Yaakov's Voice

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  1. Learning How to Daven From Nineveh

    Chazal's Preambles to Megillat Esther: Part 8

    Rabbi Moshe Taragin | 17 minutes

    This shiur highlights the significance of Tefilla in the Megilla. The strength of prayer, exemplified by the gathering and fasting of the Jews, is such that prayer can affect Divine will—and therefore choices are crucial. The megilla helps repair the lack of focus on Tefilla in pre-exilic times, and paves the way for a greater centrality of Tefilla in Jewish life.

  2. Rav Lichtenstein on Yaakov's Prudent Restraint

    Rabbi David Silverberg

  3. Yaakov and his Sons: Why Did You Do That?!

    Rabbi David Silverberg

  4. Toldot: Yaakov's Deceptive Words to Yitzhak

    Rabbi Jonathan Snowbell | 20 minutes

    We look at the episode of Yaakov impersonating Esav, and focus on the issue of Yaakov lying.  How could Yaakov lie to his father? We grapple with the problematic nature of a type of comment by Rashi.

    Rashi comments that Yaakov’s words were technically possibly not lying, though he still misled his father. This type of comment is troubling, though. Yaakov is still deceiving his father – and still essentially lying. One could argue that lying is justified in this context, but is the idea of formulating words in a clever manner really better? The problem of lying is about communication with deception. 

  5. R. Yosef Bekhor Shor

    Dr. Avigail Rock

    R. Yosef of Orléans, (northern France) was a 12th-century exegete who has become known through the generation as Ri Bekhor Shor. He was a Tosafist, a student of Rabbeinu Tam, and he was influenced mainly by Rashi’s commentary and the commentaries of Mahari Kara and the Rashbam. Like his predecessors Mahari Kara and Rashbam, he was a member of the peshat school.  It appears that Ri Bekhor Shor forges a path that is a middle way between Rashi and the pursuers of the peshat. These are his major exegetical principles:

    • Ri Bekhor Shor aims to explain the verses without non-biblical information; however, when the derash is appropriate for explaining the peshat and for the general context of verses, or when one may explain it as being in keeping with biblical reality, he will not hesitate to bring a midrash.
    • The Torah does not provide superfluous information. All information provided is in fact essential.
    • Verses should be explained within their specific context, a reverse method to the foreshadowing principle of Rashbam.
    • Verses should be explained based on understanding the state of mind of the human actors.
    • Verses should be explained according to the reality of the biblical era.
    • God directs the world in a natural way as much as possible, and the use made of miracles is the absolute minimum.
    • An expansive and consistent approach to the question of the reasons of mitzvot.
    • In the Peshat vs. Halakha discussion, Ri Bekhor Shor is closer to Rashi’s approach with exception in which he explains the verses according to a Peshat that differs from Halakha.
    • A tendency to counteract Christian interpretations of the Torah.

  6. Parshat Toldot Part 4: Masquerading as Esav

    Rabbi Gad Dishi | 32 minutes

    Chapter 27 describes the episode whereby Yaakov steals Yitzchak’s blessings from Esav. What can we learn from this story? A close examination of the text reveals some additional details to the narrative that can shed some light on its message.  

    Courtesy of www.tanachstudy.com