In this shiur we used the machloket between the Ba’al ha-Maor and the Ramban to set up two different approaches to the debate of Chananya and the Chachamim - not only in terms of bottom line psak, but also how we are meant to understand Chananya. Read More »

This is an introduction to Rav Wolbe’s commentary on the berach of she-lo asani isha.  This beracha has caused a great deal of discomfort among both women and men.  In this shiur we analyzed the text as it appears in the Tosefta, Bavli, Yerushalmi and Otzar ha-Midrashim. Read More »

The second significant toldah of Dash is sechita.  Its application to fruits and vegetables occupies an extensive sugya in the beginning of the twenty second chapter, from 143b until the next mishna, 145b.  Here is the sugya itself (link ).  Our first challenge was to distinguish grapes and olives from all other food products. Read More »

One of the most practical toldot of Dash of choleiv (milking) – at least according to most rishonim.  Defining the exact parameters of the prohibition of milking is not simple.  We begin with a machloket tannaim as to whether or not this is a Torah prohibition at all. Read More »

In this shiur we dealt with some of the basic definitional questions as to what the melacha of Dash actually means.  We began with an analysis of the opening berayta on the topic as it appears on Shabbat 73b: תנא: הדש והמנפץ והמנפט – כולן מלאכה אחת הן We dealt with a basic machloket between Rashi and Tosafot on how to read this line. Read More »

In the first va’ad Rav Wolbe sets up the importance of a moment of silence before prayer.  Simply sitting still and focusing on your thoughts for about a minute can truly transform your experience of tefilfa.  I know from my own experience how powerful this can be as a tool of meditation. Read More »

In this chapter Rav Wolbe sets up a core paradox regarding prayer.  What does it mean to ask for something from God?  Doesn’t hashem already know what I need?  Rav Wolbe expands this into a broader issue from the world of Mussar.  He opens up the issue of causality as a fundamental contradiction to the notion of divine providence. Read More »

Here Rav Wolbe introduces us to the need for passion in prayer.  He reminds us that ultimate goal of prayer is to connect to the Master of the World.  He outlines his goals as focused on giving us the skeleton of prayer so that we can create our own understanding. Read More »

In this session we concluded Rav Wolbe’s introduction to the Va’adim on Tefilah. He explains that his goal in these shiurim is not to explain the various component parts of tefilah and their meaning.  Rather, Rav Wolbe’s goal is to give over a method and approach to prayer that we can then apply ourselves. Read More »

In this shiur we worked through some of the basic sugyot dealing with the elusive and some times slippery concept of melacha she-eina tzricha l’gufa. We began with a process of triage in an attempt to drill down to a sugya that isolates our concept.  We noted that in a sugya in which the debate between R. Yehuda and R. Read More »

The following shiurim represent the development of the ideas of eino mitkavei, psik reisha and lo nicha lei.  We began first outside of the area of Hilkhot Shabbat to show the force of intent (Nazir, Kilayim). Read More »

In this shiur we dealt with the famous debate of Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel regarding the nature of the appropriate hidur for the lighting of the candles.  We showed how the debate of Tosafot and Rambam can be read into the berayta itself. Read More »

In this shiur we worked through the sources that describe the location of the Hannukah candles – how high? how low? left or right?  This occasioned the citation of one of the few mishnayot that make passing mention of Hannukah. Read More »

This is the final installation of the series on Avot and Toldot.  In this shiur we brought together the various sources that attempt to find a source for the number 39.  We note that clear that the content of the 39 is clearly based on a mesora of the Oral Law.  However, the number 39 itself may come from careful Rabbinic commentary. Read More »

In our continuing series on Masechet Shabbat we began to bring together some of the bigger issues as it relates to Av / Tolda / Mishkan.  Rav Gustman, in a brilliant essay on Bava Kama, summarizes beautifully the three approaches to Mishkan and Importance (chashivut). Read More »

These two shiurim dealt with a series of mekorot that are very important in understanding the intimacy of the encounter that we will find in the tefilah of volume two of the Alei Shur.  Here we are introduced to the notion that we are simply not permitted to say words unless they were formulated by the Rabbis. Read More »

This was the concluding section of the Alei Shur vol 1 on Tefila.  He sets up the notion of different pathways into prayer and the need for each of us to find the “way in” that works for us. Alei Shur – Pathways to Prayer . Read More »

This was the opening shiur on Masechet Shabbat being given at the Mann home on behalf of the HIR. In this shiur we dealt with the complicated topic of categories in Halakha (and law in general).  The Mishna in Keritut (3: 9) as well as the opening sugya in Bava Kama were used as background the first mishna in Clal Gadol (ch. 7 of Shabbat, pg. 73b). Read More »

In this shiur we analyzed the nature of the prohibition of playing musical instruments on shabbat (here is a link to those mekorot) in order to better understand a surprising leniency of the Raavya (quoted in the Tur) permitting people to arrange for non-Jew to play music at a seudat nissuin on Friday night. Read More »

This shiur functions as the background for the next Alei Shur shiur.  It also stands by itself as a foundational set of texts and ideas relating to Rosh ha-Shanna.  The gemara contains a basic contradiction regarding the nature of the judgment that takes place at this time of the year. Read More »