Ham's sin

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1. "Do not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites..."

   Sharón Rimón

   ​Why does the Torah describe the purchase of the Cave at Makhpela in such great detail? Who is a wife worthy of Yitzchak? Why does Avraham object to his son marrying Canaanite women? And why does he insist on Yitzchak marrying a woman from the land of his birth, when God had instructed him to disengage from their culture? These questions are explored in light of the obvious danger: that the potential wife found in Haran will not want to come to Canaan, while Yitzchak cannot leave the land. Will Avraham be willing to forgo one of these two values? 

2. "Do Not Take a Wife from the Daughters of the Canaanites"

   Rabbi Dr. Tamir Granot

   The story about finding a wife for Yitzchak seems simple, but the Torah describes it in great length, both in a detailed description of the events and in lengthy monologues. What can we learn from the long repetition? Why does Avraham want his son to marry a woman from Haran, and not from Canaan?

3. The Righteousness of Noah

   Rabbi Chanoch Waxman | 40 minutes

   Noah is described as "righteous," but his life ends tragically. The beginning of the Noah story contains parallels with Abraham, but then there is a switch—with more parallels to Lot. Ultimately, while Noah may have had potential like that of Abraham – Like Lot he appreciates the value of "surviving" but not of "reviving." He connects to God, but does not extend that connection to the world.

4. Rashbam

   Part 2

   Dr. Avigail Rock

   Foreshadowing

   One of the most important ideas that the Rashbam develops is the principle of foreshadowing. According to this principle, when the Torah notes details that appear to be disconnected, extraneous, or anachronistic, it actually provides them in order to explain an event that comes afterwards.

   It is possible to apply the principle of foreshadowing, not only to verses or fragments, but even to larger segments. For example, in the Rashbam’s introduction to Bereishit, he declares that the story of Creation interests us solely because it helps us understand the Ten Commandments.

   From explanations similar to this, it arises that the essence of the Torah is the mitzvot, while the narratives are secondary; the stories appear in order to explain the mitzvot.

   Peshat and Halakha

   In his explanations of the halakhic portion of the Torah, the Rashbam employs the same method which he applies to the narrative portion of the Torah: the explanation of the verses without any reliance on Midrashic literature. This approach is difficult to apply to mitzvot because the binding halakha is not the simple meaning of the verse, but the interpretation of the verses as the Sages explain it. The Rashbam believes that one should adopt the views of the Sages for everything that relates to practical Halakha; however, the interpretation of the peshat and the halakhic midrashim can live under the same roof. What worth does peshat have when it does not fit with Halakha? One possibility is that the peshat reflects the ideal, while the derash deals with the real.