Jewish History With Rabbi Dovid Katz

Although an "old-fashioned" sefer, it had surprisingly modern features, which reflect the 18th century Englightenment Movement

Differentiate between the prayers composed by חז"ל, and those composed by the great פַּיְטָנִים

First you talk about angels surrounding the Heavenly Throne, but then you ringingly assert !שְׁמַע יִשְׂרָאֵל ה' אֱלֹהֵינוּ ה' אֶחָד

Both Moshe and Yisro probably thought Moshe's oath was binding. But after the miracles of Egypt, both men saw the oath had been without validity, indeed even sense

What does the prophet mean when he describes himself as an אִישׁ טְמֵא שְׂפָתַיִם?

Did Yisro return to Midian and resume his job as High Priest of Paganism (for parnassah, of course!)?

The 1516 and 1522 editions complied and explained by the famous father and son team רַבִּי יַעֲקֹב בֶּן חָבִיב and רַבִּי לֵוִי בֶּן חָבִיב ))(מהרלב"ח. Which had a profound impact on subsequent Jewish history.

R Chaim was opposing the election of "Conservative Rabbi" חַיִּים נָחוּם, fearing he would spread הַשְׂכָּלָה וְקַלּוּת בְּמִצְווֹת among the Sephardic masses

The אֱמוּנָה פְּשׁוּטָה of some of the עֵדוֹת הַמִּזְרָח re: אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל, even when they misinterpreted rabbinic dicta

Sponsored by Meshulem Epstein " Whose grandmother came in the early  1900s from Ukraine. Her mother ran a dry goods and her father was the mashgiach for milk production. The farm was right in Brownsville NY! She was of the generation to whom the Ribbono shel Olam was real and present.A "tehillim-zugger big time.A smile and a kind word for everyone.She volunteered at the fledgling mesivta Chaim Berlin where Meshulem's father learned.

Ramchal ascribes the most incredible and supernatural, indeed cosmic, significance to the Padua Eruv set up by R Yeshaya

תַּרְגּוּם יוֹנָתָן בֶּן עֻזִּיאֵל describes her as a talmid chacham

Published in the Turkish Empire in the 1500s by the famous Soncino Family, including a controversial colophon re: a fght between the Soncinos and the anisemitic Catholic "Billy Graham" - Friar John of Capistrano

Israel will be mauled (but will recover), Egypt & Co. will be destroyed and will not recover

Given 1/28

Genazym auction in Sunday Feb. 16, 2025 The eternal struggle against excessive spending on simchas

תְּפִלָּה לְמֹשֶׁה אִישׁ הָאֱלֹהִים Moshe, the one who mastered (איש) the מִדַּת הַדִּין

Why does G-d warn Moses about the בן נכר before they even left Egypt? Was this part of his disagreement re: the עֵרוּב רַב?

Why did the Jews always allow themselves to get "played" by the cynical Egyptians?

The extraordinary transformation of Joseph in Egypt, foreshadowing the later Exodus. And Divine frustration at the obtuseness of the liberated