YUTORAH: R' Yitzchak Etshalom -- Recent Shiurim

The Special Celebration of טו באב - the Fifteenth of Av - Jul 28, 2026 - The happiest days of the year, Rabban Shim'on b. Gamliel tells us, were the 15th of Av and Yom haKippurim. On these days, he reports, young women would go into the vineyards and dance and the young men would choose them as wives. The Gemara expresses an understandable confusion about the special nature of the 15th of Av, to be compared in its festivity to Yom haKippurim; the Gemara suggests six different things that happened on the 15th of Av during different epochs - but that leaves us all the more confused. What do these six events, none of which is outstanding in its celebration or rejoicing, have in common? We explore these events with an eye to finding the common message and its place in our national ethos. This shiur was lovingly given in honor of our son, Yossi on the occasion of his marriage to Chaya, on the fifteenth of Av this year, at the Gush Etzion winery. (could it be any sweeter?)

ירמיהו, קולות חתנים ושיבת ציון - Jul 23, 2026 - This shiur, given in Hebrew, was presented at Beit Knesset Ohel Ari in Raananah at the end of the Tish'ah b'Av. The shiur was given in honor of the forthcoming wedding of Yossi Etshalom and Chaya Friedman. In the shiur, we analyze the relationship between the קול ששון וקול שמחה, קול חתן וקול כלה and the return to the Land, as we find (exclusively) in the prophecies of ירמיהו.

The Strained Bonds of Divine Love: An Introduction to the Book of Hoshea - Jul 14, 2026 - The book of Hoshea begins with a bizarre, seemingly antinomian command for the prophet to take (as a wife?) a whoring woman, have illicit children with her and then, when he seemingly complies, to give them wretched names. We explore this mysterious directive, along with the beautiful prophecy that follows it - and then a stranger command that completes the first unit in Hoshea - chapters 1-3. We analyze the role of the Navi and how these odd directives help the Navi - any Navi - identify with his audience as well as God, in Whose Name he speaks. This shiur was given in honor of the forthcoming marriage of our son, Yoseph Tzvi to Chaya Esther Friedman.

עוד יישמע: Yirmiyah, the Joyous Sounds of Weddings, and the Return to the Land - Jul 7, 2026 - We are all famliar with the phrase עוד ישמע בערי יהודה ובחוצות ירושלים...from songs, from the final ברכה under the חופה and from countless homilies. Yet, if we look at the original context of these phrases, unique to Yirmiyah, we see that three times the phrase is used to denote what will be lost if the people do not improve their ways. It is only the final mention, in ch. 33, where the voices of gladness of the Hattan and Kallah are restored, as part of the restoration of the People to our Land. We explore the connection between restoration and marriage - and a third component, which appears prominently in a prophecy of Yirmiyah. This shiur was given in honor of the upcoming marriage of our son Yosef Tzvi to his beloved Chaya Esther.

Bein haMetzarim: ברית סיני וברית ציון - Jun 30, 2026 - The Mishnah in Ta'anit lists 5 calamities that befell Am Yisrael on the 17th of Tamuz and, correspondingly, 5 tragedies that we experienced on Tish'ah b'Av. It becomes clear that some of these events are clouded in the mists of time and not all of them happened precisely on those dates. We conclude that the Hakhamim are teaching a profound lesson of the significance of each of these days and the breach in our national mission typified by these tragedies. We explore the common feature of the items on each list and propose that each of them speaks to a distinct component of our relationship to HaKadosh Barukh Hu and to our destiny. Exploring these particular crises and the noble calling to which we, as a people, were found wanting. This shiur was given in memory of my father, הרב אשר אהרן בן אברהם בנימין ז"ל, whose yahrzeit is on כא בתמוז. May his memory always be a source of inspiration and ברכה

Parashat Hukkat: When Did the War at Hormah Take Place? - Jun 23, 2026 - Just after Aharon's death, we hear about a military conflict between the king of Arad and Bnei Yisrael. In response, Bnei Yisrael take a collective vow that if Hashem enables them to defeat their enemy (and return the captives taken in war), they will destroy their city and declare it to be "Herem" (see Yehoshua 6-7). The text concludes by relating that Bnei Yisrael were, indeed, victorious and they fulfilled their vow - and called the city they destroyed חרמה. The problem with this narrative is that it seems to be reflecting an event during or after Yehoshua's time, as is seen in the first chapter of Shoftim. This opens up the question of those phrases and passages in Torah that seem to reflect a later reality - we survey a collection of verses that appear to be "late additions" and how a range of Rishonim addressed this thorny issue.

Birkat Hatanim: ברכת חתנים - More (or perhaps less) Than You Thought... - Jun 9, 2026 - We are all familiar with ברכת חתנים, although generally in its more common referent - "Sheva Brakhot". We examine the sources and the divided practice of Bavel vs. Eretz Yisrael regarding how many Berakhot are said - and propose an explanation for the need for "Panim Hadashot" (a "new face" at the celebration) which is required to justify re-reciting these Berakhot at a feast given to honor the new couple. This shiur was lovingly given in honor of the forthcoming marriage of our son, Kovy to his בחירת לב, Zoe. May their lives always be filled with שפע ברכות...seven times over.

The Children of Lot, The "Sin of the Spies" and Tish'ah b'Av - Jun 2, 2026 - Haza"l famously anchor the tragedies of ט' באב in the "חטא המרגלים" - which was really the sin of those who were persuaded by the "תרים את הארץ" and wept "that night" and wanted to appoint a new leader to take them back to Egypt. How was this frightened and impulsive reaction a catalyst for the series of deliberate and horrific catastrophes that make up the history of Tish'ah b'Av?

The "DIVE" Hulin #4: Formulaic Series in the Mishnah (Part 1) - Jun 1, 2026 - In our study of Hulin, we encountered a series of Mishnayot that had nothing to do with slaughtering Hulin; the only unifying feature was the legal distribution of material. Just as the only spot on the neck which is invalid for Shehitah is completely and exclusively valid for Melikah (and vice-versa). In the same way, a calf considered too young to be a "Parah" is a legitimate "Eglah" - and vice-versa. We explore similar sequences in the Mishnah and explore the reason for such sequential compositions and analyze the relatively antiquity of these sequences.

Ruth in Stereo: Mikra and Midrash - May 19, 2026 - After a brief introduction to the literature of Midrash and specifically Midrash Aggadah, we analyze four passages in Megilat Ruth, first reading them in their literary context, then perusing several Midrashic comments on them. We analzye the comments with an eye towards the agenda of the Darshan - i.e. what lesson he is building from the text; that he is not trying to "rewrite the text", rather to build from the text with a vital message for his primary audience.

In Honor of Yom Yerushalayim: Psalm 122 - שמחתי באמרים לי - May 13, 2026 - 59 years ago, on the momentous and miraculous occasion of the raising of the Israeli flag over Har haBayit, the first thing that the announcer on Kol Yisrael did was to read this beautiful paean to our city, our heart. We analyze the chapter, identify its likely provenance and its powerful message about the dialectic nature of the city, between the eternal and the ever-changing, between the static and the dynamic.

Lag ba'Omer: What's Behind the Celebration? - May 5, 2026 - The celebration of Lag ba'Omer is as much of a mystery as the prevailing practices in the period that leads up to it. We examine the two popular explanations - the cessation of the death of R. Akiva's students and the "Yahrzeit" of R. Shim'on bar Yohai - and demonstrate that neither explanation is reasonable, period-documented or satisfactory. Looking into the earliest source where the date of 18 Iyyar appears, we discover a surprising (possible) explanation which puts Lag ba'Omer into a new light.

"ממחרת השבת" and the Calendar Controversy - Apr 26, 2026 - This shiur, given at the annual Yemei Iyyun beTanakh hosted by SAR High School, analyzes the controversy over the date (and day of the week) of the "Omer" offering which, in kind, affects the date and day of the week of Shavuot.

Parashat Aharei-Mot/Kedoshim - R. Akiva's "Great Rule" - Apr 21, 2026 - One of the most well-known quotes from Midrash Halakhah is R. Akiva's observation about ואהבת לרעך כמוך - (you shall love your fellow as yourself) - he avers - זה כלל גדול בתורה, which might be interpreted as "this is a great rule of the Torah". A more complete look at the Sifra and parallel Midrashic texts reveals a dissenting opinion. Shim'on b. Azai maintains that there is a different verse which is either an equally "great rule", or perhaps a "greater rule": זה ספר תולדות אדם (Ber. 5:1). What does he mean and how do we account for the various formulations of this Midrash? We explore all that and more in this Yom haZikkaron shiur, a day on which we honor not only the bravery and sacrifice of our young men and women in defense of our land and our people, but also the tremendous loyalty and fraternity that our soldiers demonstrate in battle. מי כעמך ישראל

Parashot Tazria-Metzora: The Unique Opportunity Afforded to the Metzora' - Apr 14, 2026 - The complex, confusing and unique instructions regarding the diagnosis and healing from צרעת make these פרשיות possibly the most inscrutable and deliberately overlooked sections in the Torah. We analyze the status, implications and message of Tzara'at following his or her repatriation ceremony - which looks, in many ways, like the purification from an encounter with death. In a season when painful memories of the victims of the Shoah and our fallen soldiers are saluted, this long reading gives us, perhaps, a renewed appreciation of life and of the miraculous opportunity of "second chances".

Miriam's Vital Role in the Redemption - Mar 24, 2026 - Miriam is a somewhat difficult character to follow in the text; she is first presented anonymously, watching over her baby brother until he is safely brought back home to be nursed by their mother, then appears as the "prophetess, sister of Aharon" who intensifies the Song at the Sea - and then a seeming downfall at the incident of her slander of her brother and the attendant צרעת. But looking back at the nature of fraternal relations in Beresheet, we can discern a key role in her leadership as a sister to the political and spiritual leaders of the people and her role as both catalyst as well as beneficiary of fraternal loyalty - a role that helps this "first family of the nation" to lead us from debased enslavement to noble sovereignty. This shiur was lovingly given in honor of the birth of our granddaughter, מרים תהילה, named for my mother, מרים בת יצחק ורבקה ז"ל, a true unifier and inspiration for all of her grandchildren.

Vayyikra #28 - The "Sliding Scale" Hatat - קרבן עולה ויורד (part 1) - Mar 17, 2026 - As we continue our study of Sefer Vayyikra, we begin our analysis of the curious presentation of three violations for which the expiatory offering has a variant form, depending on the financial wherewithal of the penitent. These three crimes, two of which involve some form of an oath and the third - defiling of sancta - seem an odd grouping. We assess the textual presentation and look at several approaches among the Rishonim to understanding this unusual singling-out.

Vayyikra #27 - חטאת קבועה (part 3) - Mar 10, 2026 - We continue our analysis of the פרשת החובה, with a look at the structure of the פרשה of the חטאת קבועה for the "regular citizen". In a departure from the usual sequence, the options are presented as goat and then lamb. R. Shimon's observation in the Sifra is noted, along with parallels and extensions of it in Midrashic literature -and then we propose a suggestion for this deviation. Our proposal is loosely based on R. Yosef Bekhor Shor's insightful comment about קרבנות and כפרה.

After the Fall: Recovenanting - Mar 4, 2026 - In the aftermath of the חטא העגל - the sin of the golden calf - God commits to a (new?) covenant, one which inheres compassion and forgiveness, predicated on contrition and repentance. This recovenanting requires several steps - Moshe has to carve two tablets of stone like the set that God had given him, and God will then engrave the same words that He had written on the first set. There is a repetition of the last section of the original law code (from Ex. 23) but no repetition of the civil and criminal code which precedes it. We explore the role of the לוחות האבן - the stone tablets - and the three monikers by which they are known - לוחות אבן, לוחות הברית, לוחות העדות; we also propose an explanation as to why only the end of the law code is re-covenanted - as well as an interesting suggestion as to why Moshe is praised, at the end of his life, for "the strong hand" which, per the Sifrei, refers to his breaking the tablets.

The Amalek Conundrum - Feb 24, 2026 - The description of Amalek's attack against us in the desert ends with a possibly confusing presentation -God promises that He will utterly wipe out Amalek, yet Moshe tells us that God has declared an eternal war against Amalek - how can there be an eternal war against a people who are completely vanquished? And how can Haman be associated with Amalek if that clan was completely erased over 200 years earlier? (see the source sheet). Building on the Rov's zt"l approach to the Halakhic nature of Amalek, we address these and other Purim-related riddles.

The Amalek Conundrum - Feb 24, 2026 -

Megilat Esther: Esther's Brilliant Plan - Feb 17, 2026 - The first two chapters of Esther seem superfluous to the critical part of the plot - the decree to kill Mordekhai's nation and the successful stratagem that defeated it. Why does the reader need to hear about the Persian Emperor's "glory" and extended coronation party, and about the excessive preening and primping involved in getting the young maidens ready for their "night with the king"? We explore the psychological profiles that each chapter gives us about Ahashverosh and Esther, respectively, and then the profile that chapter 3 and 5 give us about Haman; without which we wouldn't be able to understand Esther's brilliant strategy that outfoxed our two enemies and opened the door to national salvation.

אשת הנרצע: The Beloved Wife of the "Nirtza" - Feb 10, 2026 - Parashat Mishpatim opens up with legislation regarding the "Hebrew slave", who is really more of an indentured servant. In this passage, the master may "assign" a woman to the servant, but when his six-year term of servitude is complete, he leaves her when he goes free. If he chooses to stay due to his love for his master -and his wife and their children - he may refuse to leave, have his ear publicly pierced and remain a slave "forever". The Halakhah understands that "forever" means until the Yovel - but where does that leave the wife and children that the slave loves so dearly? Inspired by Rashbam's broad approach to exegesis, we examine all three passages about the עבד עברי - here, in ויקרא and in דברים - and identify the distinct circumstances that inform them and propose a distinction between the passage in our Parashah and that in דברים to help resolve some of hte difficulties in these פרשיות.