curse

Found 11 Search results

1. Noah in the Garden of Eden

   Rabbi Alex Israel | 38 minutes

   Parashat Noah is famous for the flood story, but this shiur focuses on the final story of Noah: the strange story of his drunkenness. Why did Noah deliberately plant a vineyard? Comparing this story with other stories bearing similar thematic and linguistic elements, such as the Garden of Eden, allows us to gain insight into Noah’s state of mind and character. 

2. Ramban on Parshat Ki Tavo

   Rabbi Ezra Bick | 30 minutes

   Parashat Ki Tavo features a ceremony with the list of curses at Mount Gerizim and Eival.  Ramban seeks to explain the meaning of “yakim” in the final statement in the list which exhorts the people to “establish” the words of the Torah, to do them. Rashi sees “yakim” here to mean “fulfill”—Bnei Yisrael must accept the entire Torah to fulfil it. Ramban, however, views that as superfluous: Bnei Yisrael had already accepted the Torah at Sinai! Rather, the exhortation here is to acknowledge the mitzvoth in one’s heart and accept them as true in one’s own eyes, and to accept the concept of reward and punishment. Ramban brings other interpretations of the word "yakim", and we find a beautiful expression of the internal "upholding" in the Hagbah ritual as part of the synagogue Torah reading ritual today.

3. How does one Establish the Words of the Torah?

   HaTanakh.com Staff

4. Of Concealed and Revealed

   Rabbi Chanoch Waxman |

   Verse 28, the final verse of Chapter 29 in Devarim states that "that which is concealed is for God, and that which is revealed is for us and for our children – to follow the words of the Torah." What is meant by “concealed things”? What are revealed? To untangle this perplexing verse, we examine the wider context in which it appears: The people are gathered to be brought into a “covenant and a curse” before entering the Land of Israel. The curses mentioned within beg for a comparison with the curses to be recited at Mount Eival (Eibal), as well as to the story of Akhan in the Book of Yehoshua. We are then able to uncover fundamental notions of corporate responsibility and partnership in Parashat Nitzavim.

5. The Curse of Concealed Sins

   Rabbi Chanoch Waxman

6. The Eternal Curse of Eli the Kohen Gadol of Shiloh

   Rabbi Daniel Wolf

   תאריך פרסום: תשע"ה | | 51 minutes

   Eli, the Kohen Gadol who accuses Channah of drunkenness in the sanctuary and, after realizing his mistake, blesses her – is later told in two different, lengthy accounts that he and his line will be cursed. Why is Eli punished so severely by God – with a curse that seems unprecedented?

   We examine the difficulties that come up in the narrative about Eli and, with assistance from a salient reference in the Book of Yirmiyahu, discover that Eli’s erroneous philosophy is the belief in an immoral, capricious god whose sole desire is to be satiated with sacrificial meat. Unlike Shmuel and Channah, who see sacrifices as symbolic and to be accompanied by tefilla and teshuva, Eli and his sons believe that sacrifices are real acts and are given to appease God.

    The Tanakh’s emphasis on the curse sends a message telling us how worship of God is meant to be carried out; that God does want us to carry out rituals, but ritual is meant to be imbibed with devotion, kedusha and morality.

7. Those Who Curse Avraham

   Rabbi David Silverberg

8. Cursing the Cursers or Showing Them the Light?

   Reuven Weiser

9. Ki Tavo - Curses

   Rabbi Jonathan Snowbell | 20 minutes

   Parashat Ki Tavo contains part of the Tokhekha (the Rebuke and warning of retribution of Bnei Yisrael do not keep the Torah). We also read of the blessings and curses at Mount Gerizim and Eival. Though mitzvot come with potential for reward, there is also the idea of punishment. The rebuke and recital of the curses at Mount Eival remind us that the covenant demands commitment - through easy and through difficult times. 

    

    

10. The Blasphemer (Bamidbar 15): The Emergence of a Jewish Humanism

    Rabbi Dr. Daniel Tropper

    תאריך פרסום: 5777 | | Hour

    Why is the blasphemer given the death penalty? How are the laws against murder and cursing God or parents  related? In this shiur, we explore an insight of Rav Soloveitchik ztz"l. We begin with a Halakhic introduction that serves as background for our study, and then we move on to analyze the biblical text, identifying chiastic structure and other features. 

11. Noach: Why Did God Destroy the World?

    Rabbi David Fohrman |

    When Noach is named, his father Lamech claims that he will provide relief for humankind - and less than 10 verses later, God decides to destroy the world. By comparing textual parallels of the two events, Rabbi Fohrman helps us understand Lamech's mistake, and how to better relate to God today.

     

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