Stop Davening!
Why did Hashem tell Moshe to stop davening for the Jews when the Egyptians were chasing them? Rashi (Shemos 14:15) gives two explanations.
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Totafos
Why is the tefillin shel rosh called totafos? Rashi (Shemos 13:16) has two pshatim.
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Why Peter Chamor?
Why is a donkey the only nonkosher animal that has a mitzvah with its bechor? Rashi (Shemos 13:13) gives two difficult answers.
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The Sad Parshas Vayechi
The first Rashi in Vayechi gives two explanations why Parshas Veyechi is stuma (closed)—that is, it doesn’t start with a break as other parshios do. We analyze these two explanations and discover the sadness of Parshas Veyechi.
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The God of his Father Yitzchak
After being told Yosef was alive, Yaakov offered korbanos to “The God of his Father Yitzchak” (Breishis 46:1). Why not just say God or connect God with Avraham as well? Rashi explains that a person is obligated to honor his father more than his grandfather. This episode analyzes this cryptic Rashi.
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Micha: The Baby in the Wall and its Impact on Jewish History
Rashi in Sanhedrin 101b cited an Aggada about Moshe’s discussion with Hashem about removing a Jewish baby (who ended up becoming Micha) from a wall in Egypt. This episode analyzes this midrash and reveals its significance in Jewish history and in the development of Avoda Zara in klal yisrael.
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1. Yosef’s Bracha of Chein; 2. Yosef and the Brothers not Drinking Wine
This episode discusses two Rashis on the pesukim describing when Yosef met Binyamin.
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The Connection between Lighting Candles and Children becoming Talmidei Chachamim
Shabbos 23b discusses the reward for certain mitzvos and says the mitzvos of lighting candles (Shabbos and Chanukah) leads to children who are talmidei chachamim. We analyze this connection.
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Twins of the Shevatim
This episode takes up the Rashis that discuss the idea that each of the Shevatim was born along with a twin sister — and Binyamin was born along with two twin sisters.
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The Rock on the Well
We analyze Yaakov’s rebuke to the shepherds for not grazing their sheep.
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Eisav’s Clothing
Rashi (Bereishis 27:15) tells us that Yaakov wore the clothing that Eisav took from Nimrod. The Gemara in Psachim 54b says that these clothing originally belonged to Adam Ha‘Rishon and were created at Bein Hashmashos on Erev Shabbos.
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An exclusion (miut) followed by an exclusion is an inclusion (ribui)
This episode analyzes one expression of this enigmatic principle, perhaps shedding some light on the principle itself.
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Lot and Avraham: Could they take the Land of Israel?
This episode discusses an apparent contradiction between two Rashis: In Bereishis 13:7 , he says that Lot had no right to take land in Eretz Yisrael because it wasn’t yet given to Avraham. But in Bereishis 23:4, he says that Avraham threatened to rightfully take land in Eretz Yisrael if they…
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
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.
HOSTED BY
Elie Feder
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Simply Deep have?
Simply Deep currently has 379 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Simply Deep about?
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.
How often does Simply Deep release new episodes?
Simply Deep publishes regularly with 379 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Simply Deep?
You can listen to Simply Deep on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Simply Deep?
Simply Deep is created and hosted by Elie Feder.
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