Episodi

  • Minhagei Sefirah — Haircuts, Weddings, and the Missing Shehecheyanu

    Minhagei Sefirah — Haircuts, Weddings, and the Missing Shehecheyanu
    Apr 15 2026
    A shiur for Parshas Tazria-Metzora on the minhagei aveilus of Sefirah, timed to Rosh Chodesh Iyar falling on Erev Shabbos that year. In this episode: - Whether you may take a haircut or shave on Erev Shabbos Rosh Chodesh, and Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky's view on pushing off Kavod Shabbos versus Rebbi Yehudah HaChassid's minhag - Who counts as a "baal bris" allowed to take a haircut during Sefirah — the father, sandek, and mohel, and where a chasan or bar mitzvah boy fits in - Why ladies were never noheg the aveilus of Sefirah to begin with, and where the line is drawn for shidduchim and nivul - A machshava piece on why we don't say Shehecheyanu on Sefiras HaOmer, and the Ran's difficult question about it
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    40 min
  • Sefiras HaOmer — Days, Weeks, and the Ritva's Chiddush That It's One Mitzvah

    Sefiras HaOmer — Days, Weeks, and the Ritva's Chiddush That It's One Mitzvah
    Apr 6 2026
    A Chol HaMoed Pesach shiur on the halachos of Sefiras HaOmer, said the night after the first day of the count. In this episode: - The Ritva's chiddush that counting the days and counting the weeks are really one mitzvah, with the days serving the counting of the weeks toward Shavuos - The Magen Avraham's position that you must understand what you're saying when you count — and why he compares it to Talmud Torah - Whether a katan who becomes bar mitzvah partway through the count can rely on the days he counted before, and what it means to be "masker cheshbono" - What happens if you counted by day instead of by night, or missed a day entirely because of illness or aveilus
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    38 min
  • The Afikoman — Zecher to the Pesach, the Bracha, and the Rambam's Chiddush on Ta'am Bepiv

    The Afikoman — Zecher to the Pesach, the Bracha, and the Rambam's Chiddush on Ta'am Bepiv
    Mar 25 2026
    A Shabbos HaGadol shiur for Parshas Tzav on the halachos of Achilas Afikoman. In this episode: - The machlokes Rashi/Rashbam and the Rosh on whether the afikoman is zecher to the matzah eaten together with the Korban Pesach, or zecher to the Korban Pesach itself — and why that changes whether it carries its own brachah - The Rambam's own shitah, and the Maharal's chiddush that every kezayis of matzah eaten all night fulfills the mitzvah, with the afikoman's specific purpose being to leave ta'am matzah in your mouth - Why the Magen Avraham holds you should eat two kezaysim at the afikoman - What to do if you accidentally ate something after the afikoman, and whether you need to eat matzah again
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    47 min
  • The Ramban on Shabbos and the Months — Melechet Havara, Oneg, and Why We Say "Rishon," Not Names

    The Ramban on Shabbos and the Months — Melechet Havara, Oneg, and Why We Say "Rishon," Not Names
    Mar 11 2026
    A shiur for Parshas Vayakhel-Pekudei and Parshas HaChodesh. In this episode: - The Ramban's difficult mechilta on "lo sevaru eish," and why the possibility that melachos oneg Shabbos might be permitted only makes sense in light of the building of the Mishkan - Why women are chayav in the melachos of Shabbos despite it being a mitzvas asei shehazman grama, and the Ramban's proof from their involvement in building the Mishkan - The two components of Shabbos, kodesh (the issurim) and shabason (the oneg), and the Chasam Sofer's chiddush about someone absorbed in his store all Shabbos being a "mumar l'chlal Shabbos" - The Ramban's explanation for why the Torah calls the months "Rishon, Sheni" rather than using names, and where Nissan, Iyar, and the rest actually come from
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    42 min
  • Kriyas HaMegillah During a Siren — The Miklat, the Hefsek, and When You Must Start Over

    Kriyas HaMegillah During a Siren — The Miklat, the Hefsek, and When You Must Start Over
    Mar 3 2026
    A Purim-eve shiur recorded live in Yerushalayim during rocket sirens, working through the halachos of an interrupted megillah reading. In this episode: - Whether stopping to go to a miklat counts as a hefsek, and how long you can wait before having to restart or repeat the brachah - Whether talking to organize people during the siren invalidates the reading, and what kind of speech is permitted - What to do if the tzibbur scatters and can't reconvene — reading alone, reading part b'al peh, and how much needs to come from a kosher text - The zman for krias hamegillah at night, and heters for those on call (soldiers, doctors) who may only be able to read it early
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    39 min
  • Parshas Zachor — D'Oraisa, the Minyan, and the Chasam Sofer's Kavanah

    Parshas Zachor — D'Oraisa, the Minyan, and the Chasam Sofer's Kavanah
    Feb 25 2026
    A shiur for Parshas Tetzaveh, the Shabbos of Parshas Zachor. In this episode: - Whether the mitzvah of zechiras Michiyas Amalek requires hearing it read from a Sefer Torah with a minyan, and the Terumas HaDeshen's proof that it's d'Oraisa - The Chasam Sofer's practice of having people focus specifically on Michiyas Amalek during the brachos and the krias haTorah - The machlokes between the Rambam and the Ramban on what the mitzvah actually requires — remembering, or bringing yourself to feel eivah - Whether it's better to hear Parshas Zachor or Vayavo Amalek read on Purim, and a personal psak on bringing a Sefer Torah to someone housebound
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    41 min
  • Building a Shul — Kedushas Beis HaMikdash, the Aliyah, and Rav Moshe's Chiddush

    Building a Shul — Kedushas Beis HaMikdash, the Aliyah, and Rav Moshe's Chiddush
    Feb 18 2026
    A shiur for Parshas Trumah on the halachos of building a shul, tied to the mitzvah of "v'asu li mikdash v'shochanti b'socham." In this episode: - Rav Moshe Feinstein's chiddush that every town needs a shul with kedushas beis hamikdash, even after there was a Beis Hamikdash - Whether the space above a shul (an aliyah) carries the same kedusha, and why some batei medrash are built without it - The issur of nitzitzah — taking anything away from a shul without a clear purpose — and whether it applies to a basement shul without kedusha - Whether the ezras nashim carries the same kedusha as the ezras anashim, and what that means for renovations - A haftarah piece on Shlomo Hamelech's relationship with Chiram and the source of his chochmah
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    41 min
  • Making a Siyum — Vayochlu Vayishtu, Who May Attend, and the Ramban's Chiddush

    Making a Siyum — Vayochlu Vayishtu, Who May Attend, and the Ramban's Chiddush
    Feb 11 2026
    A shiur for Parshas Mishpatim on the halachos of making a siyum, tied to the pasuk "vayochlu vayishtu" at the end of the parsha. In this episode: - The Ramban's chiddush that the source for the simcha of a siyum is "vayochlu vayishtu," specifically kevias Torah rather than completing a mitzvah generally - Which sefarim and mesechtos are substantial enough to warrant a siyum - Whether an aveil may attend a siyum, and whether you may make one erev Shabbos - A haftarah piece on Melachim, Yehoyada HaKohen, and repairing the Beis Hamikdash from communal donations
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    40 min