Audio RoundupLatest Essays
Audio Roundup 2025:38
by Joel Rich
S”A O”C 131:4 states “nahagu shelo lipol al pneichem … bbeit hachatan.” Does nahagu imply amcha did this and the rabbis didn’t resist? Even though tachanun was a rshut (maybe not now) why would one want not to take advantage to say it? also, why the focus on bet hachatan (like bet haavel) and not just in his presence? Is there a higher degree of joy there?
Do we believe that moshe rabbeinu and/or shlomo hamelech did not know how to calculate when the new moon would appear (as Hillel II established)?
- R’ Yisroel Reisman – Shoftim: Perek 16, Pasuk 18 Biography of the ran in the drashot he explains that the purpose of punishment bolam hazeh is to help us have our seichel triumph over our taavot. Unfortunately most people go right back to their old ways after a “punishment” (like covid).
- R’ Zev Smith-Saying Only Part of a Pasuk The gemara says we can’t split any pasuk that moshe rabbeinu didn’t split so how come we do it frequently? Quite a few different explanations provided (me-you know what that means) involving tfila is different only forbidden by torah psukim, tzachut halashon (is OK) and a number more. Specific applications discussed (eg kiddush, hagbah).
- Rabbi Roy Feldman-The Purpose of Havdalah Does havdala end shabbat or does it declare the new week? Nakfa minas discussed.
- Rabbi Ezra Schwartz-Amira L’Nochri Bein Hashemashos Is bein hashmashot a time that we can’t tell if it’s day or night (but it is one or the other) or is it a time which has elements of both day and night. How would this question impact amira lakum during that time period?
- Rabbi Hershel Schachter-Elul Shiur and Q&A at Stern Begins with a shiur on yamim noraim and sukkot topics. Q&A includes: taking on chumrot (only at your level), shofar in elul (only with tfila), slichot without a minyan (what to say)¸texting everyone you know for mechila (silly), why YU is special (mesora), tzedakah (give a lot), vacation (Israel!), keep a relationship with eretz yisrael, women’s tashlumin for mincha (yes), stand for chazarat hashatz (yes) and how to understand HKBH.
- Rabbi Itamar Rosensweig-Shadal’s Dialogue on Kabbalah: A Discussion with J.J. Kimche Shadal laid out a dialog giving both sides of the Zohar authenticity (which is not the same as kabala) debate. How do we look at the rationalist vs kabbalist approaches?
- Rabbi Moshe Shulman- Yonah, Moshe & Eliyahu VS God!?! (Part 1): Yonah VS God The conflict between yonah and HKBH was triggered by yona not being able to accept his mission based on his valuing “emet”. Eliyahu was the same story. TBC
- Rabbi Ike Sultan-Bet Yosef YD 109:1 Consuming a mixture of bitul at once Brief review of rules of bitul and application to R HS’s position concerning drinking milk today (don’t).
- Rabbi Dr. Nachum Amsel-(90) The Impact of a Teacher in Judaism Teachers are very important in Judaism and very underpaid!
- Rabbi Eric Grossman-Kohelet (Part 1): Introduction to Kohelet: Creation Deconstructed Introduction to Kohelet – what is the meaning of the name? The theme of the book is how do we deal with the here today gone tomorrow nature of our existence (fear of mortality)? There are parallels to the seven days of creation but that’s all tov (from HKBH’s view) whereas Kohelet isn’t so (we don’t see the whole picture).
- Rabbi Shay Schachter-Shabbos: Synthesizing The Dual Dreams of Spiritual Aspiration and Material Success Yosef hatzadik is a paradigm for balancing spirituality and materialism.
- Rabbi Hershel Schachter-Kesuvos Shiur#6 – Inyanei Yuchsin and Mamzierus, Artificial Insemination, Abizriyhu DiGilui Arayos (3b) Once you get the basics of yuchsin (eg status of a ger, intermarriage) you have the basics for how we regard children resulting from a number of fertility treatments (eg artificial insemination).
- Rabbi Jonathan Ziring-Why Do We Study Halachot of the Future? The torah has something to say to jews and to all of mankind in every time and place. We need to get ahead of the halachic curve on new technologies.
- Dr. Tanya White – “The Legacy of Rabbi Sacks” R j sachs greatest contribution was seeing that universalism and particularism (torah uchochma) is not a dialectic (me there is some debate about R ybs’s position).
- Rabbi Jonathan Ziring-VeHalachta BeDerachav (1) – Framing Virtue Ethics Start of a series on ethics. Starts with the rambam’s virtue ethics = imitato dei!
- Rabbi Jonathan Ziring-The Goal of Punishment in the Torah Punishment can have many goals (eg retribution deterrence, containment, vengeance). Where does kapara fit in?
- Rabbi Jonathan Ziring-Horayot 5: Defining Psak (1) The study of par heelem davar requires a definition of a formal psak. What is triggered by such a ruling?
- Dov Adler-Me or my Child? Generational Punishment and Forgiveness Introduction to how we might understand one individual suffering for another.
- Rabbi Netanel Wiederblank-Nefesh Hachaim Sha’ar 1 Chapters 1-2 How and when can we view svara as a halachic force? It’s not an independent-of-halacha ethic. R wiederblank doesn’t see the ben sorer umoreh gemara as the rabbis writing the case out of practical existence.
- Rabbi Aryeh Lebowitz-Answering YUr Shailos 2.7 Q&A including: daven in shul (even yichidut), refusing to be the tenth in a minyan (avoid), five top sfarim (it’s complex), addressing your for rebbi in third person (doesn’t flow in English), regretting past decisions (yes but don’t be crippled), disappointments about moshiach not coming (still believe), non-jewish/non-frum music? (rhs very against), don’t speak negative about israel, gambling (no!) and, how do deal with secular college (ask someone who has done it).
- Rabbi Itamar Rosensweig-יסודות נישואין: לא טוב היות האדם לבדו Marriage is about personal loneliness and existential companionship. It’s more than a turbo-charged friendship.
- Rabbi Yoni Mandelstam-Hashavas Aveida and Teshuva: Choosing What to See Hashavat aveidah issues require defining when an object is considered lost and does it have a value in a place where one might give up hope. It’s complex!
- Harav Doniel Neustadt Shlita – Workplace Kashrus Concerns – With open Q&A Hashkafa in the Workplace Labor Day ’25 S3 Basar shenitalem min haayin generally doesn’t apply today but basar shenishlach does if there’s a benefit to the non-jew. Specific applications discussed.
- Rabbi Netanel Wiederblank-Nefesh Hachaim Sha’ar 1 Chapters 1-2 Nefesh hachayim introduction. What’s pshat in tzelem elokim and why must HKBH’s will be constant for the world to exist?
- Rabbi Aryeh Lebowitz-Answering YUr Shailos 2.6 Q&A including: covering kids eyes with tallit during duchening (yes), eating with tefillin on (certainly not keva), renting a pool to a non-jew on shabbat (no), secular books on shabbat (may be Ok for enjoyment), taking picture touching costumed person of undetermined sex (maybe OK), kiddush in front of erva (probably can arrange to be OK), listen to shiur in shower (generally OK), take notes to maximize retention, defining talmid chachamim today (depends on context), and josephus vs chazal (ask experts).
- Rabbi Aryeh Lebowitz-From The Rabbi’s Desk – Donuts Fit for a god Donuts made by a manufacturer with devotion to an idol, when are the donuts technically considered a tikrovet avodah zara (and even if not, when do they fail the smell test)? Some hashgachas are better than others (especially one-man operations).
- R’ Shmuel Fuerst-Interesting Questions to the Rav: shomer for chosson/kallah, steel wool Shabbos, early Shabbos, women eating Shabbos morning, denting a car, chazaras hashatz, onen, talis for burial Unless noted otherwise most responses are “it’s a machloket”. Q&A includes: when do shmira requirements for a chatan start? Using steel wool on shabbat, make early shabbat, paying for hezek to a non-jew, bentching kids (two hands, sitting), using food for art project (minhag is to be lenient), is keeping small change considered ribbit (work arounds), and until when is to fast on Friday yahrtzeits.
- Rabbi Ike Sultan-Tosafot: Different Editors of Tosafot Discussion of the relationships of the various baalei tosfot. Those who edited the tsofot had different approaches to editing described here. An example of editing provided.
- Raggi TH Weinreb-tfila R ybs was intellectual and emotional and used personal experience as an important part of his communications tool kit. Includes insights into r chaim, the netziv and the torah tmima. What are the differences between chochma, bina and daat? What does r chaim’s kever actually say on it?
Please direct any informal comments to [email protected].
It is highly unlikely that Moshe or Shlomo knew how to calculate as we began to do in Tannaic, Amoraic and Geonic periods. Saadyah Gaon’s claim to the contrary is largely believed (Rambam and Ramban) to be an attempt to dispute the position of the Karaites. Saadyah’s proofs are used by modern bible critics to prove a calendar like that of the Saducees in earlier times.
The earliest evidence of an attempt to calculate the average lunation, and a rather poor one, dates back to the first temple period. The Metonic cycle was first articulated in the 5th century BCE.