גילוי נפלא על רצף שבעה עשר בתמוז עד שמחת תורה

 

Tisha B'Av Shiur: The Ramban's Summary of the Book of Iyov (Job)

Tisha b'Av Shiur:

The Ramban's Synopsis 

of the Book of Iyov (Job)

 Tisha B'Av 5786, Jul 23, 2026

part 1 (40 minutes): 4:00 pm EDT

part 2 (40 minutes): 6:30 pm EDT

Zoom links below:

In his Sh'ar HaGmul the Ramban synopsizes the Book of Iyov (Job). We will go through his summary. We will display it on the screen, but you can also download it at https://hebrewbooks.org/65162

I don't think we can do it in one 40 minute Zoom. So we will do it in two parts:

Part 1: 4:00 pm EDT:

https://us04web.zoom.us/j/4552449680?pwd=bkpOMWpJdk1lUDJvUlJZdjhHdVc0Zz09&omn=78928159160

Part 2: 6:30 pm EDT:

https://us04web.zoom.us/j/4552449680?pwd=bkpOMWpJdk1lUDJvUlJZdjhHdVc0Zz09&omn=78425499692

Reading and Studying History on Tisha b'Av (and the Whole Year Round)

A recording for the BHP daily Halachic Whatsapp group https://chat.whatsapp.com/Gz8rrxqRcfy9rMOXRLG6GS

 

Titus and the Gnat, Onkelos and the Seance, Tur Malka's Destruction - Gittin 56b, Uganda Shiur

Uganda Shiur - July 20

Meeting Purpose

To study Gemara stories about the destruction of the Second Temple.

Key Takeaways

• God's Power is Absolute: The story of Titus's death by a gnat illustrates that God's power is not limited to specific domains (e.g., water) but is absolute, using any tool, no matter how small, to overcome the mightiest foes.
• Internal Strife Destroys: The destruction of the Second Temple was caused by sinat chinam (baseless hatred). The Gemara states that any generation in which the Temple is not rebuilt is as if it was destroyed, implying that internal fighting continues to prevent its return.
• Prayer's Power is Universal: Sincere prayer is answered regardless of the petitioner's intent. The Roman emperor's sincere prayer for victory was answered, while the Jew Bar de Roma's complaint against God was punished.
• Land of Israel's Supernatural Quality: The Land of Israel is described as "the land of deer," meaning it expands to accommodate its inhabitants when settled and contracts when empty. This explains how it could support massive populations in the past and continues to do so today.

Topics

The Destruction of the Second Temple

• Cause: The Temple was destroyed due to sinat chinam (baseless hatred) and public shaming among Jews.
• Consequence: The Gemara states that any generation in which the Temple is not rebuilt is as if it was destroyed, implying that internal fighting continues to prevent its return.

Titus's Hubris and Punishment

• Hubris: After destroying the Temple, Titus challenged God's power, believing it was limited to water.
• Divine Punishment: A gnat entered Titus's nostril and gnawed at his brain for 70 years.
  • Temporary Relief: The gnat was silenced by the sound of a blacksmith's hammer.
  • Titus's Reaction: He paid Gentile blacksmiths but told Jewish ones, "It is enough for you that you see your enemy in so much pain."
  • End of Relief: After 30 days, the gnat became accustomed to the sound and resumed its torment.
• Death & Afterlife:
  • Final Act: Titus ordered his body burned and ashes scattered to evade divine judgment.
  • Punishment: In the afterlife, he is subjected to the very fate he tried to escape.

Onkelos's Necromancy

• Context: Onkelos, Titus's nephew, raised three figures from the dead to ask about the afterlife before converting to Judaism.
• Titus's Counsel:
  • Importance: The Jewish people.
  • Conversion Advice: Don't convert; the commandments are too numerous. Instead, fight against them to become a leader, citing the verse "her adversaries have become the chief."
• Balaam's Counsel:
  • Importance: The Jewish people.
  • Conversion Advice: Don't seek their peace or welfare.
  • Punishment: Cooked in boiling for causing Israel to sin with the daughters of Moab.
• Jesus's Counsel:
  • Importance: The Jewish people.
  • Conversion Advice: Yes, seek their welfare. "For anyone who touches them, it is as if they are touching the apple of his eye."
  • Punishment: Boiled in excrement for mocking the words of the sages.

The Fall of King's Mountain

• Catalyst: Roman soldiers stole a rooster and hen from a Jewish wedding procession. The residents attacked the soldiers, triggering a Roman invasion.
• Bar de Roma: A powerful Jewish warrior who could jump a mil (approx. 1.5 km) and killed many Romans.
  • Downfall: He complained to God as a statement of fact ("You have rejected us"), unlike King David, who asked a question. This was punished by a snakebite in an outhouse.
• Final Destruction:
  • Misstep: After the Romans retreated, the Jews held a massive, public celebration.
  • Roman Response: The emperor interpreted this as mockery, returned, and massacred the city's inhabitants for three days and nights.

The Land of Israel's Supernatural Quality

• Exaggerated Numbers: The Gemara uses symbolic numbers (e.g., 600,000 cities) to describe the Land of Israel's past population.
• Reconciliation: The land is "the land of deer," meaning it expands to accommodate its inhabitants when settled and contracts when empty. This explains how it could support massive populations in the past and why it appears smaller today.

• • 
    

 

Torah Im Derech Eretz: Rabbi Dr. Isaac Breuer's Moriah pt 5, Nation vs. Society, History vs. Chronology

Moriah by Rabbi Dr Isaac Breuer - July 19

Meeting Purpose

To analyze Rabbi Dr. Isaac Breuer's philosophy on nature, creation, and history.

Key Takeaways

• Nature (Teva) vs. Creation (Bria): Nature is a deterministic system of cause and effect, while Creation is the realm of freedom and purpose. Humans, as God's partners, can impose purpose on nature, making them both "poor" (subject to nature) and "kings" (wielding free will).
• History vs. Chronology: History is a narrative of human visions and freedom, distinct from mere chronology (a timeline of events). The Jewish people introduced the concept of purposeful history, centered on Rosh Hashanah as a day of memory and judgment.
• The Tower of Babel's Impact: The Tower of Babel was a rebellion of individuals, not nations. Its consequence was the fragmentation of humanity into nations, which then adopted the individualistic goal of "making a name" for themselves.
• The Nation as History's Agent: Since Babel, the nation has become the primary actor in history. Its strength is defined by its civilization and culture, which are the fruition of its societal development.

Topics

Nature (Teva) vs. Creation (Bria)

• Nature (Teva): A deterministic system of cause and effect governed by space and time.
  • Space & Time: Not real entities, but tools for perceiving reality.
  • Principle: The past governs the future; there is no free choice.
• Creation (Bria): The realm of freedom and purpose, where tools serve a purpose (e.g., a hammer for building).
  • God's Will: Absolutely free (subjective) and unconstrained by pre-existing matter (objective).
  • Human Role: Humans are God's partners, using free will to impose purpose on nature.
    • Paradox: Both "poor" (subject to nature's laws) and "kings" (imposing will on nature).

Society, History, and Culture

• Society: Not part of nature; it is a product of human will that imposes order on reality.
  • Active Will: A free will that desires justice, elevating society from nature to creation.
• History vs. Chronology:
  • Chronology: A timeline of events; history without vision.
  • History: A narrative of human visions and freedom, centered on civilization.
• Culture (Tarbus) vs. Civilization (Yeshiva Olam):
  • Civilization: What humans extract from nature by controlling its powers.
  • Culture: What humans put into nature by controlling their own powers (i.e., their visions).
• The Jewish Contribution: The Jewish people introduced the concept of purposeful history, where events are judged against a divine plan. Rosh Hashanah is the annual day of memory and judgment, paralleling the creation's culmination.

The Nation as History's Agent

• The Tower of Babel: A rebellion of individuals, not nations, against God.
• Consequence: Humanity fragmented into nations.
  • Shift: The individualistic goal of "making a name" became nationalized.
• The Nation: The primary actor in history since Babel.
  • Strength: Defined by its civilization and culture, which are the fruition of its societal development.

Rabban Yochan ben Zakkai and Vespasian - Gittin 56a, Uganda Shiur

Rabban Yochan ben Zakkai and Vespasian - Gittin 56a, Uganda Shiur

Meeting Purpose

To study the Gemara's account of the Second Temple's destruction.

Key Takeaways

• Zealots' Self-Destructive Tactics: To force a war, Zealots burned Jerusalem's food stores, causing a famine that killed the wealthy Martha Bat-Betus and rendered money worthless.
• Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai's Escape: The leading sage escaped the city by faking his death, a plan devised with his Zealot-leader nephew, Abba Sikra.
• Strategic Requests to Vespasian: Ben Zakkai secured three favors from the Roman general (sparing Yavneh, the Nasi's dynasty, and Rabbi Tzadok) to ensure Jewish survival, choosing modest requests over a doomed plea to save the Temple.
• Titus's Blasphemous Act: The new Roman general defiled the Holy of Holies, interpreting the curtain's miraculous bleeding as a sign he had "killed God," a moment the Gemara uses to explain divine silence in the face of evil.

Topics

The Zealots' Famine & Its Consequences

• Goal: Force a war against the Romans by creating a desperate situation.
• Method: Burned Jerusalem's food stores (wheat, barley).
• Outcome: A severe famine that killed the wealthy Martha Bat-Betus.
  • Her agent failed to find any flour, even coarse or barley.
  • She died from disgust after stepping on dung, a symbol of her sudden loss of privilege.
  • Alternative Account: She died from disgust after eating a fig from Rabbi Tzadok, whose 40-year fast left him too weak for solid food.
  • Symbolic Act: She threw her gold and silver into the streets, proving money was worthless without food.

Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai's Escape

• Context: The leading sage (peace faction) and his nephew, Abba Sikra (Zealot leader), met in secret.
• Plan: Ben Zakkai would fake his death to escape the city.
  • Method: Pretend illness → place putrid material nearby → have students carry the coffin for burial.
  • Rationale: Only students could carry the coffin; others would notice a living person is lighter than a corpse ("dead weight").
• Execution:
  • Zealot guards at the gate demanded to stab the body to confirm death.
  • Ben Zakkai's students refused, arguing it would disgrace their rabbi and be seen as a Roman propaganda victory.
  • The guards relented, allowing the escape.

Encounter with Vespasian & Strategic Requests

• Prophecy: Ben Zakkai greeted Vespasian as "king," prophesying his future emperorship.
• Vespasian's Analogy: He rejected saving Jerusalem, comparing it to breaking a honey barrel to kill a snake (the Zealots).
• Ben Zakkai's Counter-Analogy (Post-Facto): He should have suggested using tongs to remove the snake, saving the barrel.
  • Gemara's Explanation: God prevented this thought, as the Temple's destruction was part of a divine plan.
• Vespasian's Favor: After becoming emperor, he offered Ben Zakkai a request.
• The Three Requests (Pillars of Post-Destruction Survival):
  1. Yavneh: Spare the city and its sages to rebuild Torah scholarship.
  2. Rabban Gamliel: Spare the Nasi (political leader) and his dynasty to preserve leadership.
  3. Rabbi Tzadok: Provide doctors to heal him.
• Rationale for Modest Requests: To ensure at least some survival, as asking for too much (e.g., sparing the Temple) would likely result in nothing.

Titus's Defilement of the Holy of Holies

• Successor: Vespasian left for Rome, appointing his son Titus to continue the siege.
• Blasphemous Act: Titus entered the Holy of Holies with a prostitute, spread a Torah scroll as a mattress, and cut the curtain with a sword.
• Miracle & Misinterpretation: The curtain bled, a sign of God's mourning. Titus, an idol-worshipper, believed he had "killed God."
• Gemara's Theological Point: God's silence in the face of evil preserves free will.
• Loot: Titus used the curtain as a basket to carry sacred vessels to Rome.
• Arch of Titus: A Roman monument celebrating this victory, featuring a sculpture of the menorah.
  • Jews avoided walking under it until 1948, when Israel's independence symbolized their ultimate survival.

 

Rischa D'Araisa: Season 13 Episode 13: "The Gift of the AI" - Ease of use can cripple intellectual growth and encourage our worst instincts

 I did not participate in this episode.

https://listen.jewishpodcasts.fm/yeshivaofnewark/120320

Rischa D'Araisa: Season 13 Episode 13:

"The Gift of the AI"

- Ease of use can cripple intellectual growth and encourage our worst instincts

Scholars in Residence Information 2026-2027

From Rabbi Yosef Davis of TorahAnytime.com:

R' Yosef Gavriel does many impressive things very very well. He is a Rebbe par excellence, a community leader, an author, mentor, and a true inspiration to those striving to live a true Torah life (to name a few). I have heard first hand from his students at Ohr Somayach Monsey what a tremendous positive impact he has on their lives. He is on the front lines molding and shaping the future of Klal Yisrael.

TorahAnytime.com has had the zechus to record and disseminate his Torah for years to the benefit of thousands of Jews worldwide. He consistently delivers stellar shiurim that jog the mind and leave delicious food for thought. I would highly recommend getting in touch with him for your next speaking engagement or Shabbaton.

We have a large repertoire of topics and programs. 

Baruch Hashem, we have been very well received in many venues, including shuls, communal organizations, and educational institutions, as well as hotel scholar-in-residence events and programs.

Below you will find programs we have done in the past and an expanded list of topics.

Other programs we have run include:

A Shabbaton at  the Mt. Sinai Jewish Center in the Washington Heights neighborhood in Manhattan. My wife discussed the “State of Chinuch in North America,” and “Feminism and the founding of the Bais Yaakov Movement.” I spoke on “The Washington Heights Eruv Controversy,” and gave a drasha on the Shira and “Ta'amu u're'u ki tov Hashem.” 

A Shabbation at Cong. HOJMI in Calgary, Alberta where I spent Friday involved in eruv planning and design. Over Shabbos I discussed “Modern Orthodoxy or Orthodox Modernism,” and “Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch as a Guide for the 21st Century.

An Assortment of Topics that have been addressed in shiurim by Rabbi Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer

Emunah & Hashkafah:	Contemporary & Practical Halachic Issues:
The Age of the Universe	Eruvin in Metropolitan Areas
Evidence and Emunah	The Definition of Death in Halacha
Does Reason Serve Faith or Faith Serve Reason	Organ Transplants
Tradition, History & Belief	Curtailing Treatment of the Terminally Ill
The Authenticity of the Torah	Cholov Yisroel
Bechira Chofshis: How Free are We?	Agunah Problems & Related Issues
Divine Providence	Buying Meat in Non-Jewish Owned Stores
The Unity of G-d	Banking in a Jewish Owned Bank
G-d's Incorporeality	When & What Mechitza is Required by Halacha
Creation Ex Nihilo	May Jews Return to Spain
Worshiping G-d — Nothing Else	Changing Neighborhoods
Prophecy	Halachic Attitudes Towards Secular Studies
The Prophecy of Moshe Rabbeinu	The Use of Microphones in Halacha
The Divine Origin of Torah	Women in Jewish Communal Life
The Torah will not be Abrogated	Gelatin
G-d's Omniscience	Organized Labor & Strikes
Reward & Punishment	Tzedaka & Ma'aser Kesafim
Moshiach: Are These Messianic Times?	Glatt Kosher
Resurrection of the Dead	Sheimos: What are They & How to Dispose of Them
These & Those are the Words of the Living G-d	Headcovering for Women
Our Relationship with Previous Generations	The Great International Dateline Controversy
The Impact of Kabbala on Machashava	Bishul Akum
Sophisticated Chesed	Teaching Torah to Non-Jews
Denominational Attitudes	Yeshivot Hesder in Halacha
Sinners Within & Ahavas Yisroel	AIDS
The Greater They Are, The Greater Their Fall	Cheating on Your Taxes
Chronologies of the 2nd Beis HaMikdosh Period	Kol Isha
Brazenness & Bashfulness	Ashkenazic vs. Sepharadic Pronunciation
Exploring Chutzpa	Suing Your Rabbi for Malpractice
What is True Yiras Shomayim	Copyrights in Halacha
Tefilla & Avodas Hashem Workshops	Autopsies & Biopsies
Truth & Falsehood	Plastic Surgery & Diets
Malachim (Angels): What are They/What do they Do?	Communal Unity
Bein Yisroel L'Amim: Judaism & Christianity	Shabbos Cosmetics
What is Kedusha & How is it Achieved	Cigarette Smoking in Halacha
Torah she'be'al Peh as the Focus	May Women Wear Pants?
Analyzing Agadata	Music in Halacha
Time & Times in Judaism	Conversion
The Leviathan	Laws of Waiting on Line & Priorities in a Waiting Room
Bitachon: Trust in G-d	Teshuva & Kiruv
Para Aduma	Magic & Magicians in Halacha
Kilayim & Sha’atnez	Practical Hilchos Mezuza
Basar Ve'Chalav	Abortion
Kisui HaDam	Halachos of Shabbos Goyim
Pride & Humility	Electric Lights in Halacha
Friendship	Vegetarianism in Halacha
Simchas Chosson V'Kalla	Shabbos Elevators
Ta’amei ha’Mitzvos	Heter Iska
Zav & Zava	Entering Churches & Mosques
Mikveh	Rebuking Wrongdoers
Orlah	Cooking for & on Shabbos & Yom Tov
Aleynu	Entering the Temple Mount
Atah Kadosh	Restoring Avodas HaKorbonos
Atah Bechartanu	Techeles
Eating Jewishly	Extradition
Frankfurt vs. Volozhin	In Vitro Fertilization
G-d Diminished the Moon?	Surrogate Motherhood
Acher: Elisha ben Avuya	Dayanim & Batei Din in Modern Times
The Jewish Concept of Thanksgiving	Semicha & Psak Halacha
Shiluach HaKen	Corporal & Capitol Punishment in Our Times
Hallel	Opening Other People’s Mail
The Prophecy of Bilam	Havdala
Chopping Down Fruit Trees	The Use of Lie Detectors in Halacha
Of Donkeys & Cold	Disturbing the Peace: Exhuming & Relocating Graves
Prophecy: Dreams	From Soup to Nuts: Eating a Meal al pi Halacha
Sippur Yetzias Mitzrayim	Behind Bars with Halacha: Imprisonment
Yomim Tovim	Sale of Weapons by Israel to Foreign Countries
Yomim Noro’im	Reversing Bal Tashchis: Recycling
Chana & Shmuel HaNavi	Close Shaves with Halacha: Electric Razors
Shaul HaMelech	Business Partnerships with a Goy
The Plishtim	Partnerships with Mechalelei Shabbos
Existence	May a Jew Own Stock in a Company that Trades in Treifos?
The Ba'alei Machashava on War	Medicines/Medical Procedures on Shabbos/Yom Tov
Kochi v'Otzem Yadi	Is a Promise Halachically Binding?
Courage & Cowardice	What & Why Rabbinic Ordinances are Binding
Sanctity & Profanity	Brokerage: Shadchanim & Real Estate Agents
Shimshon	What's a Bracha & How Does it Work?
Dovid HaMelech	Rise & Shine: Getting Up in with Halacha
Bar Kochba	Wars & Armies
Gid HaNasheh	May a Jew Become a Professional Football Player & Related Issues
Netzach & Hod	Oh No! You Have a She'eila & no Rabbi to Ask: What do you do?
Talmid Chochom	Is Pasteurized Wine Mevushal?
Din: Judgement	Fetal Reduction & Related Issues
Judaism & Freedom	Stitches on Shabbos
The Name of G-d & the Night of the Seder	Squeezing & Grinding on Shabbos
The Fifth Cup	Redistributing the Wealth: Yissaschar-Zevulun Relationships
Kabbolas Shabbos	Were the Chashmonaim Allowed to Assume the Kingship of Israel?
Rabbi Chanina & Rabbi Yannai	Chopping Pesukim
Shabbos: Six Tehillim & the Days of the Week	Sunrise, Sunset: Halachic Times of Day
Mizmor L'Dovid	Rising Before the Wise & Senior Citizens
Longevity & Immortality	Lifnei Iver
Astrology	Rib'is: Subscribing to Jewish Periodicals?
Male & Female	The First Year of Marriage
Challa	Halachos of Taking Challa from Dough
Tanya for Misnagdim	The Mitzvah of Ma'akeh
Ma'avir Rishon Rishon	Muktzeh
Beyond Seder	Shabbos Clocks
Chumros: Is the Way to Heaven Paved with Them?	Shabbos & Electricity
Judaism & Monarchy	Halacha at 35,000 Feet: Airplane Travel Issues
Netzach Yisroel	Child Abuse
Magen Dovid	Happy Endings: Halachos of Haftaros
Half Hallel	Constructive Justice? Bribing Public Officials
Yerushalayim	Microwave Ovens: Shabbos & Kashrus
Malchus & Shechina	Wills & Testaments: Issues & Resolutions
Havaya”h, Elokim, Tzevako"s, Adnu"s	Office Parties: Yoreh De'ah Issues
Tzimtzum	Social Gatherings: Moshav Leitzim
Beis HaMikdosh: A Neck	A Change of Place: Shinui Makom in Berachos
288 Nitzotzos	The Effects of Inflation on Halacha
The Eyes of G-d	Kedushas Bais HaKenesses
Too Great a Test?	Finders Keepers? Abandoned Objects in Public Places
Sorcery & Sin	Kavod & Kerias Sefer Torah
Amalek & Tomorrow	So What's New? Chodosh!
The Throne of Dovid and Shlomo	Is there a Halachic Basis for Yom HaSho'ah?
Intellect	Dishwashers: Kashrus, Shabbos & Yom Tov
Rosh and Crown	Forcing a Husband to Give a Get
Tzedaka vs. Chesed	Financial Assistance from non-Jews
Tanach vs. Chazal	Da'as Torah in Halachic & Non-Halachic Areas
Transitions & Chana's Song	Shabbos Babycare: Baby Wipes & Disposable Diapers
Kaf HaKela: The Catapult	Reuven or Robert? English Names for Jewish People
Gehinnom & Reward	Good Intentions: Kavana for the Beginning of Shma
Beards	Animal Experimentation & Tza'ar Ba'alei Chaim
Keruvim	Pop-Top Halacha: Opening Various Food Containers