YUTORAH: R' Ari Kahn -- Recent Shiurim

Not Blowing the Shofar - Listening to Angels - Sep 10, 2026 - If the shofar can save us in a time of judgment, how do we remain silent when Rosh Hashanah falls on Shabbat?

Erasure - Sep 3, 2026 - Hester panim is not a new idea at the end of Devarim. It has an antecedent — and it belongs to a larger topic of hiding, and of erasing, the other. Sometimes erasure punishes. Sometimes it heals.

Perpetual Acceptance - Aug 27, 2026 - A single unprecedented Hebrew verb at Arvot Moav — "you became a nation," in the past tense — raises the question of whether Israel's covenant was broken by the Golden Calf or simply renewed, and whether "today" ever really means today.

Bidirectional Morality - Aug 20, 2026 - What appears at first to be a collection of unrelated commandments may in fact be a carefully constructed lesson in moral consciousness

In Search of the King - Aug 13, 2026 - A cryptic phrase echoes through Parashat Shoftim: “do not turn right or left.” Tracing that thread uncovers a surprising connection between Sinai, Moshe, the king, Hakhel, and the enduring quest for the covenantal center.

Exclusivity - Aug 6, 2026 - A close reading of a single verse in Parashat Re'eh uncovers a surprising theme running through the entire section. What begins as a discussion of idolatry develops into a profound reflection on holiness, sacred space, and the significance of divine choice.

Perpetual Fear - Jul 23, 2026 - Rabbi Yochanan’s introduction to the story of Kamtza and Bar Kamtza is as famous as it is puzzling: “Fortunate is the person who fears constantly.” What does fear have to do with Jerusalem’s destruction? Through the teachings of Chazal, the Rambam, Rav Soloveitchik, and the Rebbe of Kotzk-Pilov, this shiur explores a question that remains as urgent today as it was two thousand years ago.

Like Dreamers - Jul 16, 2026 - Sefer Devarim is more than a review of Israel's history. It is Moshe's interpretation of it. A study of the spies, Reuven and Gad, and the power of Moshe's retelling.

Disconnect - Jul 9, 2026 - The juxtaposition of the war against Midian and the laws of the arei miklat presents a striking challenge. One section describes a divinely mandated military campaign; the other underscores the sanctity of human life, even in cases of accidental death. Why are these topics placed together? Through a close reading of the text and classical commentators, this shiur explores the role of Pinchas, the Kohen, and the complex relationship between war, holiness, and human life.

Axis of Evil - Jun 25, 2026 - What if Bilam is not a new character at all? What if the struggle in Parashat Balak is simply a later chapter of a much older confrontation—one that never really ended? The text begins to suggest that the alliances formed against Israel, the language used to describe them, and even the methods employed to defeat them, are part of a script that precedes this moment and continues long after it.

The Unfinished Symphony - Jun 18, 2026 - The Torah introduces a shirah—yet something about it feels unfinished, almost out of tune. What emerges from a close reading is not just a missing element in the song, but a deeper shift in how miracles themselves are heard.

The Truth of Distorted Reality - Jun 11, 2026 - When a people condemned to die in the desert look at the Mishkan, the priesthood, and their own leadership, what they see is filtered entirely through the lens of their death sentence.

Goin Home - Jun 4, 2026 - The buildup that led to the sending—and the failure—of the spies

Loco-Motion - May 28, 2026 -

Yom Yerushalayim: Tears and Laughter - May 14, 2026 -

Sins of the Father - May 7, 2026 - This lecture explores the hidden structure of the Tochacha in Parashat Behar–Bechukotai, reframing it not as a catalogue of punishment but as the unraveling—and restoration—of a relationship. Tracing the dual pillars of sacred time (Shabbat) and sacred space (Mikdash), it follows their expansion from the Mishkan to the Land of Israel, and their collapse through relational indifference (keri).

A Second, Second Chance - Apr 30, 2026 -

Echoes of Holiness - Apr 23, 2026 -

Spiritual Conductivity - Apr 16, 2026 -

Tzav, Chatzot and the Afikoman - Mar 26, 2026 -

Economics, Gender, Cover‑Up, and Responsibility: The Multifaceted World of the Korban Ḥatat - Mar 19, 2026 -

The Passion to Stop - Mar 12, 2026 - the strategy employed in building the Mishkan

The Blessing of the Calf - Mar 5, 2026 - How did the sin help?

Follow the Thread - Feb 26, 2026 - from the kohen to tziztit to Korah to Haman

The Second Fall of Man - Feb 19, 2026 -

Servitudes - Feb 12, 2026 - The connection between Mishpatim and the Ten Commandments

Divine Choreography - Feb 5, 2026 -

Don’t Look Back - Jan 29, 2026 -

Judgement Day - Jan 22, 2026 - Understanding the significance of the korban pesach