Dr. Yonatan Feintuch

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1. The Ladder and the Well - Yaakov's Journey to Haran

   Dr. Yonatan Feintuch | 53 minutes

   The book of Bereishit tells of Yaakov's journey to Haran. In chapters 27-28 we learn about the different motivations that drove Jacob to Haran, which may be regarded as two different aspects of the same journey. However, literary analysis of the chapters reveals a fascinating literary interplay between events that supposedly belong to separate aspects of the journey. This shiur compares and contrasts these aspects of Yaakov's journey and examines the interaction between them.  These chapters have a broad impact on the  way in which the Torah tries to paint the life, character and destiny of Yaakov.

2. From Inside to Outside: Yom Kippur and Sukkot

   Dr. Yonatan Feintuch

   Sukkot follows almost immediately after Yom Kippur and both share in the atmosphere of Tishrei – one of soul-searching, gazing at the year gone by, atonement, and looking towards the future. Still, as we know, these festivals are very different in essence, mood, and in the laws that characterize them.

   In this article I suggest that the two holidays sit at opposite poles of single continuum: one that stretches from inwardness to outwardness.

3. The Lord killeth and maketh alive" (1Sam. 2) – A Rabbinic Reading of a Biblical Text

   Dr. Yonatan Feintuch | 58 minutes

   This shiur deals with the relationship between midrash and pshat (the simple reading of biblical verses). It addresses the question whether midrashic narratives that do not appear to have a textual basis in the biblical narrative, are rabbinic ideas that are artificially attached to the biblical text, or are actually an alternative, sophisticated reading of various implicit elements that exist in the text itself . The large part of the shiur will address these questions specifically through the lens of a brief midrashic narrative, which describes the biblical character of Channa (Shmuel's mother) as praying on behalf of the sect of Korach, and elevating them from the netherworld where they sank after their rebellion against Moshe.