0:00 Introduction and Recap 3:08 Hesped from Rav Menachem Krakowski 5:15 Hesped from His Talmid, Rav Yoseph Rebbe 10:30 Why He Chose to Write on the Rambam 12:25 His Love for the Rambam 14:00 Locating Sources for the Rambam 17:30 The Yerushalmi as a Source for the Rambam 19:17 His Fascination With the Yerushalmi 20:49 The Yerushalmi Kodshim Forgery 21:30 Tosefta, Tanach, Midrash Halacha and Aggadah 23:15 The Rambam's Other Works, Including the Moreh Nevuchim 25:15 The Moreh Nevuchim in Lita, Such as Rav Yehuda Edel 27:28 The Rogatchover 28:55 His Sources: Geonim and Rishonim 29:22 The Rambam and the Ri Migash 30:15 Use of Newly Printed Rishonim 32:30 Rav Mordechai Rabinowitz 34:20 His Uncle 35:30 His Knowledge of Philosophy 36:18 Oneg Yom Tov 38:12 His Daughter and Mental Illness
0:00 Intro 2:15 Geonim — What Is That Time Period? 3:21 R' Saadyah Gaon : His Background & Importance (Brief) 4:10 Acharonim Who Used Rasag 6:02 Siddur Rasag 6:27 Binyamin Moshe Levine and Geonim 7:32 What Do We Know About Rasag? 10:29 Discovery of the Cairo Genizah 16:42 Gaon What Does It Mean? & Recent Literature on Rasag 22:07 Tafsir of Rasag 23:35 Rasag on Chumash 26:52 Mechon Aleh Zayis & Rasag 27:50 Creating a Team to Work on Rasag 30:12 How to Create This Work? 30:34 Friedberg Project 32:15 AI Discoveries & This Project 32:49 Did Rabbenu Chananel Write a Work on Chumash? 34:29 Translating the Material from Arabic 34:50 Description & Method of Producing This New Edition
0:00 Introduction: The challenge of making the Menorah 4:20 Bibliography on the Menorah 6:04 Gemara & Beraisa D'Meleches HaMishkan 8:27 Piyutei Yannai & the Menorah 9:37 Visual depictions in early printed seforim 12:02 Did Rashi & the Rambam draw pictures? 19:00 R' Avigdor Nebenzahl on the Rambam's image 19:25 The Arch of Titus 21:54 Feet of the Menorah & Midrash Tadshe 27:12 Was there a step before the Menorah? — Shiltei HaGiborim 27:50 Making a mock model of the Mishkan — Shulchan Aruch, Maharik 30:20 Schach — Shu"t R' Chaim Kohen, Chida 34:56 Menorah on the shaar of seforim 35:41 Menorah as decoration in shuls 36:03 Segulah of the Menorah & the Maharshal 38:33 Shiviti luach 40:44 Reason behind the Menorah — Moreh & R' Shmuel Ibn Tibbon 42:34 Toras HaOlah of the Rama 45:00 The expression "Kaftor VaFerach" 45:50 Where is the Menorah today?
1:33 Recap 6:37 Shibolei HaLeket 14:30 Rav Hai Gaon and shofar 17:45 Two ways to wear tefillin 22:33 R Aviad Sar Sholom and kabbalah 26:33 Rambam Migdal Oz Chachmei Lunel 32:46 Maharil 34:49 Kever Yechezkel 35:37 Shoel UMeishiv 37:20 Besamim Rosh 39:05 Two Eshkols Shimusha Rabbah 40:08 Arizal 42:10 Rama MiPano 45:30 R Shmuel Shar Aryeh 47:28 Yosef Ometz 49:34 Wearing Rashi and Rabbeinu Tam together 52:20 R Nosson Adler controversy 53:18 Chassidim and Misnagdim 54:20 R Efraim Zalman Margolios controversy 55:50 Gra and Rabbeinu Tam tefillin 57:10 R Shlomo Zalman Auerbach and R Dovid Baran 57:45 R Chaim Berlin and R Shlomo Dubnov 58:38 Keren Orah and Aderes
1:35 Introduction 2:36 Sefer HaYashar and R’ Avraham ben HaGra 7:02 The Ramban on Sefer HaYashar 9:20 Torah Shelemah of R’ Menachem Kasher and R’ Chaim 11:00 R’ Shlomo Buber 11:56 Why This Topic Matters 13:07 Names According to R’ Chaim 16:20 R’ Moshe Feinstein’s Haskamah on Works About Names 17:47 Tzavaas R’ Yehudah HaChassid 27:50 The Name Noach 29:14 Naming After a Rasha 33:26 Quoting from Problematic Seforim 37:20 Naming After Figures Mentioned Before Avraham Avinu in the Chumash 39:50 Naming a Man After a Woman and Vice Versa 44:07 Pronunciation of the Name Yissachar 46:20 Naming After One’s Father and Bar Kappara
0:00 Introduction 2:45 Gra and the word Get in Gittin 15:00 Midrash Rabah and R' Chaim’s notes 17:52 Sefer HaYashar on Chumash 18:25 LeMechseh Ateik 25:35 Ben Sira 26:15 Sources for his Midrash knowledge and the value of learning Midrash 27:23 Yalkut Shimoni 28:28 R' Menachem de Lonzano 29:30 R' Avraham ben HaGra 33:10 Aharon Yellnick 33:35 R' Shlomo Buber 36:26 R' Eliezer Grenhaus 36:55 R' Shlomo Wertheimer 37:20 R' Menachem Kasher 37:55 Otzar Midrashim of R' Eisenstein 41:07 R' Yehudah Leib ben David and using problematic Midrashim 44:38 Ben Sira 48:19 Sefer HaYashar on Chumash
0:00 – Introduction 4:26 – Ta'ama D'Kra 10:13 – Feedback on the sefer 13:27 – Deeper dive into the sefer 18:18 – The Steipler on Chumash 19:24 – Chumash and the Haskalah 21:02 – R’ Shlomo Kluger learning Tanach 21:35 – R’ Yaakov Kamenetsky 23:43 – Simchas HaNefesh on Tanach 24:20 – Pri Megadim 25:05 – Menucha Kedosha on Tanach 27:54 – Chafetz Chaim & Chumash 28:39 – The Gra and Chumash in his Beis Medrash 33:00 – Targumim 34:49 – Chasser / Malei and Mesorah
In this episode, I share a hesped for R’ Dovid Kamenetsky זצ״ל, a talmid chacham & prolific author. I reflect on my personal connection with him and the lessons we can learn from his life—especially his generosity and devotion to helping others. I also trace his legacy, highlighting his many significant works on the Vilna Gaon and his Beis Medrash, as well as his more recent focus on the life of R’ Chaim Ozer Grodzinski, including his two monumental volumes on the subject. His passing is a profound loss for the Torah world, but his seforim & articles ensure that his voice and teachings will continue to inspire.