Structure

Found 19 Search results

1. The Story of Avraham's Servant

   Rabbi Chanoch Waxman | 35 minutes

   The search for a wife for Yitzchak highlights the importance of finding key aspects of Abraham's personality in Rivka. But the narrative also contains repetition and seemingly extraneous details—why? There is an intricate interplay among the structure, content, and subtext (or agenda). This story is a key part of the "forefather" stories, and foreshadows nationhood issues for future generations.

2. The Lord is My Light and My Salvation

   Psalm 27 - L'David Hashem Ori ve-Yishi

   Rabbi Elchanan Samet

   Psalm 27 can be divided into two parts, each part representing opposing points of view. The first half expresses a religious position of absolute trust in God, untainted by doubt while the second half expresses the psalmists anxiety and lack of confidence. Can the mizmor be read as one unified text nonetheless? What is the significance of presenting these two views side by side in one psalm?

3. Eliyahu in Horev (Part 1)

   Structure of the Story

   Rabbi Elchanan Samet

   The chiastic structure in chapter 19 utilizes parallels in language, themes, characters and geography in order to highlight Eliyahu’s revelation at Mount Horev as the central axis of this narrative.

4. Mizmor 1

   Rabbi Avi Baumol

   Mizmor 1 addresses the average person’s challenge of facing the evils of the world. The anti-dote to temptation presented in the Psalm is the desire to keep God’s commandments in the Torah. The humanity of King David is addressed. 

5. Mizmor 40

   Rabbi Avi Baumol

   The first section of Mizmor 40, in which the poet addresses God in third person, is a 'Hymn of Gratitude'. In the second section, the poet addresses God directly with a request for help. In contrast to Mizmor 27, the poet makes his request with a sense of confidence that his prayers will be answered.

6. Mizmorim 146-150

   "Haleluya!" - An analysis of the Last Five Mizmorim

   Rabbi Avi Baumol

   An overview of the Halleluya Mizmorim: Mizmor 146 is an individual praise of God; Mizmor 147 is a public praise touching on God’s great deeds and attention to lowly beings; Mizmor 148 presents a contrasted symmetry between the praise of God of the celestial and earthly beings; Mizmor 149 describes the rejoicing of the devout at the destruction of evil; Mizmor 150 peaks with meta-universal praise of God.

7. Mizmor 99

   Kabalat Shabbat (Part 4)

   Rabbi Avi Baumol

   Mizmor 99 focuses on God’s relationship with the Jewish Nation. The Mizmor is divided into three sections based on the word holiness. Through an analysis of the concept of holiness we can begin to appreciate the reason it acts as the crucial link in this Mizmor.

8. Mizmor 27

   Rabbi Avi Baumol

   Mizmor 27 relates the constant struggle between absolute faith in God and uncertainty due to enemies leaving the poet with a "single" multifaceted request: to bestow upon him the glory of God, in all aspects of his life, to certify that his enemies will no longer detract from his uncompromising faith in his savior.

9. Linguistic Mirroring

   A Harmonious Story, Part I

   Dr. Yael Ziegler

   The structure of Ruth is a chiastic one. Repetition of key words and phrases is one of many linguistic techniques used. Boaz and Ruth's shared trait of kindness stages them as the main characters. Ruth as the initiator and Boaz completing the task come together to create the Davidic dynasty.

10. Ahazya (Part 9)

    The Structure of the Story

    Rabbi Elchanan Samet

    The structure of the story sheds an additional light on the story. The subject of our story is the victory of God's word and the victory of its bearer over the king who has sinned.  However, the real message of the story is the failure of the attempts to harm Eliyahu.  Those who attempt to sabotage the fulfillment of God's word by harming Eliyahu are punished.  In contrast, those who submit to the prophet are not harmed, even though the act of submission would seem to endanger them.  This is true of Ahazya's first set of messengers, as well as applying to the third captain of fifty and his men.

11. The Storm (Part 1)

    Preface

    Rabbi Elchanan Samet

    The story of Eliyahu ascending to the heavens in a storm does not end when Eliyahu ascends, nor when it is conclusive that he is gone. Rather, the unit ends with Elisha retracing Eliyahu’s footsteps, ultimately to Mount Carmel and Shomron. In the same places where Elisha had so recently appeared as the disciple and servant of his great master, he now appears alone, as the prophet who takes the place of the master who is gone. By this act, Elisha is demonstrating unequivocally that he has inherited Eliyahu's role.

12. The Storm (Part 2)

    Structure of the Story

    Rabbi Elchanan Samet

    The chapter divides into two sections: Elisha accompanies Eliyahu to his eventual ascent in a storm to heaven, and Elisha’s assumption of the role as prophet instead of Eliyahu. The description of Eliyahu’s ascent to the heavens is shrouded in many mysterious remarks that need explanation and is built in the three and four model.

13. Introduction to the Book of Yirmiyahu

    Rabbi David Sabato

    The introduction to the study of Sefer Yirmiyahu discusses the introductory verses of the book, including the biographical information provided about the prophet and the background of the time period in which he lived. Also discussed is the place of this book among the other books of the Prophets, and as its structure.

14. The Structure of the Book of Eikha

    Dr. Yael Ziegler

15. Avraham and Lot: Divided by a Pause or a Gaping Chasm?

    Rabbi David Silverberg

16. “From the Depths I Call to You” – Psalm 130

    Part 1

    Rabbi Elchanan Samet

    More often than not, biblical poetry is written in the form of prose and not in poetic form. Nonetheless, in order to understand the content of a psalm, one must determine its poetic structure. Psalm 130 can be divided into 4 stanzas and a concluding line which is both separate and integral to the rest of the psalm. 

17. Tehillim 107 and the Meaning of the Inverted "Nun" of Tanach

    Rabbi Yitzchak Twersky |

    We ask how it is possible to witness spectacular miracles and still end up as Dor HaMidbar. We examine the story of Noah and conclude that what is critical is human choice and action - what we do with what God shows us. Looking at the phenomenon Nun Hafukha (the “upside down Nun”) primarily through Mizmor 107 in Tehillim, we will build a large picture view of what the upside down nuns are, what they are about, what the message is, and why they appear in Tanakh where they do.

18. Parashat HaShavua - Mishpatim

    Rabbi Menachem Leibtag | 37 minutes

    Is the Humash a book of laws? Until now, it has been mostly stories. Parashat Mishpatim is finally a parasha that almost entirely discusses laws. We're going to try to understand that not only does Humash teach us lessons about laws through stories, but that there are a lot of lessons that can be learned from the way that laws are presented. We take a look at the structure and style of Parashat Mishpatim and note that the laws about interactions between man and his fellow man are bracketed by sections of laws about how to serve God, who desires that we follow Avraham's path of justice and righteousness.
     

19. Structure

    Rabbi Dr. Yoel Bin Nun

    At first glance, Parashat Mishpatim appears to be a jumble of laws. In this shiur, we will attempt to uncover its underlying structure.