A free account is required to play audio and download files.
No community start suggestion yet.
Why is Rosh Hashanah both a day of terror and joy? The shiur reveals that divine judgment itself is the ultimate chesed (חסד) because God could treat us as property but chooses to relate as King to subjects. This grants us dignity and the right to earn our existence rather than merely receive it as divine welfare.
This shiur presents a revolutionary understanding of Rosh Hashanah that resolves the apparent contradiction between the day being described as one of judgment and terror, yet also characterized as 'Ani L'dodi V'dodi Li' (I am to my beloved and my beloved is to me) and a day of simcha according to the Rambam (רמב"ם). The speaker argues that our natural fear and subsequent denial of Elul and Rosh Hashanah stems from a fundamental misunderstanding of what judgment means in this context. The core insight emerges from a Midrash on the pasuk 'Alah Elokim b'teruah, Hashem (ה׳) b'kol shofar' - God ascends with the shofar blast. Rather than God moving from judgment to mercy as commonly understood, the Midrash reveals that both movements represent ascension through shofar. This teaches that the very act of divine judgment is itself the ultimate chesed (חסד).
Looking for the full summary?
Full access is available to members of the TUF Alumni Association or the Yam Hagadol Foundation.
Already a member? Let the admin know!
Psalms 47:6 (Alah Elokim b'teruah), various Midrashim on Rosh Hashanah
Looking for the full transcript?
Full access is available to members of the TUF Alumni Association or the Yam Hagadol Foundation.
Already a member? Let the admin know!
Dedicate a Shiur in Holidays
L'ilui nishmas a loved one. In honor of a simcha or yahrzeit. As a zechus for a refuah sheleimah. Your dedication helps carry Rabbi Zweig's Torah to learners around the world.
Why don't the last eight verses of the Torah require a minyan to read? The shiur develops a fundamental chiddush in the Rambam: Simchas Torah has two distinct takanos of Kriat HaTorah — Zot HaBracha is read from the din of Yom Tov (inyan hayom), while VaYom Moshe is read from the din of Shabbos (siyum haTorah). This explains why a new minyan is required for the last eight verses, and why the Raavad's minhag of having the oleh read (not the baal koreh) signals that the final aliyah is purely Talmud Torah, not shemiat dvar Hashem.
May a man who has already fulfilled his shofar obligation blow shofar for a woman on Rosh Hashanah? The Baal Itur forbids it while Rav Yehuda permits it. The shiur develops that the core dispute is not about violating shvus for another's benefit, but whether a man's blowing creates a "tekiah shel mitzvah" that enables the woman to be yotzei.
When must one interrupt eating or other activities to perform a mitzvah? The Gemara distinguishes between yesh shos (time remains) and ein shos (no time left), and between d'Oraisa and d'Rabbanan obligations. The Rambam's view—that one need not interrupt unless the mitzvah cannot be done later—contrasts sharply with the Rosh and Ran, who hold that mitzvah bo'liyos al tachmitzena requires immediate action even when time remains.
Does answering "amen" add anything when one is already yotzei through shomeia k'oneh? The shiur examines the Rambam's presentation in Hilchos Brachos perek 1, halachos 10-12, questioning why the Rambam states that one who answers amen is "k'mevorach" when earlier he ruled one is yotzei even without answering amen. The shiur explores whether amen provides an additional ma'alah beyond basic yotzei status and analyzes several seemingly contradictory Rambam passages.
