All Episodes

The Controversy over the Rambam's Real Opinion of נְבוּאָה

From the Memoirs of מֵאִיר בַּר אִילָן: A visit to "The Frum German shul" in Baltimore in 1913

פָּרָשַׁת בַּמִּדְבָּר תשפ"ו - The Beginnings of Bureaucracy in Jewish History

הַפְטָרַת פָּרָשַׁת בַּמִּדְבָּר ("מָחָר חֹדֶשׁ") - Reading the Bible through the lenses of Talmudic Halachah

Does נְבוּאָה require הֲכָנָה (as per the מוֹרֵה נְבוֹכִים)? The Abarbanel's interpretation of the "Burning Bush" Account

הַפְטָרַת פָּרָשַׁת בְּהַר-בְּחֻקּוֹתַי תשפ"ו - Jeremiah on the difference between Israel and the nations re: repentance

Parshas Behar-Bechukosai: The incredible stubbornness of the Jewish People

An "Old Baltimore" Angle on the Controversy re: the Kashrus of Coca Cola

Lag Ba’Omer: Two different approaches to hostile regimes: R’ Shimon vs. R’ Yehudah

What's with the burning of clothes at Meron on Lag b'Omer?

Interesting (and bizarre) aspects of the Portuguese Marranos in 17th Century France

Haftarah Emor: Good Kohanim vs. Bad Kohanim

The מֶשֶׁךְ חָכְמָה and the מַהַרַ"ל on גֵּר שֶׁנִּתְגַּיֵּר כְּקָטָן שֶׁנּוֹלַד דָּמִי

Parshas Emor: אֱמֹר וְאָמַרְתָּ

Parshas Acharei Mos-Kedoshim, Pt. II: "You will be different!" or "You should be holy" ?

Haftarah Acharei Mos-Kedoshim: How are the Jews like Ethiopians?

An interesting responsum from the חֲתַם סוֹפֵר re: the מִצְוָה of כְּבוֹד מְלָכִים. Is it a חֹק?

Sober thoughts on Israel's upcoming 78th birthday

Parshas Acharei Mos-Kedoshim: Some thoughts about the consequences of the עֲרָיוֹת laws

The Two Metaphors of שִׁיר הַשִּׁירִים: Individual spirituality and national chosennesss

Some thoughts about "Schlissel Challah" (Really)

Seder Thoughts 2026

Plagiarism in Rabbinical Literature - The case of the נוֹדַע בִּיהוּדָה

Passover in Jewish history: Some Historical questions re: how it was celebrated

Shabbos HaGadol 2026

What's the first thing the Jews do after Pharaoh give the permisson to leave?

Tucker Carlson & Henry Ford - Compare and contrast

פָּרָשַׁת צַו תשפ"ו (שַׁבָּת הַגָּדוֹל) - the מֶשֶׁךְ חָכְמָה and the theory of the two types of קָרְבָּנוֹת

הַפְטָרַת שַׁבָּת הַגָּדוֹל תשפ"ו - Why is Elijah the one sent before "The Great and Terrible Day"?

Rabban Gamliel and the Matzah at the Seder - the interpretation of Abarbanel

"The Chuck Norris Era" in American popular culture as it relates to the Arab-Israeli Conflict

More on Israel-German Relations (and Non-Relations) in the 1950s and 60s. And some comments on Trump's retort to the Japanese today

הַפְטָרַת פָּרָשַׁת וַיִּקְרָא תשפ"ו - Korbanos in Judaism and in Paganism

Various definitions of אִשָּׁה חֲשׁוּבָה (Passover Seder)

פָּרָשַׁת וַיִּקְרָא תשפ"ו - Rambam on Korbanos that don't make sense

More Strange Bedfellows: Germany financed Israel's A- Bomb Project (Dimona) back in the 1960s. A story in the news today

זֵכֶר יְצִיאַת מִצְרַיִם VS סִפּוּר יְצִיאַת מִצְרַיִם part 1

Some historical considerations re: Poles, Jews, Hitler, Food, and the Holocaust

הַפְטָרַת פָּרָשַׁת הַחֹדֶשׁ תשפ"ו - Abrabanel: "ha-ha מְשֻׁמָּדִים וּמְסִיתִים וּמַדִּיחִים, don't tell me THIS prophecy is metaphorical!"

פָּרָשַׁת וַיַּקְהֵל-פְּקוּדֵי תשפ"ו The Contrast between the מִשְׁכָּן-idea and the שַׁבָּת-idea

Abarbanel on Messianism Part 2. R Katz gives a historical introduction to Abarbanel's יְשׁוּעוֹת מְשִׁיחוֹ" עַל מַאַמׇרֵי חֲזַ"ל בְּסִפְרוּת הַתַּלְמוּד”

הַפְטָרָה פָּרָשַׁת פָּרָה תשפ"ו - The Red Cow as a Historiosophical Mystical Reality

פָּרָשַׁת כִּי תִּשָּׂא תשפ"ו - Why the Juxtaposition of the קְטֹרֶת and the עֵגֶל הַזָּהָב?

The shaky acceptance of Purim by the Jewish people back at the time of Mordechai

Iran and Hamas: בּוֹר כָּרָה וַיַּחְפְּרֵהוּ וַיִּפֹּל בְּשַׁחַת יִפְעָל ("Whoever digs a hole and scoops it out falls into the pit they have made.")

Analyzing the קִיְּמוּ וְקִבְּלוּ episode. If it is actually a valid complaint, why were the Jews punished for sins in the Biblical Era?

The archaeology of a Dvar Torah - The כְּתַב סוֹפֵר on the last verse in the Megilah

Addendum to the podcast this morning re: הֵגֶא סְרִיס הַמֶּלֶךְ שֹׁמֵר הַנָּשִׁים

Why some rabbis disliked Mordechai - They thought the was being מחמיר at the expense of the entire Jewish People

הַפְטָרַת פָּרָשַׁת זְכֹר תשפ"ו - What the is the meaning of " זֵכֶר עֲמָלֵק"

Who exactly is הֵגֶא סְרִיס הַמֶּלֶךְ שֹׁמֵר הַנָּשִׁים? Is he a "hidden hero" of the story?

Abarbanel on Messianism Part 1 - this historical context of the late 1490s

How did Mordecai & Esther know the contents of the private conversation between Haman and the King?

פָּרָשַׁת תְּצַוֶּה תשפ"ו - The source of Moses' moral authority

Why did Moshe accept the עֵרוּב רַב and Mordecai the מִתְיַהֲדִים?

הַפְטָרַת פָּרָשַׁת תְּרוּמָה תשפ"ו Was Shomo's Temple popular?

Malbim on Messianism and the Messianic Era Part 2

The new English translation of the Classic R Yehonasan Eibeschutz sefer on Megilas Esther

וְרַבִּים מֵעַמֵּי הָאָרֶץ מִתְיַהֲדִים כִּי נָפַל פַּחַד הַיְּהוּדִים עֲלֵיהֶם - Did they actually convert?

פָּרָשַׁת תְּרוּמָה תשפ"ו - Stationary and Mobile

וְאֶל מֹשֶׁה אָמַר עֲלֵה אֶל יְהֹוָה - What does this actually mean?

הַפְטָרָה פָּרָשַׁת שְׁקָלִים תשפ"ו - Fundraising techniques 2800 years ago

The Malbim on Messianism Part 1

Genazym s offering (this Sunday!) the first edition of the classic סֵפֶר אֱמוּנוֹת וְדֵעוֹת לְרַב סְעַדְיָה גָּאוֹן (Istanbul 1562)

הַפְטָרַת פָּרָשַׁת מִשְׁפָּטִים תשפ"וו - Facing doom but still unable to let go of their (illegally held) Hebrew slaves

פָּרָשַׁת מִשְׁפָּטִים תשפ"ו - Saadia Gaon's remarkable in sight into the Torah's statement re: Kidnapping

Genazym is auctioning a letter from the famous Sir Moses Montefiore to the Jews of Baghdad assuring them there will be no pogrom!

Current Events: Ehud Barak, the Epstein tapes, and Ashkenazi Jewish Racism

הפטרת פרשת יתרו תשפ"ו - The Great Hall in Heaven Filled with smoke

פָּרָשַׁת יִתְרוֹ 2026 - The Chronology Problem

Genazym is auctioning the Landau Family (as in Noda BiYhudah)'s copy of the 17th century Kabbalistic classic טוּר בָּרֶקֶת עַל הַשֻּׁלְחָן עָרוּךְ

פָּרָשַׁת יִתְרוֹ תשפ"ו חָתָן וְחוֹתֵן

Utopia- a חידוש of the Torah

Haftarah Parshas Beshalach 2026 - Was Yael a Judge?

A Document of Spicy Prague Rabbinical Controversy History (From the Genazym Auction)

Parshas Beshalach: What was the nature of Moshe's reputation among the Egyptians?

Ramban on the Mashiach and Messianism

Genazym is offering (on Feb. 15) an autograph from R Yehonasan Eibeschutz which reflects why he was so successful as a Rosh Yeshiva

Haftarah Bo: The Invasion of Egypt By Nebuchadnezzar

The Institution of the Cities of Refuge

The Holiday of the 2nd of Shvat: The Anniversary of the Death of Herod

More on Sinas Chinam in Jewish History - a reference to the destruction of the 2nd Temple

Parshas Bo: When did Moses become humble?

"Persian Gulf" in Chronology: Three takes on the discrepancy in Ancient Sources

The Current Situation in France (Christians, Moslems, Jews) in Light of French History

Haftarah VaEra- The Saadia-Dunash Debate (10th Century) on the Meaning of "אֲנִי עֲשִׂיתִנִי"

The Jews of Bucovina, an important community in Central Europe You never heard of

The Current Situation in Iran: Will Trump go in? I don't think so

Who is putting up Hitler's speeches (in English) on you tube? And why?

פָּרָשַׁת וָאֵרָא תשפ"ו - Two opposing traditions re: what language the Jews spoke in Egypt

"Persian Gulf" in Chronology Part 1 : three takes on the discrepancy in ancient sources

הַפְטָרָה פָּרָשַׁת שְׁמוֹת תשפ"ו - A Glimpse into Isaiah's Utopia

How Maimonides' Messianic Doctrines were a reflection of his times

A short history of פְּשַׁט vs. דְּרַשׁ in Jewish Bible Interpretation

Parshas Shemos: Yaakov the Successful Parent

A סִפְרִי re: Yaakov refraining from chastising his sons out of fear they will defect to "Eisav" - The "vengeful meshumad "in Jewish History

Haftarah VaYechi: David, Solomon, Joab the problem of getting the right kind of subordinates

Some thoughts about שִׂנְאַת חִינָם in Jewish History

Parshas VaYechi: What was the “Acharis HaYamim” that Yaakov wanted to reveal to his sons?

The Fast of the Ninth of Teves and the Toldos Yeshu

The Israel-Somaliland Connection: Why is this so controversial?

Parshas VaYigash: Not saying dumb things that will hurt the Jewish People

Haftarah Parshas VaYigash: The vision of grafting the two trees together

Greece under the Metaxas Regime and a Siddur from 1941

Parshas VaYigash: Was Joseph actually the VICEROY, the ruler of Egypt? Or czar of the economy?

Final Chanukah 2025 Thoughts: וּלְךָ עָשִֽׂיתָ שֵׁם גָּדוֹל וְקָדוֹשׁ בְּעוֹלָמֶֽךָ

Another Apocryphal "Midrash" on the Chanukah Story, with interesting takes on the discovery of the jar of oil

Haftarah Shabbos Chanukah: The Vision of Zachariah and its relevance to Chanukah

Parshas Mikeitz: Yosef, the first "Court Jew"

Chanukah, the Maccabean Wars, and the Civil wars in Seleucid Syria

Some thoughts on the Chanukah Story and its historiosophical relation to גָּלוּת יָוָן

Some thoughts on today 24 Kislev and its famous prophecy in סֵפֶר חַגַּי (תְּרֵי עָשָׂר)

Parshas VaYeshev - Yaakov and Yosef "wake up," but too late!

How the Judith Story in the Apocrypha (or a different version of the story) entered orthodox rabbinic literature AND practice

Haftarah Vayeshev: Amos blasts the social injustice prevalent in his time

Parshas VaYeshev: The remarkable tale of the character-development of Joseph

Chanukah 2025: The Story of the Greeks depriving the Jews of doors and windows

The Current Big Threat to Israel from ... Turkey

Haftarah VaYishlach: Who exactly was Ovadiah?

Israel & France (and Syria) : Connecting Dots

Chanukah 2025: Was the oil in the jar in the Temple the only kosher oil available?

Parshas VaYishlach: Why does Jacob say to Esau that he observed all 613 Mitzvos?

The "בַּת עַיִן" in Historical Context (1765-1840)

Haftarah VaYeitzei: Hoshea 11:7, an extremely difficult verse to parse

What's with this Israeli preoccupation with the bodies of their dead, killed by Hamas & Co.?

Parshas VaYeitzei: What is Yaakov afraid of?

Some thoughts on Self-Hating and Self-Denying Jews in the current antisemitic climate, now and a century ago

Answering a listener's query re: allegorical interpretations of Biblical stories in ultra-orthodox sources

The Recent Posthumous Promotion of Alfred Dreyfus to General in the French Army

Haftarah Toldos: Quantity vs. quality in the performance of mitzvos. An age-old problem. Sigh

Manasseh Ben Israel's (very recently translated from the Latin) "Thirty Problem Concerning מַעֲשֵׂה בְּרֵאשִׁית"

Parshas Toldos: Was Yitzchak Avinu poverty-stricken (Ibn Ezra)?

The recent 50th anniversary (November 10, 1975) of Moynihan's great speech at the UN excoriating the אֻמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם for officially branding Zionism as Racism

Rabbi Michoel Forshlager of Baltimore: His recent yahrtzeit and some thoughts on this remarkable gadol

הַפְטָרָה פָּרָשַׁת חַיֵּי שָׂרָה תשפ"ו Adonijah vs. Shlomo: the Background

Parshas Chayei Sarah: Why does Avrohom adjure Eliezer not to take a wife from the Bnos Knaani for Yitzchok?

The Current Christian Dispute Between Philosemites and Antisemites

Haftarah VaYera: Elisha and the Shunamis

Psalm 83 and the current coinciding of שִׂנְאַת יִשְׂרָאֵל on the part of the Antisemitic Christian influencers and their counterparts in the בני ישמעאל world

Parshas VaYera: The Rashbam's unique take on Abraham's encounter with the Three Angels

Part 2: The Other "Hellenistic Judaism" - not the Chanukah villains

The Current Wave of Antisemitism in Italy - My reaction to a podcast

Part 1: The Other "Hellenistic Judaism" - not the Chanukah villains

Haftarah Lech Lecha: Drawing inspiration from Abraham's victory over the Four Kings

Parshas Lech Lecha: "And he will be a wild donkey of a man..."

The Abarbanel on the Stories in Genesis: The relationship between literal and symbolic meanings of Scripture

Haftarah Noach: The Flood as a metonymy for Jewish suffering down the Ages...

Parshas Noach: Noah and "the Day After"

Is Donald Trump a "Second Cyrus"?

Rabbeinu Tam and Count Henry I of Champagne (and Countess Marie)

Haftarah Bereishis: Israel will survive (Al Aqsa) Floods and even the fires of internal strife

Parshas Bereishis: The world was created for a UNITED Klal Yisroel

The Strage history of Hoshanah Rabbah in the Temple: The Willow vs. the Palm Frond ( הַלּוּלָב שֶׁנִּפְרְדוּ עָלָיו)

The Chasam Sofer, the Yad haMelech and the "Overused" Esrog - Haredi vs. Maskilic notions of aesthetics

נִעֲנוּעִים: The ritual of lulav-waving and its contemporary relevance in the year 5786 (2025)

Sukkos 2025: What's with the strange ritual of פָּרֵי הַחַג?

Today is the (English) anniversary of the Yom Kippur War of 1973, another conflict in which Israel was surprise-attacked

The Four Minim and the Wars of Sichon and Og: A Different take on the אַרְבָּעָה מִינִים

A Different Understanding of the Holiday of Sukkos

Sukkos: The Symbolism of the sukkah under a tree

The Lishkas HaParvah in the Avodah of Yom Kippur- Who was הַפַּרְוָה? Why does the High Priest purify himself there?

The Pros and Cons of Publicly Confessing Your Sins to the Rest of the Congregation

Yonah: Compare and contrast with Akeidas Yitzchok

Late Antiquity in Eretz Yisroel (300-600 C.E.): The Early History of the Yom Kippur Liturgy

Haftarah Ha'azinu: Victory Middle Eastern Style

Parshas Ha'azinu:זְכֹר יְמוֹת עוֹלָם, אֲבָל בִּינוּ שְׁנוֹת דּוֹר וָדוֹר

Rabbi Katz's Shabbos Shuvah Drashah: Primordial or Mosaic?

Haftarah Shabbos Shuvah: ?" "שׁוּבָה עַד?" אוֹ "שׁוּבָה אֶל

Penance (not repentance!): Some famous cases in the Sefer Chasidim and Responsa of the Maharam Lublin

Parshas VaYelech: Hester Panim

The Debate in the Mishna whether the Shliach Tzibur should be motzi the intelligent worshipers on Rosh HaShanah - שֶׁהוּא יוֹם הַדִּין

Haftarah Nitzavim: Delighting in G-d - "How is that done?

The Middle East: G-d's Chess Board - R' Katz discusses current events in Egypt, Israel, Yemen, and Ethiopia

A Suggested History of Tekias Shofar - Involving the Masses, the Satan, and Chazal

The Haredi Who Spied for Iran and Committed Sabotage on Their Behalf

Parshas Nitzavim: Trying to match the glorious prophecy with recent Jewish history

"Shouting Match" Between Prime Minister Sanchez of Spain and Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel: The Freudian Aspects

Haftorah Ki Savo: The Days of Moshiach Without War

A Suggested History of Shofar Blowing

Parshas Ki Savo: The Abarbanel v. the Netziv

The Giant Water Crisis Threatening the Entire Middle East - in the context of the current Arab-Israeli conflict

Why does a shofar have to be from a from a horn whose inside layer can be removed?

Why is Rosh Hashanah decribed as "covered up" or obscure? תִּקְעוּ בַחֹדֶשׁ שׁוֹפָר בַּכֵּסֶה לְיוֹם חַגֵּנוּ?

Haftarah Ki Seitzei: Isaiah predicts the expansion of Israel in the Messianic Era. Will Israel annex Turkey and Spain?!

A Personal Letter From R' Ovadia Yosef to R' Shlomo Zalman Auerbach re: High Israeli Politics concerning the Shas Party- An offering from Genazym

פָּרָשַׁת כִּי תֵּצֵא תשפ"ה - יְפַת תֹּאַר בְּעוֹלַם הַקַּבָּלָה

Genazym is offering the Prague 1595 edition of the famous Ramban theological essay דְּרָשַׁת "תּוֹרַת הַשֵּׁם תְּמִימָה"

Haftarah Shoftim: "סוּרוּ סוּרוּ צְאוּ מִשָּׁם, טָמֵא אַל תִּגְּעוּ"

Parshas Shoftim: What is the actual meaning of "צֶדֶק צֶדֶק תִּרְדֹּף"?

Psalm # 2 and Israel's Losing of the Current Propaganda War

Genazym: The First Printing of the classic בֵּית מֵאִיר (1787), the author's own copy with extensive handwritten glosses on the sides!

A recent find of of an ancient coin in Jerusalem, and thoughts about the Messianic Era . Some "dirt" re: Ptolemy III and Berenice II

Genazym is auctioning the 15h century classic of Talmudic Methodolgy - הֲלִיכוֹת עוֹלָם, first complete edition (Constantinople 1510)

Moses' warning: אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל can easily become a קְלָלָה!

The Remarkable R' Meir Bumsla (1703-1769): A סְמִיכַת חָבֵר from the tension-laden Golden Age of Prague, the Era of the Noda BiYhudah- An item being auctioned by Genazym

Haftarah Re'eh: A future without fear? Really?

Parshas Re'eh: Keep the booze out of the house of the fellow in recovery

R' Naphtali Katz (1648-1719), Part 2

R' Naphtali Katz (1648-1719): The Baal Semichas Chachamim, Part 1

Moses and the Bones of Joseph: Two different models of Jewish leadership?

Pirkei Avos, Ch. 4: Why is the phrase אַל תִּפְרֹשׁ מִן הַצִּבּוּר associated with the Tanna R' Tzadok?

Haftarah Eikev: The Revolution in Identity in the Messianic Era

Parashas Eikev: The Wild Beasts

Parshas VaEschana: Zachor or Shamor? Is the Sabbath theology or history?

The curious but vital role of Egypt in the current Gaza War.

הַפְטָרַת שַׁבַּת נַחֲמוּ תשפ"ה - Prophets cannot provide comfort to survivors; Prophets are too "frum"

פָּרָשַׁת וָאֶתְחַנָּן תשפ"ה - וְנוֹשַׁנְתֶּם

15th of Av - Humpty-Dumpty Day?

R' Katz' Tisha b'Av Kinos Explication 5785/2025

The Arizal: Thoughts on one of the most mysterious yet influential figures in Jewish History

Haftarah Shabbos Chazon: Isaiah Decries Organized Crime in Ancient Jerusalem

This Tisha B’av, turn tears into Action

Torah Im Derech Eretz in a Different Key, Pt. 1: Four Gedolim who dropped-out of college but utilized their secular education

Parshas Devarim: The strange story of how the Transjordan was divided-up by Moses, not G-d

Torah Im Derech Eretz in a Different Key, Pt. 2

The Sinister Role of Turkey, Currently Israel's Mortal Enemy, in the Goings-On in Syria and the Middle East

Parshas Matos 5785 What happened to the kids of the two and a half tribes while the fathers were away fighting on the other side of the Jordan River?

Haftarah Matos-Masei: A Famous Jeremiad

Rashi's Raw Hatred of the Crusaders - The Vicious Poem תִּתְּנֵם לְחֶרְפָּה

Parshas Matos-Masei: The War of Revenge in Midian and the War Against Hamas in Gaza

Haftarah Pinchas: The Relationship between Pinchas and Eliyahu -Are they literally the same person?

The Druze, Syria, Israel, and the USA - An Analysis

The Influence of R' Saadia Gaon on the Rambam and all the other Medieval Jewish Philosophers

Isaac Ochberg of Cape Town (1878-1937): Rescuer of Orphans from World War I

Parshas Pinchas: The Bloody Discrepancies

Bilam's observation of הֶן עָם לְבָדָד יִשְׁכֹּן and the current phenomenon of Jews being abandoned by their supposed "allies"

What is the Oldest Source for the "Three Weeks"?

Haftarah Balak: Will some Jews choose to remain in Chutz L'Eretz in the Messianic Era?

Quaker Ger Tzedek: Warder Cresson of Philadelphia and Jerusalem (1798-1861)

Parshas Balak: Bil'am and the Current War in Gaza

The Connection Between Drafting the Bnei Torah and the Possibilities of Peace with Syria? - The Current Situation in Middle East

R' Saadiah Gaon and the Moshiach: The Reasons for Saadia Gaon's Messianic Speculation in the 10th Century Abbasid Caliphate

Haftarah Chukas: Was Yiftach a Shofet? Or was he a general?

Parshas Chukas: The Cedar, Hyssop, and Crimson Wool - The Three Types of Worshipers of the Golden Calf?

עַל כֵּן יֹאמְרוּ הַמֹּשְׁלִים בֹּאוּ חֶשְׁבּוֹן - Some philosophical thoughts on Oct. 7, 2023 vs. June 12, 2025

Messianism in Jewish History: The Specific Historical Context - The Case of Biblical and then Ancient Judaism

הַדְרָן עַל מַסֶּכֶת שְׁבוּעוֹת לז"נ אִמִּי לֵאָה בַּת אַרְיֵה לֵיבּ הַלֵּוִי זַ"ל יָארְצַיְט ג תַּמּוּז תשפ"ה

Haftarah Korach: The two groups who did not want Shaul as King

Parshas Korach: The Even Ezra - An EGREGIOUS example of אֵין מֻקְדָּם וּמְאֻחָר בַּתּוֹרָה !

"I was asleep, but I have now woken up!" The Third Pslam and the current Israel-Iran War

The Prospects for Regime Change in Iran? What Does This Mean? - An Analysis

The "Bustenai Controversy" of the Gaonic Era: The Reish Gelusah Who "Married" an Iranian Princess...Or Did He?

The "Tucker Carlson & Co." Anti-Israel Isolationism Phenomenon - An Analysis

Haftarah Shelach: The Tradecraft Mistakes of the Two Spies in Jericho

Parshas Shelach: The Flaw in Intelligence Procedures That Resulted in the Sad Episode of the Meraglim

The Strange History of Israel, the Mossad and the Mojahedin-e-Khalq (MEK)

The Amazing R' Nassan Nota Shapiro of Cracow (1584-1633) AKA the Mekaleh Amukos

Rabbi Katz Analyzes the Current Israel-Iran War

Haftarah Behaaloschah: The Prophecy of Zechariah

Parshas Behaaloschah: What is the meaning of the strange phrase :"בְּכָל בֵּיתִי נֶאֱמָן הוּא"?

"More Judaico" - The humiliating oath Jews were required to utter when they were sworn into gentile courts in pre-modern times

Pirkei Avos: Is it possible to calculate which mitzvos count more than others? Which aveiros are worse than others?

Haftarah Naso: Was Samson an actual Nazir (Rambam)?

Parshas Naso: The Sotah and Structurally flawed marriages

Different Types of Judaism in the Era of the Amora'im: The Queen Zenobia of Palmyra and the Amora'im

Rabbi Katz's schedule for Shavuos night in his shul

Haftarah Bamidbar: The promiscuous wife and the husband who neverheless wants to stay married to her

Shavuos: Why count 50 days if the Torah was actually given on day 51?

Megillas Rus: A Controversial Book? Did she convert? When? How many times?

The Martyrs of Lvov (1728) - Tortured to Death by the Catholic Church on Erev Shavuos (this is not Count Potocki)

Shavuos and Yisro: Why does the story of Yisro precede מַתַּן תּוֹרָה? Hpw did Yisro create אַחְדוּת among כְּלַל יִשְׂרָאֵל?

Parshas Bamidbar: Abarbanel - The Levites too were enslaved in Egypt!

Haftarah Behar-Bechukosai: G-d tells Jeremiah he may not get married and raise a family

Parshas Behar-Bechukosai: King David, the Brachos in the Parsha, and Depression

R' Shimon ben Yochai and his son: the Aftermath of the Cave

The Future of Syria and Israel: An Analysis of the Current Situation in the Middle East

Haftarah Emor: Ezekiel and Priestly Functions in the Third Temple

Parshas Emor: May a kohen marry a promiscuous woman?

R ‘ Chaim Kohen Rapoport of Lvov, Pt. 3

Lag B’Omer and the Story of R’ Shimon bar Yochai in the Cave: Critical considerations

Rabbi Katz's new lecture series in Baltimore: May 12, 14, 19, 21, and 26

The Barbary Pirates, Jefferson and Donald Trump's Reported Deal with the Houthis

Haftarah Acharei Mos-Kedoshim: Destruction and then Restoration

Parshas Achrei Mos-Kedoshim: Why is the Yom Kippur Ritual associated with the deaths of Nadav and Avihu?

Rambam and Korbanos Part 3

R’ Chaim Kohen Rapoport of Lvov (1699-1771) Part 2: Internal machlokes

Haftarah Tazria-Mazora: Gechazi is "Attacked" by the Yetzer HaTov

Parshas Tazria-Metzora: Biblical Leprosy and Its Role in Promoting Sincere Social Relations

Rav Chaim Kohen Rappaport of Lvov (1699-1771), Pt. 1: A Great Gadol You Probably Never Heard of

The Rambam and his different discourses on korbanos & other matters, Pt. 2

הַפְטָרָה פָּרָשַׁת שְׁמִינִי תשפ"ה - Dovid vs. Nadav & Avihu

Parshas Shmini: Nadav and Avihu

Conditions in Eretz Yisroel in the early 19th century - life under the rapacious Muslims and hope from England

The Rambam and his different discourses on korbanos and other matters: Part 1

Haftarah Acharon shel Pesach: Discrepancies between the accounts of Hezekiah and Sennacherib

Shevii Shel Pesach - The Splitting of the Sea: הֶאֱמִינוּ וְשׁוּב לֹא הֶאֱמִינוּ

The Historical Background to the 1830s controversy re: הַקְרָבַת קָרְבַּן פֶּסַח בַּזְּמַן הַזֶּה - What was going on in Turkish Palestine at that time

Seder Thoughts 2025 (תשפ"ה)

When historical knowledge provides an insight into a Responsum: The Noda BiYhudah and the Ben Ish Chai

Pesach, Bitul Chametz, and the eternal battle of ideas between Jewish and Egyptian theological ideas. Really

The Rambam and His Thoughts About the Hagadah

Haftorah Shabbos Hagadol - Elijah: Unite or Die!

Parshas Tzav (Erev Pesach) - Changing attitudes towards the Temple Sacrifices

Haftarah Parshas VaYikra: "הֶעֱבַדְתַּנִי בְּחַטֹּאותֶיךָ הוֹגַעְתַּנִי בַּעֲוֹנֹתֶיךָ

The current war in light of וְהִיא שֶׁעָמְדָה לַאֲבוֹתֵינוּ וְלָנוּ שֶׁבְּכָל דּוֹר וָדוֹר עוֹמְדִים עָלֵינוּ לְכַלּוֹתֵנוּ וְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מַצִּילֵנוּ מִיָּדָם

The Pesach Haggadah: רַבָּן גַּמְלִיאֵל אוֹמֵר

Parshas VaYikra: הַקָּרְבָּנוֹת לְעֻמַּת הַקָּרְבָּן פֶּסַח

Parshas HaChodesh: The seemingly disjuncted narrative

R’ Chaim Sinwani of Yemen and Israel (1897-1979)

Haftarah HaChodesh: Princely corruption even in the time of the Third Temple?

Parshas Pekudei- מִי הָיוּ לֵצָנֵי הַדּוֹר

Trump, Polk, Bibi: Some cautionary lessons from the past

Haftarah Parshas Parah- Jewish misconduct in the lands of exile

Parshas VaYakhel- No fire outside the miskan, but yes fire inside the mishkan!

Purim live 5785 (2025)

Tefilah: Why does God say to Moses : לֹא תוּכַל לִרְאֹת אֶת פָּנָי, but subsequently וְדִבֵּר הַשֵּׁם עִם מֹשֶׁה פָּנִים אֶל פָּנִים?

Donald Trump's fascination with America's 11th President James K. Polk (1845-1849)

17th of Adar: Anniversary of a massacre and rescue in Northern Syria of Chachmei Yisroel

Two Short Purim Vorts

Is Israel becoming more religious in the wake of the Gaza War? Some thoughts upon reading an article in הָאָרֶץ

Purim 2025, Pt. 2: How Esther hid her identity-Didn't the Jews say אָחוֹת יֵשׁ לָנוּ בְּבֵית הַמֶּלֶךְ?

Haftarah Ki Sisah: Eliyahu at Har HaCarmel

Purim 2025 in the light of the October 7, 20243 Pogrom

Parshas Ki Sisa (Shoshana Purim): The Eigel and Purim

Purim 2025: What is the source in the Megilah for the opposing opinions of רשב"י and his talmidim ?

Circumcision and the Marranos - from the סֵפֶר הַזִּכְרוֹנוֹת מֵאֵת רַבִּי שְׁמוּאֵל אַבּוּהַב מִוֶנִיצִיׇהּ

Haftarah Zachor: The Story of Saul and Agag in the light of the current war with Hamas

Parshas Tetzaveh: Was Aaron chosen for the priesthood before the episode of the Golden Calf?

A selection of interpretations of the bizarre story of Rabbah killing R Zeira at a Purim party

The spontaneous prayers of the hostages during their captivity in Gaza

Rabbi Raphael Meldola of Bayonne, France (1686-1748) the שׁוּ"ת מַיִם רַבִּים

R Katz analyzes the current Mid-East Situation, especially the Russian Role

From The Golden age of Spanish Jewish Poetry: Ibn Gabirol's שִׁנְאַנִּים שַׁאֲנַנִּים

Haftarah Mishpatim: Reneging on Emancipation

Parshas Mishpatim: Creating a sacred polity is harder than creating a holy individual

The Ramchal and the history of his most famous work, Mesilas Yesharim - Some thoughts

More on angels in Jewish Liturgy

Angels in our liturgy

Parshas Yisro: The oath Moshe swore to Yisro re: Gershom, Pt. 2

What is the significance of Isaiah's prophetic career commencing with the death of King Uzziahu?

Parshas Yisro: Yisro brings Gershom, whom he has already "ruined," hence the tense relationship

The original printing of the famous עֵין יַעֲקֹב on the אַגָּדוֹת, being offered by Genazym

Genazym is auctioning a political-lobbying letter from R Chaim Brisker to his friend the בַּעַל "דּוֹרוֹת הָרִאשׁוֹנִים"re: the elections for Chief Rabbi of the Turkish Empire

A Real Life Case in 19th Century Kurdistan-וֶהֱוֵי מִתְאַבֵּק בַּעֲפַר רַגְלֵיהֶם, וֶהֱוֵי שׁוֹתֶה בַּצָּמָא אֶת דִּבְרֵיהֶם

פָּרָשַׁת בְּשַׁלַּח תשפ"ה - Some Jews armed themselves to battle the Philistines when they left Egypt. Others were cowardly

More correspndence between Ramchal and R Yeshaya Bassani: Whose soul did R Yeshaya possess?

Haftarah BeShalach: Who exactly was Yael, Eshes Chever HaKeini? Which yeshiva did she learn in?

Genazym is offering the famous math book: "סֵפֶר הַמִּסְפָּר" מֵאֵת רַבִּי אֵלִיָּהוּ מִזְרָחִי הַמְפֻרְסָם (בַּעַל הָרְאֵ"ם עַל פֵּרוּשׁ רָשִׁ"י עַל הַחֻמָּשׁ)

Haftarah Bo: Egypt will be devastated by a Babylonian invasion

Rabbi Katz Yahrtzeit Siyum on Mikvaos

Sumptuary decrees of 1767 issued by the נוֹדַע בִּיהוּדָה

Psalm 90 - the Dearth of שמחה? Reflections of the aftermath of the Golden Calf?

Parshas Bo: Were there apostates (משומדים) already at the time of יציאת מצרים?

Haftarah VaEra: Pharaoh the Crocodile

Psalm 81 הַיּוֹם יוֹם חֲמִישִׁי בְּשַׁבָּת Commemorating the First Liberation

Parshas VaEra: Redemption without repentance?

The Hostage Deal and the Current Matzav

Haftarah Shmos- "הַנִּדָּחִים בְּאֶרֶץ מִצְרַיִם"

Psalm 94 - The Call for Revenge, when is it appropriate?

Ramchal and his Rebbe, Pt. 2. - More on the remarkable relationship

Parshas Shmos: A Three Day Holiday?

Asarah B'Teves: Then and Now

An Analysis of the Current Influence of Turkey in Syria and Israel

Dovid and Yoav: Why really did Dovid resent Yoav?

Why was there a military escort at Jacob's funeral?

The Shma Prayer in its original context

Haftarah VaYigash: Unity Before Geulah

Parshas VaYigash: Why did Joseph supply his brothers with literally all their need?

The Ruthless Use of Hostages: The assasination of Judah Maccabee's brother Shimon and its aftermath

נְחֹשֶׁת: דְּבַר תּוֹרָה לַחֲנֻכָּה תשפ"ה

Lighting Inside v. Lighting Outside: History of Controversy

The prophecy of 24 Kislev (סֵפֶר הַנָּבִיא חַגַּי) and current events in the Middle East

Al HaNissim- When was it composed?

Haftarah Shabbos Chanukah - Zechariah Magical Menorah

Mikeitz and (metaphysical) Chanukah: The two dream stories - Joseph and Daniel

Parshas Mikeitz: Joseph the first "galus yid" in history

Seudas Chanukah: How old is this custom? Did it predate Rabbinic Literature?

Peacemaking with the enemy? A cautionary tale from the Book of Maccabees

What kind of peace should we pray for in The North?

Haftarah VaYeshev: Amos decries social injustice (at G-d's direction)

Parshas VaYeshev: Contrasting the sibling relationships between the 12 brothers of the Joseph story and the 5 brothers of the Macabee story

R' Yeshaya Bassan and the Ramchal: The remarkable correspondence between rebbe and talmid

Shechem - Some of the Brothers Killed, Other Brothers Looted (Parshas VaYishlach)

Tefilah in the Context of the Current Situation in Syria

Sefer Ovadiah HaNavi (Haftarah VaYishlach)

Parshas VaYishlach: The challenges of Jewish survival in hostile environments

An Analysis of the Latest Events on the Israel-Syria Border

R' Marcus (Mordecai) Jastrow (1829-1903), Pt. 2

R' Marcus (Mordecai) Jastrow (1829-1903), Pt. 1

The Ramchal on Why People Avoid Learning Kabbalah

Haftarah VaYeitzei: The Kingdom of the North blows its last chance by retaining the Golden Calf

Parsas VaYeitzei: What does Jacob mean by הָיָה הַשֵּׁם לִי לֶאֱלֹהִים?

The Recent Developments in Syria and the Middle East

Thanksgiving as an American (but not Christian) Religious Holiday

Haftarah Toldos: Goofing off in the Bais HaMikdash

The War in Lebanon and Psalm 110

Parshas Toldos: The Palestinian (Plishti) Peace Proposal

Are the Jews a religious group? A nationality? An ethnicity?

Haftarah Chayei Sarah: Adoniyahu or Shlomo

Parshas Chayei Sarah: Oy shidduchim, shidduchim

The Aleinu Prayer: What is its context?

The Hasmoneans and the Question of Drafting the Yeshiva Bachurim

Haftarah VaYera: אֱלִישָׁע מְחַיֶּה הַמֵּת

The Iranian-Israel Conflict in light of interesting internal developments in Iran

Parshas VaYera: The הַשְׁגָּחָה פְּרָטִית in the sequence of events in the Abraham story

R Shimon Sofer, Pt 2: Walking a political tightrope for Galician Jews trapped between Germans, Ukrainians, and Poles

R Shimon Sofer (1820-1883), Pt. 1: The complexities of Jewish ethnic politics in Central Europe (Galicia) in the 19th century

Parshas Lech Lecha: The conquest of Semitic Israel by Hamitic invaders

Haftarah Lech Lecha: The Dust of Abraham

Parshas Lech Lecha: Abraham and Shem

R' Katz discusses the newest Genazym auction, featuring (inter alia) the seal the famous Italian Rabbi Yeshaya Bassan (1673-1739)

Haftorah Parsha Noach: The Abandoned Wife Discovers She is not abandoned after all

The Story of Nimrod- Who was he? (Parshas Noach)

R' Shmuel Leib Kauder (1770-1835) Last of the Bohemian Gedolim

The Simchas Torah Massacre in Cracow 1655

Parshas V'Zos HaBrachah: G-d offers the Torah to the other nations but they turn down the offer

The History and Meaning of the נִעֲנוּעִים

Where is the Garden of Eden? (Parshas Bereishis)

R' Katz speculates on the origins of the שִׂמְחַת בֵּית הַשּׁוֹאֵבָה

The Original Sukkos: Was it BOTH Clouds of Glory and סֻכּוֹת מַמָּשׁ- first one and then the other?

R' Katz on the Four Minim

Sukkos in the Light of the Current War

Was Columbus Jewish? R' Katz weighs in

A Quick History of Israel's Diplomatic Relations (and lack of relations) with Moslem Countries

The Jonah Story: Some sober thoughts in light of current events

Sair L'Azazel-"Is there a plain meaning?"

The Episode of Elephantine: A Jewish Garrison on the Egyptian-Sudan Border in the Times of Ezra, Nehemiah & Co.

Confession on Yom Kippur: Competing Sensibilities

Yom Kippur and the Oct. 7th Massacres: R' Katz Responds to a Query

Haftarah Ha'azinu: The Power of Words

Parshas Ha'azinu: The speech of Moshe to the elites (having given up on the masses)

An Analysis of the Current Israeli Invasion of South Lebanon

R' Katz speculates on the historical origin of the custom of blowing the shofar to confuse the Satan

The Historical Background of the Dispute Between the Geonim and the Rambam on the Break in the Tradition of What the Teruah is

R' Katz analyzes the current situation in the Middle East

Haftarah Nitzavim-VaYelech: The United Nations will Applaud Israel ... in the Messianic Era!

Parshas Nitzavim-VaYelech: Above all, Moshe fears the hypocrites in his audience

The Ben Ish Chai and Baghdad, Pt. 2: Thinking historically about the Ben Ish Chai and the remarkable Jewish community of Baghdad in the 19th century

Tekiah Teruah Tekiah: Joy, Weeping, Joy: Symbolism in the Ritual

Haftarah Parshas Ki Savo - Isaiah paints the Jewish Utopia

The Ben Ish Chai and Baghdad, Pt. 1: Thinking historically about the Ben Ish Chai and the remarkable Jewish community of Baghdad in the 19th century

Parshas Ki Savo: The Terrible Tochecha - Why is Devarim's worse than VaYikra's?

Haftarah Ki Seitzei: The woman who medically could not bear children suddenly has sextuplets!

Thoughts on the curved shofar vs. the straight shofar

Parshas Ki Seitzei: Amalek in Our Parsha and the Attack on October 7

The Expulsion from Prague (1745) and The Network of Rich European Jews: A Tale of Achdus, Pt. 2

Haftarah Parshat Shoftim: Redemption comes to a battered and bloodied Jewish People

Parshas Shoftim: The False Prophet in Jewish History

The Expulsion from Prague (1745) and The Network of Rich European Jews: A Tale of Achdus, Pt. 1

Elul and the Current Situation in the State of Israel

Haftorah Parshas Re'eh - The glorious house with the diamond chandeliers

Pirkei Avos - אַל תַּעַשׂ תְּפִלָּתְךָ קֶבַע

Parshas Re'eh: "V'Yishavtem Betach-" Secure Internally? Or Externally?

The Great Semicha Controversy of Safed (צפת): The controversy in the 16th century within the broad framework of Jewish History

Abraham haKohen Herera of Italy and Amsterdam (c. 1570-1635)

Parshas Eikev: The 3 Great Dangers

Haftarah Eikev: Isaiah predicts the rescue of the hostages in Gaza!

15th of Av 2024 - The Dance of the Maidens

Pirkei Avos: אַל תִּתְחַבֵּר לָרָשָׁע

The Role of Moshe in the "Second" Ten Commandments (Parshas VaEschanan)

Haftarah Shabbos Nachamu: Glorious news to a battered people

Parshas VaEschanan: Gratitude and Ingratitude

Kinnos, Pt. 2

Kinnos, Pt. 1

Tisha b"Av 2024 (5784)

Pirkei Avos, Ch. 4: R' Masia ben Cheresh

Haftarah Parshas Chazon: Isaiah blasts the hypocrisy of the Jewish leadership class

Parshas Devarim: A Geographical Nightmare

Pirkei Avos, Chapter 2: Rabbi Gamliel Jr. and תּוֹרָה עִם דֶּרֶךְ אֶרֶץ

Glory, Tragedy, and Identity Fluidity: A tale of a modern Ger Tzedek in Germany a century ago

The Jewish general who commanded the Roman armies that destroyed the Bais HaMikdash

Revenge, the Current Middle East Crisis and Parshas Matos

Haftorah Three Weeks - The Jewish Trait of Ingratitude (Jeremiah Ch. 2)

Pirkei Avos Ch.1: Why does it say Moshe got the Torah from Sinai? Sinai did not give him the Torah!

Parshas Matos-Masei: Why the Jews could not get Egypt out of their systems even after 42 journeys

Chinuch in the 20th Century from the Perspective of the 21st

Pirkei Avos, Ch.6

Haftarah Bein HaMitzarim

Parshas Pinchas: Bilaam, Pinchas and the Hamas Attacks

Grover Cleveland and Benjamin Harrison and Their Impact on Jewish History

The two models of שְׁאֵרִית יַעֲקֹב בְּקֶרֶב עַמִּים רַבִּים

Bilam and the modern Hamasniks ימ"ש

Why Abraham vs. Bilam? Why not Moshe vs. Bilam?

Rabbi Katz is having a lecture series starting next week on Zionism in its early years

A Dvar Torah on מסכת ברכות on the 16th Yahrtzheit of Rabbi Katz's Mother ע"ה

Was Yiftach Violent and Crimes Oriented ( in his first iteration)? Or a Kid Mistreated by the ציבור?

Pirkei Avos: What is the context of אַל תְּהִי בָז לְכָל אָדָם? Could it have involved שידוכים?

Parshas Chukas: What EXACTLY was the sin of Moshe?

Two famous icons of anti-religious culture: What caused them to go OTD?

The “Old Haskalah” - Comfortably Nestled within Cultural Insularity

Haftarah Korach: Do you fire a good leader because they are old?

How could Korach successfully challenge the bona fides of Moses? After מַתַּן תּוֹרָה!

The Social Interaction Aspect of Piety (Pirkei Avos, Ch. 3)

Herzl and the British Offer to Create a State of Israel...in Africa!

Haftarah Shelach: The Remarkable Career of Rachav

Parshas Shlach and October 7th

R’ Chanina Sgan Kohanim and His Conservative Political Philosophy (Avos Ch. 3)

Herzl, Political Zionism, and the Campus Riots, Pt. 6

Observations About Politics in the Dynasty of Hillel - Pirkei Avos, Ch. 2

Haftarah BeHaaloscha: The prophet describes the intermarriage scandal, but in oblique language

Parshas BeHaaloscha: Who is חוֹבׇב exactly?

An Analysis of the Current Extremely Dangerous International Situation?- Are we headed for World War

The Bach: One of the Leading גדולים of the Golden Age of Polish Jewry (16th-17th Centuries)

Shavuos: Grass, Trees, and Roses. Was there vegetation at Mount sinai?

Was Hashem originally planning to do מתן תורה at another location?

The Rambam's Philosophical Problems with מַעֲמַד הַר סִינַי

A Renaissance Edition of Azarya de Rossi's Controversial Book - Being Auctioned by Genazym

Hosea tells the Jews not to turn away from Hashem and trust their "allies"

What was the relationship between the two luchos and the rest of the Torah?

Theodore Herzl, Political Zionism, and the Current Campus Riots - Part 5

Yom Yersushalyim: No country recognizes Jerusalem as legally being Israeli territory

Hereditary Elites vs. Meritocratic Elites (Pirkei Avos, Ch. 6)

Haftarah Bechukosai: Jeremiah (לְפִי הָאַבַּרְבָּנֵאל) discusses the chemistry of הִשְׁתַּדְּלוּת and בִּטָּחוֹן

Parshas Bechukosai: The תוכחה was pronounced right after the Ten Commandments

The David-Jonathan Friendship: Was it a two-way street?

Herzl and Political Zionism, Pt. 4 - Zionism's Relationship to Marxism and Frum Judaism

The ibn Ezra: More on his particular historical context, and the time before the fall

Lag b'Omer: When did רשב"י write the Zohar?

Parshas Behar: The theory that both בְּהַר בְּחֻקּוֹתַי were pronounced in פָּרָשַׁת מִשְׁפָּטִים

Haftarah Behar: Jeremiah and the land deal - Preserving hope among the doomed

Biden: It's a good thing we have a President who grew up with the JEWISH version of the Holocaust

R’ Akiva’s Students - When exactly did the 24,000 students die? What was the historical context?

The Bitter, Non-Frum Opposition to Herzl and His Proposal -Theodore Herzl, Political Zionism, Pt. 3

Gain Mastery of Hilchos Shabbos in This Online Program

Haftarah Emor: Who are the people referred to strangely as הַכֹּהֲנִים ַלְּוִיִּי?

Parshas Emor: The existential struggle against worshipping כּוֹחוֹת הַטֻּמְאָה

Israel’s PR Battle: Why is Israel doing a poor job on PR in this war? Why is Hamas beating them?

Theodore Herzl, Political Zionism and the Current Campus Riots, Pt. 2

R’ Sherira Gaon on Sefer Shiur Komah: Does being a rationalist preclude a belief in mysticism?

Unconditional Surrender in American History and Its Relevance to the Gaza War

Rationalism in Gaonic Responsa - Generated by Empirical Evidence, and Sound Theology

Haftarah Kedoshim: The most controversial Haftarah of the year?

Parshas Kedoshim: Does one size fit all?

Theodore Herzl, Political Zionism and the Current Campus Riots, Pt. 1

Rationalism (as opposed to rationality): An example from שׁוּ"ת רַב הַאי גָּאוֹן

The Campus Riots' Objective: Excising Zionism from the bounds of civil discourse

Haftarah Acharei Mos: The Prophet Amos and the Parable of the Sieve

Parshas Acharei Mos: Was Aharon a born אוֹהֵב שָׁלוֹם וְרוֹדֵף שָׁלוֹם, or did he become one?

The Campus Demonstrations and Anti-Semitism: Parallels between 2024 and 1391

Shir HaShirim and Passover - What is the Connection?

The Meaning of the Dry Bones in the Prophecy of Yechezkel (Haftarah Shabbos Pesach)

Did you ever realize the slavery in Egypt commenced shortly before the birth of Moses?

Did the slaves view their plight from within an Egyptian pagan narrative?

The שיטות that one may keep חמץ at the home of a gentile on פסח without selling it

What were the theological perceptions of Jews on the night of Pesach? Maimonidean? Astrological?

Haftarah Shabbos HaGadol: Why was it chosen? What does it have to do with Passover?

Parshas Metzora: Why Did Tzaraas Cease

The Iran Attack on Israel: Why did Jordan help Israel shoot down the Iranian missiles?

What's with the debates as to how many plagues were there @the Red Sea?

Pesach: Why was it necessary to go through the first nine plagues?

Moses Hess and R’ Yehosef Zechariah Stern on אַהֲבַת יִשְׂרָאֵל וְחִבַּת יִשְׂרָאֵל

Haftarah Tazria: Naaman & Elisha - A Repetition of the Abraham and Pharaoh Story?

Parshas Tazria: If the marchers for Hamas were stricken with צרעת, would they change?

משך חכמה על "בשעה שיש מצה ומרורים (לא הפסח!) מונחים לפניך"

Pesach: The Original Passover, the Plague of Darkness, & the Din of מְנוּיִים

Italian Jewry and Playing Tennis on Shabbos and Yom Tov

The Arab tactic of demonstrating in front of synagogues in America

Haftarah HaChodesh: The prophecy of Ezekiel includes crowd and traffic control

Parshas Shmini: A reason for the deaths of Aaron's two sons

מִי הוּא הַ"נָשִׂיא" בְּהַפְטָרַת פָּרָשַׁת הַחֹדֶשׁ?

Parshas Shmini: What is the meaning of the statement that Nadav & Avihu were שְׁתוּיֵי יַיִן?

Haftarah Parah: The Strictly Ceremonial Nature on an Individual Level in Terms of Taharah

Parshas Tzav: The concept of sacrifice in the Temple, as well as in the current war in Gaza

An Analysis of the Current State of the Gaza War and Its Fallout, by Rabbi Katz

R’ Yehuda Brieli of Mantua 17th century -Another Italian גָּדוֹל -צַדִּיק-מַשְׂכִּיל

Purim Mesiba 2024

Purim: Why was it Esther (not Mordechai) who pressured the חכמים to make Purim a holiday?

Parshas VaYikra: The Primarily Educative Nature of the Korbanos

Haftarah Zachor: Exactly why did Saul spare Agag, after wiping out his people?

The Baltimore Background to the Billion Dollar Gift to Einstein Medical School

The Letter of Haman: Its demonization of Jews and ordering their death

Purim and Parshas VaYikra: What's Up With the Angels, the Korbanos, and Vashti?

The Consequences of Jewish Disunity and Irresponsibility During the Current War

Why is Purim not on the day of the victorious fight, but on the day after?

R’ Moshe Provenzalo of Renaissance Italy (Mantua)

Haftarah Pekudei: Why did Shlomo stash-away his father's gold?

Parshas Pekudei: When is a Mishkan a Full-Blown Mishkan? And When is it Just a Glorified בָּמָה?

Recent Trends in Antisemitism in America - An Analysis by R’ Katz

The מַחְבֶּרֶת of Menachem Ben Siruk- The New Edition of This Tragic 10th Century classic

Haftarah VaYakhel: Hiram of Tyre, King Solomon's " Michaelangelo?"

Parshas VaYakhel: Why Make Keruvim After the Fiasco of the Golden Calf?

Parshas Ki Sisah: What ever happened to the tablets Moshe shattered?

The 1555 Edition of HaChasid Yavetz on Pirkei Avos Being Offered by Genazym

The Confusing Story of 12 Adar - יוֹם טְרָיׇנוּס

Haftarah Ki Sisah: Elijah "Twists the Arm of G-d" (כִּבְיָכוֹל)

Sefer Shalsheles HaKabbalah, the Renaissance Classic, is Being Offered in the New Genazym Catalog

Parshas Ki Sisah: What exactly was the אִסּוּר of making an image of Hashem?

Haftarah Tetzaveh: The Building of the Second Temple

Historic Handwritten Letter by R’ Chaim Brisker from 1909 Auctioned by Genazym

Parshas Tetzaveh: Use of the Spoils of Egypt for the Mishkan

Mantua Zohar, Pt. 3. The "Litvish"Defense by R’ Moshe Provençal of Mantua

The Mantua Zohar Controversy, Pt. 2: Arguments Pro and Con

The Mantua Zohar Controversy of 1558-1560, Pt. 1: Should Kabbalah be put into the public domain?

Haftarah Terumah: Was Shlomo's labor force Jewish? Canaanite? Converts?

Parshas Terumah: Will the Third Temple have any technology?

R’ Yehudah Moscato and his Commentary, Kol Yehudah, on the Kuzari

The Prosposed Jewish University in Mantua at the Time of Moscato

Some thoughts on the Gaza War as it enters its 4th month

Isaiah 66: The Temple of the Future Will Have Many Non-Jews (Haftarah Mishpatim)

Parshas Mishpatim: Warning About the Keruvim in the Temple

R’ Yehudah Moscato (1532-1590), Pt. 2: Famous Italian תַּלְמִיד חָכָם וְדַרְשָׁן

Yisro v. Ruth: Two Archetypes

Haftarah Yisro:Unlike Moshe, the prophetic experience of יְשַׁעְיָהוּ is a mediated one

The Famous R’ Yehudah Moscato of 16th Century Italy: A Recently Discovered Remarkable Episode

Parshas Yisro: Was Yisro a good guy? The arguments in favor

Moshe Rabbenu: Intellectual or Emotional?

Parshas Yisro: What is the meaning of the babyish truculence of the Jews at the Red Sea?

Parshas Beshalach: The Connection Between Circumcision and Krias Yam Suf

Haftarah Bo: The Two Babylonian iInvasions of Egypt? Who Cares?

R’ Mordecai Banet (1753-1829): Chief Rabbi of Moravia

Parshas Bo: Why Exactly is Moses Commanded לַחֲלֹק כָּבוֹד לַמַּלְכוּת?

Parshas Bo: What does G-d mean when He says He will punish the gods of Egypt?

The Famous Yad Malachi of Livorno (1700-1771)

What is Going on With the Conversation re: אֶהיֶה אֲשֶׁר אֶהְיֶה? (Parshas VaEra)

Ezekiel: Egypt will suffer because it cynically & unscrupulously"played" Israel and Judah

Parshas VaEra: How Did the Jews Maintain Their Family Units Under Slavery ?

The UN Vote to Recognize the State of Israel, and the Arabs and Jews Prepare for War

Haftarah Shmos: Isaiah Blasts the Drunken Tyrants of the Northern Kingdom

Parshas Shmos: If they had yeshivos in Egypt, why did most Jews go off the derech?

Galus as a Core Component of Judaism and Jewish history

American Judaism a Century Ago (1880-1950)- Some Thoughts

Parshas VaYechi: Joseph's class-act in burying Jacob next to Leah

Haftarah VaYechi: David is Enraged at Joab. Why, Exactly?

R’ Eliyahu Mizrachi of Istanbul, the Greatest Romaniote Gadol

Arafat, Hamas and Terrorism: The Aftermath of Oslo

Parshas VaYechi: An Original Interpretation of Why Yehudah Got the Malchus- from the מֶשֶׁךְ חֲכָמָה

The Israeli Offensives in the War for Independence: Brilliant Successes and Devastating Failures

Yosifon's Counterhistory of the Translation of the Torah into Greek

Haftarah VaYigash: After the Dry Bones Comes the Achdus, Then מִלְחֶמֶת גּוֹג וּמָגוֹג

Asarah B’Teves: Fasting to Mourn the Septuagint Translation?

Parshas VaYigash: Joseph's References to His Kavod

What exactly is זֹאת חֲנֻכָּה ?

Again, Why Didn't Viceroy Joseph Contact His Father? (Parshas Mikeitz)

Reflections on Hellenists, Then and Now

Haftorah Mikeitz: King Solomon and the two "mothers"

Parshas Mikeitz: Joseph uses his prison time to learn Egyptian culture and politics

Judah Maccabee Storms Gaza- עַל פִּי יוֹסִיפוּן

Rambam in אִגֶּרֶת תֵּימָן: the "two-pronged" attack on Judaism... and Chanukah

Outbreak of the Revolt - 3 different versions of the story (Chanukah)

Chanukah: Why does Josephus call the holiday not Chanukah, but Festival of אוֹר?

Haftarah Chanukah: The High Priest is Given a Pass in the Heavenly Court, as a Shoah Survivor

Parshas VaYeshev: Oy, מַעֲשֵׂה אָבוֹת סִימָן לַבָּנִים in a Negative Way - the Sale of Joseph

Henry Kissinger: Good for the Jews? Bad?

Haftarah VaYishlach: Who Exactly was Ovadiah? When Did He Live?

The Israeli Hostages - Is the Story of David Rescuing the Hostages Relevant to Gaza?

Parshas VaYishlach: Shimon & Levi - Proportionate Response?

Rambam, Rav Zevin, & the Kehillos Yaakov on Fear in Combat

Thanksgiving and Jewish History: Were the Pilgrims of 1620 Antisemites, Philosemites or Both?

The Hostage Deal and Psalm 140: References to the Effective Propaganda Offensive of the Enemy

Hostage Deals in Jewish History

Haftarah Vayetzei: Remarkably Relevant to Current Events in Israel Over the Last Year

Parshas VaYetzei: Jacob's Character Development in This Parsha

Thoughts on President Kennedy on the Anniversary of his Assassination 11/22/63

Rabbanim and Chazzanim in the Past Two Centuries

Ahab and Ben Hadad: A Cautionary Tale

Haftarah Toldos: The Inherent Problem of Hereditary (as Opposed to Meritocratic) Authority

Parshas Toldos: The Difference Between the Relationships of יִצְחָק וְיִשְׁמָעֵאל vs. יַעֲקֹב וְעֵשָׂו

Rabbinic Influences on Voting: In the Old Autonomous Kehilos, and in Modern Democratic Elections

Psalm 91 and the Fighting in Israel and Gaza - Fits Like a Glove

Haftarah Chayei Sarah: The Central Role of Nathan the Prophet

Parshas Chayei Sarah: Abraham and Ephron in Light of Current Events

Iran’s Machiavellian Role in the Current Conflict - The Significance of Sunni vs. Shiite

Haftarah VaYera: Why Did Elisha Stay Davka at Her House?

Psalm 140 - The Massacre, the Booby Traps, the Rockets

Parshas VaYera: Why was Abraham Personally Invested in the Fate of Sodom?

The Current Amalekite Demonstrations Against the Jews in America

The Chazon Ish and Medinat Yisrael: Aspects of the Life and שִׁיטוֹת of the חֲזוֹן אִי"שׁ

Hashkafic Look at Psalm 79 in Light of War Against Hamas

Haftarah Lech Lecha: Isaiah Predicts the Current War Against Hamas Tunnels

Parshas Lech Lecha: The First Hostage Rescue Mission in History

Judaism and Proselytizing: Has Judaism Ever Sought Converts in its History

The Dilemma of Civilian Casualties in Urban Warfare

A Short History of the Hamas Tunnels in Gaza

A Hashkafic Look at Current Events and a Hostile Media

A Two Front War in Israel? - R’ Katz analyzes the latest events in the Gaza War

The Yom Kippur War, Part 3: Affliction

Haftarah Noach: Isaiah 54:17 in Light of the War Against Hamas

The Jews Who Support Hamas - The Jewish " Rachavs"

Tehillim and the Current War in Gaza: Read Psalms 79 and 60 and See the Parallels

Isaiah discusses the current situation in the Middle East. Really

Hamas' Error of Judgment? - More Analysis of the Current War Against Hamas

The Yom Kippur War, Part 2: Affliction

Thoughts on the Current War With Gaza

Parshas Bereishis: G-d Decided to Take the Land Away From Them and Give It to Us.

The Yom Kippur War, Part 1: Affliction

Shmini Atzeres: Its Role as Part of Sukkos, Not as a רֶגֶל בִּפְנֵי עַצְמוֹ

R’ Katz Criticizes the Current Wave of Spitting in Light of Jewish History

An Analysis of the עֲרָבָה Ceremony on the Temple, and the Various Versions of How They Did It

R’ Aharon Shimon Shapiro of 17th Century Prague: One of the Greatest Gedolim You Never Heard of

Hashanah Rabbah: What is the meaning of יֹפִי לְךָ מִזְבֵּחַ?

Parshas V’Zos HaBrachah: An Explication of the Enigmatic Passage מְעוֹנָה אֱלֹהֵי קֶדֶם

Koheles: Money (Like the Sukkah) is a Symbol of Impermanence

Two Different Models on Unity: The Sukkah & the Arba Minim

The Buildup to the Yom Kippur War

King Solomon and the אַרְבַּע מִינִים

Unlike RH and Yom Kippur, Sukkos and ארבע מינים Cannot Be Done By a שָׁלִיחַ

Sukkos: What Happened at the Town of Sukkos in Egypt?

The Yom Kippur War of 1973: Thoughts on the 50th Anniversary

Yom Kippur: What If You Do a Partial Teshuvah?

The Fast of the 7th of Tishrei (אֹרַח חַיִּים תק"פ)

R’ Tzvi Hirsch Kaidenover and His 17th Century Classic, the Kav HaYashar

Haftarah Shabbos Shuva: Hoshea HaNavi Calls for the Religious Reform of the Northern Kingdom

Parshas HaAzinu: The Powerful Pessimism of HaAzinu

Rosh HaShanah: The Basic Three Sets of Blasts Correspond to מַלְכִיּוֹת זִכְרוֹנוֹת וְשׁוֹפָרוֹת

Observations on Devarim: Why is Moshe's Rhetoric Harsher in סֵפֶר דְּבָרִים Than Elsewhere in the Chumash?

Eating Before Shofar: The Historical Source for the Yeshivos Having a Kiddush Before Shofar-Blowing

R’ Joseph Ottolenghi: The One Whose Work You Skip Over in the Back of the Gemara

Rabbi Katz is leading a tour of the Bible Museum in DC on חול המועד סוכות

R’ Menachem Mendel Gluskin of Minsk and Leningrdad: Trying to Be Jewish Under Stalin

The First Zohar Ever Printed-Cremona 1559 - Offered by Genazym

Haftarah Netzavim-Vayelech: Isaiah's Vision of the Future - Redemption, But Not Followed By Peace

Parshas Netzavim-VaYelech: Moses' Demand for Perfection Runs into Human Nature

Elul: No Protection Against the Satan This Year on the First Day of Rosh Hashanah

Responsa Mahari ben Lev From Genazym (1598)

More on the New שׁוּ"ת חוּט הַשָּׁנִי Edition and the Famous Controversies of Yesteryear

Parshas Ki Savo: Abarbanel Applies the תּוֹכָחָה to the Marranos

The Strange History of Shevarim

Haftarah Ki Savo: Isaiah's Brilliant Use of אוֹר וְחֹשֶׁךְ, Not as Physical Light and Darkness

Sefer HaManhig: Genazym is Offering the Original Edition, By a Talmid of the ר"י בעל התוספת

Genazym Auction: Original סֵפֶר "תּוֹרַת הָעוֹלׇה" לִרְמָ"א

The שו"ת חוּט הַשָּׁנִי: Three Generations of Bacharachs

Elul: Why Do We Blow Shofar on Rosh Chodesh? Why the Rest of the Month?

Haftarah Ki Seitzei: Will We Be Ashamed of Our Many Past Sins in the Messianic Era?

Parshas Ki Seitzei: Is the Yefas Toar Just פָּשׁוּט פְּשַׁט, or is It a Wider Metaphor Too?

A Conversation w/ Gabe Aaronson, Chief Numbers-Cruncher for the OU

The Mateh Ephraim: The Richest Gadol in Many Centuries - How Did He Excel in Business and Torah?

Rosh Chodesh Elul: Why is There a זֵכֶר for the Third Round of 40 Days, But Not for the Second?

Abraham Drabkin (1844-1927): A Reform Rabbi in Czarist Russia?

Isaiah Says Only הקב"ה Can Provide Genuine Comfort for All the Sufferings of the Jews Down the Ages

The Drashos HaRan on Analyzing the Distinction Between Shoftim and Kings

The Great R’Shlomo Dovid Kahana, Pt. 3: Spirited out of the Warsaw Ghetto to Rav of the Old City

Parshas Re'eh and Jewish History: The Existential Tension in Jewish History Between the Centralizers and the Decentralizers

Kabbalist Questions (Summum Bonum): The Consequences of Stating That the Soul is a חֵלֶק אֱלֹהַּ מִמַּעַל

Haftarah Re’eh: Isaiah Envisions a World Where G-d Tells the Jews Which Minhag He Likes

Parshas Re'eh: What is the Meaning of לְשִׁכְנוֹ תִדְרְשׁוּ וּבָאתָ שָׁמָּה?

R' Shlomo Dovid Kahana, Pt. 2: Warsaw and Its Yeshivas

The Arizal and Summum Bonum: If People Have Multiple "Souls," Which Ones Go Where?

Tu B’Av: Is יוֹם שֶׁהֻתְּרוּ הַשְּׁבָטִים לָבֹא זֶה בָּזֶה the same as יוֹם שֶׁהֻתַּר בִּנְיָמִין

Haftarah Eikev: Did G-d Divorce the Kingdom of Yisroel (Not Judah)?

Parshas Eikev: Why the Strange Phrase "וְאָכַלְתָּ אֶת כָּל הָעַמִּים "?

R’ Shlomo Dovid Kahana: The Greatest Gadol of the 20th Century You Never Heard of, Part I

The Radbaz (Who was Big in Both נִגְלֶה וְנִסְתָּר) Describes the Rambam's Attitude Towards Gehinnom

Parshas VaEschanan: Moshe Says That the חֻקִּים Will Inspire the Admiration of the Gentiles. Why?

Tisha B'Av and Mesilas Yesharim: What is a Chasid (in the Classical Sense of the Term) Supposed to Think on Tisha B'Av?

Lewis Strauss - A Story About a Famous Reform Jew and His Connection to Klal Yisroel

Robert Oppenheimer and מִדָּה כְּנֶגֶד מִדָּה

Rabbi Katz’s Tisha B'Av Schedule This Year

Haftarah Devarim: Isaiah Does Not Mention Idolatry as the Problem, But Social Injustice!

Parshas Devarim: Why Are Some Laws Only in Devarim?

RFK Jr. and Dangerous Rhetoric re: Jews and Corona

שְׂכַר הַצַּדִּיקִים לְפִי הָרַמְחַ"ל

Ramban's Anxious Letter to His Son Who Lived With the Rich Jews at the Royal Court

Haftarah of the Three Weeks: Digging wells that turn out to have no water

Parshas Matos: Wars of Revenge?

Traditionalist Jews in Israel and the Question of Religious Coercion

Bastille Day 2023 - The Riots in France, and Jewish History

Shivah Assar B’Tammuz: Who was Apostomus? What Exactly Did He Do?

Haftarah Pinchas: Jeremiah, the Descendant of רָחָב הַזּוֹנָה

Parshas Pinchas: What is the Meaning of the Vague Phrase: אֱלֹהֵי הָרוּחֹת לְכָל בָּשָׂר?

More on the Fourth of July and Klal Yisroel

Cordovero's extremely vivid description of the different "departments" of heaven and hell

Thoughts on the Historical Legacy of R’ Yaakov Ruderman

The Fourth of July and the Jews

Haftarah Balak: What is the מוּסָר הַשְׂכֵּל the Prophet extracts from the Bilam story?

Parshas Balak: Unlike Balaam, the Patriarchs built 7 altars but did not offer sacrifices on them

Parshas Chukas: Are the Two Stories of Hitting the Rock (בשלח and חוקת) One and the Same?

Korach as a Leadership Type in Jewish History in the Diaspora

Dvar Torah on כריתות at yahrtzeit siyum for R Katz's mother

Haftarah Korach: Why Did G-d (and Samuel) Choose the Inexperienced Saul?

The Burning of the Talmud in Paris on Parshas Chukas- Memory vs. History

Parshas Korach: Korach and the Power of "Spin"

R’ Cordovero on the Summum Bonum- different departments of Heaven

Capsali's History of the Turkish Empire

Haftarah Shelach: Was Rachav HaZonah an Idealist or an Opportunist?

Parshas Shelach: What is the Meaning of כִּי לַחְמֵנוּ הֵם?

R’ Eliyahu Kapsali, Pt. 2: His Account of the Expulsion from Spain

Summum Bonum: The Style of the Kabbalists in Relating to All the Differing Chazals on Olam Haba, etc

The 20th of Sivan: R’ Katz Analyzes Some Cossack Massacres from the Perspective of 2023

Haftarah BeHaaloscha: What will the gentiles do in the Messianic Era?

Parshas BeHaaloscha: Did Moshe Marry an Ethiopian גִּיּוֹרֶת after מַתַּן תּוֹרָה?

R’ Elyahu Kapsali (1480-1550): A Rare Case of a Rov Who was Also a Historian

Intro to Cordovero (רמ"ק הקדוש) on the Summum Bonum

Parshas Naso: Some Thoughts re: The approach of HaRav Gershon Edelstein, זצ"ל

Simon Wolf (1836-1923): American Reform Jew Who Saved Vast Numbers of Eastern European Jews

Haftarah Naso: Why do Chazal Say Manoach was an Am HaAretz?

A 15th Century Letter Inviting All Ashkenazic Jews to Leave Germany and Move to Turkey

What Were the "Crowns" of Shavuos?

The Angel מְטַטְרוֹן and the Revelation on Shavuos

Shavuos: The Symbolism of the Waving of the Breads and the Sheep Together

Abraham Benvniste and the Yeshiva of Zamora in Castile: The Spanish "Lakewood" of the 15th Century

Shavuos: The רמ"א in תּוֹרַת הָעוֹלָה connects the שְׁתֵּי הַלֶּחֶם to מַתַּן תּוֹרָה

Another reason שבועות is not mentioned as זמן מתן תורתנו in the חומש

Hosea, Himself Married to a Faithless Wife, Blasts the Jews for Being Unfaithful to G-d

Shavuos and Matan Torah: Famous Critiques of the Chinuch-System of the Old Days

Parshas Bamidbar: The Logistics of the March from Sinai to the Promised Land

An Infinitely-More Complex Understanding of Life After Death and Reward and Punishment

Three Items from the Era of Sabbatean Fights (Genazym)

Abraham Benveniste (15th Century): Restored Yiddishkeit to a Bleeding Spanish Jewry

Genazym Offers a חומש from Prague from the בַּעַל שׁוּ"ת תְּשׁוּבָה מֵאַהֲבָה & His Close Catholic Friend

A Venetian Jewish MD and Spy in the 17th Century, Liked by Both Sides

The Prophet Jeremiah attacks syncretism & demands radical severance from paganism

Bechukosai: The Historical Significance of וְאֶתְכֶם אֶזָּרֶה בַּגּוֹיִם

Lag B'Omer: Why was Only R’ Akiva's Yeshiva Hit?

Genazym Offers the Notorious Giustiniani Edition of the Rambam, a Capitalist Fight of Long Ago

The Coronation of King Charles III: What is the Role of a King in Jewish Thought?

Rabbi Isaac Cantarini of Padua (1644-1723), Rov & MD, and the pogrom of 1684

Haftarah Emor: The Bad Kohanim Who "Went-Along," and the Good Ones Who Remained Loyal

Chasdai Crescas: Is G-d Omnipotence? Omniscience? Or Love?

Parshas Emor: Did the Blasphemer Curse G-d? Or G-d's Name?

A Famous Story About Abraham Benveniste, an Honest King, and an Attempted Blood Libel

Abarbanel & Kli Yakar Summarize Opinions on Sumum Bonum

Amos' Summum Bonum in the Here and Now: A Rebuilt Prosperous Kingdom in אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל (Haftarah)

Parshas Acharei Mos-Kedoshim: Blood and the "Battle" Between the Beis HaMikdash and the Bamos

Shem Tov ben Shem Tov: Looking for reasons for the Holocaust of 1391. Part 1

Haftarah Shabbos Rosh Chodesh: How will Christians and Muslims Feel in the Messianic Era?

The Political Crisis in Israel: Drafting the Bnei Torah, and Ketores Considerations

What's the Meaning of Isaiah's Reference to a New Heaven & Earth? (Sumum Bonum)

Parshas Tazria-Metzora: What is Unique About the Leprous House?

Shlomo Alami's contemporary harsh criticism of Spanish Jewry in the wake of 1391

Crescas: Will the Moshiach be a Greater Prophet than Moshe?

The Rambam vs Shem Tov on the Theological Significance of קְרִיעַת יַם סוּף

The Crisis in Spanish Jewry 1391-1492: The Shem Tovs and Their Differences

The Abarbanel's fascinating connecting the Jewish fate in Egypt to the מְכִירַת יוֹסֵף

Haggadah 2023: What Does It Mean, "The רשע Would Not Have Been Redeemed?" Many Were!

The colloquy between the Wise Son and his father: a Second Temple Convers

Why Davka Elijah the Prophet as the Great Reconciler? (Haftarah Shabbos HaGadol)

Parshas Tzav: The Two Types of Sin Offerings: Outer and Inner

The Korban Pesach: Why is a Goat OK? For the Original Passover in Egypt?

The Alshich - From the Golden Age of Safed in the 16th Century

The Four Sons historically considered

Did ALL the Jews Do the Original Korban Pesach?

The Great Philosopher Chasdai Crescas on תְּחִיַּת הַמֵּתִים

Haftarah Vayikrah: The Three Big Sins of the First Temple Era

Parshas Vayikrah: Speaking to Moshe From the אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד, Not From the Adjacent Mt. Sinai

Yeshiva Politics from Nosson HaBavli: The Extreme Formality of the Yarchei Kallah - Gaonic Gossip

Ramban on Olam Habah as a New Physical World

Haftarah Vayakhel-Pekudei: Will Korbanos and other Mitzvos Change in the Messianic Era?

Parshas Vayakhel-Pekudei: The Human Logistics of the Fundraising Campaign (Mishkan)

A Frum Cassandra: Zorach Wahrhaftig in 1939-‘40 Lithuania

Haftarah Ki Sisa: Elijah the Religious Radical - “If you are not frum, get out of here!”

Parshas Ki Sisa: The Second Tablets Contained More Than the First Tablets

Ramban's Complicated Description of Gan Eden - The One "Downstairs" and the One "Upstairs"

Gaonic Gossip: The Famous Description of the Inaugural Ceremonies of the Reish Galusah in Baghdad

Rabbi Katz Responds to a Mischaracterization re: a Recent Podcast

The 7 year Machlokes Between Saadia Gaon and the Reish Galusah - Gaonic Gossip

Gaonic Gossip from Nasan HaBavli: The Deposition of Ukvah the Reish Galusah

How Did They Know Heaven had Confirmed Purim (קִיְּמוּ לְמַעְלָה מַה שֶׁקִּבְּלוּ לְמַטָּה)?

Parshas Tetzaveh: The Moreh Nevuchim's Take on the Splendid Bigdei Kehunah

Purim: Esther’s Hidden Identity

The Ramban's Detailed Description of the Sinner in Gehinnom - R’ Katz Discusses

Haftarah Terumah: Shlomo's Corvee was the Fulfillment of the Warning of שְׁמוּאֵל הַנָּבִיא

When was the Mishkan Commanded? During the First 40 days, or During the Third 40 days?

The Controversial but Popular מַסֶּכֶת פּוּרִים (Venice 1552) from the Genazym

Sherira Gaon and Jewish Politics in 10th Century Babylonia

Haftarah Shekalim: Why Didn't the King Just Raise the Money for the Temple by Appealing to the Public?

Nahmanides on Gehinnom - Sinners Do Actually Burn in a Certain Kind of Fire. It's Not an Allegory

A יְרוּשַׁלְמִי שְׁקָלִים from the Famous Bomberg ש"ס of the 1520s - For Sale at Genazym

The unscrupulous "richie-riches" free the Hebrew slaves whom they have held too long

The connection between the מִשְׁפָּטִים and the Yisro incident

R’ Judah Mintz (1405 -1508), Who Turned Padua into the "Lakewood " of Italy

Ramban's Theory of the Sumum Bonum

Isaiah's Vision of G-d Seated on a Throne etc. Subjective Reality vs. Objective Reality

Chaim Grade (1910-1982): Some Thoughts About the Yiddish Novelist

What exactly did Yisro mean that Moshe should be מוּל הָאֱלֹהִים ?

Eliyahu HaBachur HaAshkenazi (1470-1549)

The Aftermath of the Maimonidean Controversies, Lecture 7 of 7

Rambam on Resurrection (which is not part of nature)

Haftarah Beshalach: How is the Story of Pharaoh Similar to That of Sisera?

Parshas Beshalach: The Complaints Against Moshe's Leadership - "Heading the Wrong Way!"

R’ Moshe Alashkar: One of the Greatest Sefardi Gedolim Who Left Spain in 1492

Did Abraham and Sarah Actually Exist? The Fight over Philosophical Homiletics (Part 6 of 7)

Parshas Bo: Why Does Moshe Deviate from His Instructions?

Rambam vs. Raavad and Others on the Difference Between תְּחִיַּת הַמֵּתִים וְעוֹלָם הַבָּא

Jews Burning Books? (Part II) The Controversy in Montpelier and the Aftermath

Moses Mendelssohn, Part 3

Moses Mendelssohn, Part 2

Jews Burning Books? The Controversy in Montpelier

Haftarah VaEra: Egypt will Suffer a Nuclear Holocaust and will be Empty for 40 Years

Parshas VaEra: The Role of Aaron in the Exodus Story - Negotiator with the Egyptians, acc. to Rashi

Parshas Shmos: The Individual Unique Experience of G-d vs. the Common Joint Experience

The First of the Maimonidean Controversies: Attacking the “Live Lion” (Pt. 3 of 6)

Maimonides the Great Popularizer - The Maimonidean Controversies (Part 2 of 7)

The Maimonidean Controversies: Revelation, Rationality and Rationalism In the Middle Ages - Pt. 1

Rabbi Katz Will Be in the Hospital This Week…

A Dying David Has to Weigh Killing שִׁמְעִי בֶּן גֵּרָא for Insulting & Cursing Him

Asarah B’Teves: Why Do We Specifically Commemorate the BEGINNING of the Siege of Jerusalem?

Where Did Joseph Acquire His Knowledge of Public Administration and of Macro-Economic Planning?

Moses Mendelssohn (1729-1785), Pt. 1: The Frum Member of the "Republic of Letters"

In His Mishnah Torah, the Rambam Gets into Greater Detail re: Summum Bonum - עוֹלָם הַבָּא.

Why did the Sages condemn the translation into Greek? Why is it different than Artscoll?

Ezekiel: First the Dry Bones Come Alive, Then They Join the Jewish People in a Real Unity

Parshas VaYigash: Joseph has a Whole Plan of Revenge, but in the End He Couldn't Go-Through With It

Chanukah and the current war in the Ukraine

Rambam on the Sumum Bonum - הָעוֹלָם הַבָּא

Chanuka in the Context of History: A Q&A w/ Rabbi Katz

The affairs of the High priest Joshua & his sons foreshadow the Chanukah strife of the priesthood

Joseph: A Rare Case of a Victim Finding Healing, Not Just Forgetfulness

The History of the Practice of הַדְלָקַת נֵרוֹת חֲנֻכָּה

Judah Maccabee: The Actual Historical Figure

שִׁיטַת הַ"כּוּזָרִי" עַל שָׂכָר וְעֹנֶשׁ

The Hellenistic Jews: What Exactly Provoked Them to Persecute the Frum?

Amos: You (אֶפְרַיִם וּמְנַשֶּׁה) whose ancestor was unjustly sold, how can you do it yourselves?

Parshas VaYeshev: How Did Joseph Handle His Mistreatment Psychologically? I Mean, נְחָשִׁים וְעַקְרַבִּים!

רַבִּי אַבְרָהָם אֲחִי הַגְּרָ"א בַּעַל סֵפֶר "מַעֲלוֹת הַתּוֹרָה ". (1722 -1804)

The view of שְׁלֹמֹה אִבְּן גַּבִּירוֹל מִסְּפָרַד on the nature of שְׂכַר וְעֹנֶשׁ

Rabbi Katz's Israel Trip is a Month Away!

Sefer Yosippon: A Historical Classic NOT Identical With the Books of Flavius Josephus!

Parshas VaYishlach: Esav Felt Cheated, but Didn't Allow that to Define His Life - He Built His Own

R’ Dovid Kimchi, the Radak (1260-1335) as Grammarian - The World of דקדוק

R' Hai Gaon: Aspects of His Messianic Theology

Haftarah VaYetzei: The Prophet Hosea Analyzes the Faults of Shevet Ephraim, Particularly Their Resentment of David

The Shechita Book of R' Yaakov Weil (15th century) - One of the Most Popular Books in Jewish History

R’ Yehoshua of Cracow (1578-1648): The Original פְּנֵי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ

Parshas VaYeitzei: Why did Yaakov Kiss Rachel? Why did He Cry?

The 5th of Kislev - A Fast Day?

R’ Baruch Schick (1744-1808): A Maskil of the Type Approved by the Gra

Malachi Blasts the Schmoozers & Boozers in Shul. What's the Problem with Jews & Davening, Anyway?

Saadia Gaon's Version the Messianic Process - Two Alternative Scenarios

Parshas Toldos: Why was it Predestined That in This Family, the Siblings Should Not Get Along?

R’ Avraham ben HaGra: A Great Talmid Chacham But Also Interested in"Kosher Haskalah"

שִׁיטַת גְּאוֹנֵי בָּבֶל עַל יְמוֹת הַמָּשִׁיחַ וּתְחִיַּת הַמֵּתִים. תְּשׁוּבַת רַב הַאי גָּאוֹן

Abraham in his old age has a faithful-reliable Eliezer. King David has no one

Parshas Chayei Sara: Abraham, Efron, and "The Art of the Deal"

The Israeli Supreme Court and Its Critics: A Discussion on the Controversy in Israel

Look at how Elisha conducts himself around the woman

R Katz begins a new series, on Jewish theories of the Summum Bonum in לְעָתִיד לָבוֹא

G-d, Abraham, and Theodicy. For Once G-d Explains Himself (Sodom)

Yaakov Anatoli (1195-1256): Controversial Jewish Intellectual During the Maimonidean Controveries

Join Rabbi Katz's Jewish History Tour of Israel, January 9-15, 2023

Is מוֹדִים thanks for the protection of the nation, or is it thanks for our individual survival?

Isaiah salutes Abraham, who turned down the spoils of war because he was interested in higher things

Flavius Josephus' Description of Abraham's "Visit" in Egypt and It's Long Lasting Significance

רַבִּי יִצְחָק אַבּוּלַפִיָּה מִדַּמֶּשֶׂק בַּעַל שׁוּ"ת "פְּנֵי יִצְחָק " 1824-1910

R Ovadia Yosef and Edmund Burke

Isaiah Compares the Assyrian Holocaust to a Biblical Flood

The Flood - Who Won in the End G-d or the Snake? (Parshas Noach)

Is על הצדיקים a ברכה composed AFTER the preceding paragraph ( ולמלשינים )? Why the גירי הצדק?

The Texts Debated at the Medieval Disputations Between Christians & Jews from Isaiah 42

Parshas Bereishis: Is It the Snake or the Yetzer Hara?

Hoshana Rabbah 1946 (0ctober 16, 1946) When They Hanged the Nazi War Criminals

Hoshana Rabbah’s Historical Development

The shaking of the lulav in six directions. What does it mean?

Isaac Leeser, Rabbi Rice, and the Esrogim Controversy of 1847 - A Slice of American Jewish History

The קְטֹרֶת vs. the אַרְבָּעָה מִינִים: Two Different Models of Jewish אַחְדוּת

The "sicknesses" that are the subject of בִּרְכַּת "רְפָאֵנוּ" בִּשְׁמוֹנֶה עֶשְׂרֵה

The Intermediate Days Between Yom Kippur and Sukkos in Light of Parshas Haazinu - An Analysis

Sukkos - Two Different Experiences: The Communally Shared? Or the Individual Family History?

Haftarah Haazinu: Isaiah "Calls Out" the Repugnant "Frum-Capitalist Fast".

Parshas Haazinu: Did receiveing the Torah leave Moshe physically and psychologically spent?

Jewish Disunity: Do We Mourn it or Just Accept it Like the Air?

The Difference Between Yom Kippur in the Biblical Era, and Afterwards

Hashiveinu HaShem- A Mystical Prayer, or a Rational One?

Parshas VaYelech: G-d Tells Moshe It Will All Fall Apart After He Dies

Three Women and the Prayers on Rosh Hashanah

Isaiah's Graphic Metaphors of the Messianic Era (Haftarah Nitzavim)

Parshas Nitzavim: What Exactly are the נִסְתָּרוֹת וְהַנִּגְלוֹת? The Approach of Gersonides

Psalm 27 (לְדָוִד הַשֵּׁם אוֹרִי) as a Mystical Plea for Ecstatic רוּחָנִיּוּת

Was Shofar Blowing Moved to Before Mussaf to Accommodate the Marannos?

The British Empire: R’ Katz Analyzes its Rapid Rise and Rapid Fall in Relation to Klal Yisroel

Another Tale from Old Baltimore: Henry P. Cohn and the " Yaldei Teheran" Scandal (1943)

Before Elizabeth II: The Most Famous Eulogy for a Queen in Rabbinic Literature

What Will be the Role of the Gentiles in the Messianic Era? (Haftarah Ki Savo)

The Real Reason G-d, Not the Jews, Buried Moses

Wanting to Repent but Addicted to a Sin - The Curved Shofar

Nathan Adler Sr. and Rabbi Shimon Schwab: A Baltimore Story

Is the Davening on the High Holidays Communal or Individualistic?

Isaiah Discusses the SHAME of Galus (Haftarah Ki-Seitzei)

Luzzatto's מַאֲמָר עַל הָאַגָּדוֹת: Knowing the Decoding "Grid"

How Could the Jews Back a בֵּן סוֹרֵר וּמוֹרֶה ( Absalom) as King? (Parshas Ki Seitzei)

The Very Unusual History of Prusbul: According to the Historical Reconstruction of Rabbeinu Tam

Isaac Leeser (1806-1868): A Noble but Tragic Figure in American Orthodox Judaism in the 19th Century

The Oldest (?) paragraph of the Shmoneh Esrei: הָשִׁיבָה שׁוֹפְטֵינוּ כְּבָרִאשׁוֹנָה

Thoughts About Russia and the Jews - Occasioned by the Death of Gorbachev

The Machzor Bnai Roma: One of the Oldest נֻסְחָאוֹת , Now in Danger

The Role of the Gentiles in the Messianic Process (Haftarah Shoftim)

Parshas Shoftim: The Strange Attraction Egypt Exercises on Jews

R' Zundel Salant: The Hero of R' Yisroel Salanter & the Mussarists, a Highly-Original Person

Jewish Courts in Christian Europe: The Age of the Rishonim

The Takanos of Frankfurt of 1603 and the Mesirah That Almost Led to Disaster

R Yosef Albo (1380-1444): His Sefer HaIkarim is Among the Most Popular Books of Religious Philosophy

No מַחְלֹקֶת When You are Taught Directly by G-d

The Debate re: בָּנִים אַתֶּם לַיי in the Context of a Dysfunctional Family

The Great Mussarist R' Aharon Yosef Bakst: An Episode (and Conflicting Versions of It)

"V'Kabtzeinu Yachad-" How Exactly is That Supposed to Play Out?

Isaiah the "Novardoker"

Who was the Leader the Jews Chose to Lead Them Back to Egypt in the Last Year of Moses' Life?

Praying for Help with Depression: The עִנּוּי in רְאֵה בְּעָנְיֵנוּ

Rav Hirschprung's Realistic Holocaust Memoir

Jewish Courts in the Islamic World: The Problem of the Impenetrable

The Meaning of the גְּאֻלָּה in בִּרְכַּת "רְאֵה נָא בְּעָנְיֵנוּ"

Why does Isaiah have to COMMAND the Jews to be comforted?

The Attempts of the Tzfas Beis Din of R' Yosef Karo to Exercise the Authority of a Sanhedrin from Afar

What is the Significance of מוּל בֵּית פְּעוֹר as the Place Moses Repeated the 10 Commandments? (Parshas VaEschanan)

Rabbi Katz's schedule on תשעה באב

Tisha B'Av - The Historical Interpretations of יַעֲרוֹת דְּבַשׁ וְהַמֶּשֶׁךְ חֲכָמָה

A Human Tale re: טומאת הכהנים in the 18th Century

Why Did the שְׁכִינָה Depart? Why Do You Think It Will Return With the Way We Act?

R’ Elchanan Wasserman: Aspects of Who He Was

Haftarah Shabbos Chazon: When Exactly was This Prophecy Uttered?

Parshas Devarim: The Strange Story of the Invasion Og's Kingdom

Sefardim and Ashkenazim - Some Thoughts

Jeremiah blasts the Rosh Yeshivas (Haftarah Matos-Maasei)

Parshas Matos-Maasei: The Massacre of the Women and Children

Rabbi Katz's Schedule in Teaneck this Shabbos

A Broad Review of Classic Frum Historiography

The Parts of the שְׁמוֹנֶה עֶשְׂרֵה Dealing With Aspects of a Future Utopia

History of the Jews of Galicia, Pt. 3

The Famous Piyut for This Shabbos, by the Buddy of רגמ"ה, רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן הַגָּדוֹל מִמַּגֶנְצׇה