Legends of the Talmud

Personalities of Sages

Isi Ben Yehuda recounts the praises of several famous sages of the Talmud. Many of his praises are, at first glance, difficult to understand and/or somewhat insulting. Th

Geneiva The Sage

The Talmud describes several decrees made for the benefit of peace, and then finished the fifth chapter of Gittin with yet another story of the argumentative but brillian

The Majority of Torah

Is the majority of Torah in writing or oral tradition? Also: Brief halachic discussion of writing individual verses, and a Chassidic approach to decrees that overturn Tor

A Torah Given In Stages

The debate over whether the Torah was given as a single sealed document or as a series of scrolls, explained with Chassidus

Tisha B'Av: Special Episode (Part 4)

Ein Yakov on the Talmudic section in Gittin (Daf 56-58) that deals with the Destruction of the Temple.

Tisha B'Av: Special Episode (Part 3)

Ein Yakov on the Talmudic section in Gittin (Daf 56-58) that deals with the Destruction of the Temple.

Tisha B'Av: Special Episode (Part 2)

Ein Yakov on the Talmudic section in Gittin (Daf 56-58) that deals with the Destruction of the Temple.

Tisha B'Av: Special Episode (Part 1)

Ein Yakov on the Talmudic section in Gittin (Daf 56-58) that deals with the Destruction of the Temple.

Priests Go First

A discussion of the rights and privileges afforded a Kohen; The Chassidic depth behind the notion that the entire Torah was given because of peace and is synonymous with

Men of Torah and Greatness

Moshe, Rebi, and Rav Ashi are highlighted as the only individuals who had "Torah and Greatness in one place". Today's class discusses why others between these luminaries

End to Sorrow

Our discussion of the Destruction concludes with an assessment of what caused our exile, and a celebration of the redemption that awaits us.

Roman Captives

Two tales of Jewish people kidnapped by Rome around the time of the Destruction of the Second Temple; A mystical perspective on G-d mourning the loss of Yom Tov in the Be

Casualties of Beitar

Estimates of those massacred at Beitar; the beautiful sons of Jerusalem; the schoolchildren's uprising; the importance of holy images; finding blessings in the Torah's Ad

Sheep to the Slaughter

400 children sanctify G-d's name, 7 sons and their mother die defending the truth, as our story of the Destruction continues. Plus, Chassidus on the verse "we are as if s

The Voice of Jacob

We continue the narrative of the Destruction with a reflection on "the voice is the voice of Jacob but the hands are the hands of Esau", a verse that indicates tragedy in

Seething Blood & Enemy Converts

Our tale of woe continues with the tale of more than the 3 million murdered by Nevuzardan during the Destruction of the First Temple. We also encounter the bubbling blood

The Fall of Beitar

The massacre of Beitar, with Hasidic insights into the annual celebration on 15 Av that marks the day that we finally were permitted to bury the victims.

A Most Righteous Village

Three stories extolling the virtue of the holy residents of Kfar Sechanya--and a chilling explanation for their destruction.

City of 360 billion souls

The story of Har HaMelech, a mountain range that contained 600,000 cities each with 600,000 citizens during the reign of King Yannai.

The Fall of Tur Malka

The tragic story of how the metropolis of Tur Malka fell over the simple matter of a rooster and a hen, with Kabbalistic commentary from the Tzemach Tzedek and the Rebbe'