This shiur is open to serious students with a solid foundation in gemara learning and a high level of commitment and motivation in their studies. Students will be expected to prepare materiel for shiurim in advance and to attend classes regularly. The regular gemara shiur will take place twice weekly. This semester we will be studying Tractate Makot, Chapter 1. read more

Rabbi Brovender will teach an amud (a page) of Gemara each week, from the third chapter of Massechet Makot. We look forward to this Bekiyut journey through the text. read more

The course is concerned with imparting to the students a basic understanding of the nature of Torah shebaal Peh (oral law) and Talmud. The two focal points of the course are: firstly helping the student to achieve a mastery of the reading of the text and secondly an introduction to conceptual analysis. The units to be studied will be taken from the first chapter of Tractate Makot. read more

Join Rabbi Brovender as he takes you on a journey to the past to uncover the depths of the story of the creation of the world, as told in the book of Bereishit- Genesis. This semester we will learn about the third day of creation, the day the water was separated from the dry land and God created plants. read more

This class is for students who already have some skills in analyzing a page of Gemara with Rishonim. In-depth conceptual development will be the focus. This semester we will be learning Tractate Makot, Chapter 1. read more

Looking at Eicha and the stories associated with Churban Habayit (the destruction of the Temple). read more

This semester we will explore the Prophecies of the Holy Zohar, and 'the Redemption' - 'Geula', and the 'Messianic Period' called 'Y'mote HaMashiach', the Days of the Messiah. We will do so in light of current events, and also with an eye to the fulfillment of other prophecies from the Tanach. As always, we will try to include practical teachings in prayer and meditation that will enhance our experience read more

In this course we will look at the lives and views of some of the less well known Rishonim. We will look at life for Jews in Spain, Provence, Germany, North Africa and Israel. We will learn some of the writings of the Rabbis on topics as diverse as kabbalah, theology, history and philosophy. We will examine how their writings and thought have impacted on their contemporaries and on later read more

This class will study Maimonides' major philosophical work, The Guide for the Perplexed. read more

By studying Mesillat Yesharim we will be studying what it means to live as a Jew.
Mesillat Yesharim is not only a classic because of its content, but it is one of the few books of Jewish thought that has been embraced by all the streams of Jewish practice, and has been endorsed by the Gaon of Vilna as well as Prof. Yeshayahu Leibowitz whose lectures on Mesillat Yesharim have been read more

Mishlei teaches us the steps for perfecting ourselves and rising spiritually. Come and join us on this journey. read more

During the period between Passover and Shavuot we mourn the deaths of Rabbi Akiva's disciples. In this series we will study the following elements of mourning:

(a) The Cadaver: How does Torah instruct us to relate to the body of the deceased? How do we treat it? Is it permitted to donate organs or bodily tissues after death?

(b) Eulogy: To what extent must one tell the truth in eulogizing the dead? read more

Learn Parashat Hashavua with the Divrei Torah of Reb Shlomo Carlebach zts".
This course will be broadcast live from Rabbi Shlomo Katz's home in Neve Daniel.

Pirkei Avot (The Ethics of Our Fathers) is one of the best known and most cited of Jewish texts. This beloved tractate of the Mishna composed of ethical maxims of the Rabbis is familiar for such maxims as "If I am only for myself, who am I?" (1:14) and "Say little and do much" (1:15). Rabbi Brovender will examine and teach the sixth chapter of Pirkei Avot in depth. read more

Praying in time of need is a central theme of the entire Talmudic tractate of Ta'anit. The need for rain in the arid climes of Eretz Yisrael was serious business. Even worse than suffering the deprivation that a drought brings was the fact that God had turned His face from his people Israel. The bringing of rain, the cessation of rain were the most intimate of communications from the Holy read more

A basic-level gemara course that aims primarily to improve the student's ability to logically parse a gemara sugya.
At the start of the semester, the emphasis will be almost exclusively on reading the gemara text, and using parallel gemara sources for understanding specific concepts. Rashi's commentary will be used only sparingly, for informational purposes.
Later on in the zman, the shiur will begin to focus more on understanding Rashi's approach as a read more

Students will study Megillat Rut (The Book of Ruth), read on Shavuot. The text of the Megilla is well known by many, yet misunderstood by most. The true meaning and details of the story are right there in the pesukim, yet they often get overlooked. This class will go beyond the basics to look at the real meaning of the pesukim and the fascinating background story encoded within them. read more

This class will study Sefer Shmuel Bet (The Book of Samuel II), with relevant commentaries. Students will learn to think about the text themselves, and what the narratives mean, as well as hone their skills in exegesis. Where relevant we will take a more b'iyun (in depth) approach to some of the subjects, looking at a broader range of sources including Talmud, Rishonim and Achronim. read more

This course will explore different aspects of the halakhic system. What are the limitations for rabbinic enactments? How do rabbinic decrees avoid the prohibition against adding to the Torah? Does pesak halakha reflect a commitment to absolute truth? What is the relationship between sage and prophet? We will explore these and other questions relating to the philosophy of halkha. read more

In this course we will discuss some aspects of the laws of marriage and divorce, as well as some of the lesser known laws of these two institutions. read more

Torah insists on telling the truth, except when it doesn't. We will discuss several situations throught this semester in which the obligation to tell the truth becomes a bit fuzzy.
(a) Lying: When is it permissible to lie? May one lie in order to encourage people to perform more mitsvot? Should one lie in order to spare someone embarassment?

(b) Flattery: Flattery often straddles the boarder of falsehood. When is flattery prohibited.

(c) read more

A survey of some of the major themes in Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik's thought and religious philosophy as seen in his shorter essays.

Learn the story of Yaakov and Eisav while expanding your Torah-learning text skills by studying Rashi through the lens of the Midrash.