Aggadeta: Berachot 2a - Exploring the Name of the Masechet - Class 20 Class highlights: Exploring the name of this Masechet, Berachot; shifting from a standard reading to a non-standard reading of the text; a reminder that no discipline or school of thought is off limits for us when attempting to study Aggadah; the proper weight to accord of Gematria; on stupid Jews and a stupid god; and more! (11/5/2020) — The Shiviti Night Kollel has expanded with a brand-new Talmud Track! Join us as we...

Aggadeta: Berachot 2a - A Review of the Mishnah - Class 19 Class highlights: Reviewing the Mishnah once again; analyzing various words and phrases according to Peshat; questions to ponder for next class; and more! (10/29/2020) — The Shiviti Night Kollel has expanded with a brand-new Talmud Track! Join us as we delve into the non-Halachic segments of the Talmud, otherwise known as Aggadeta! — Google Classroom Please email [email protected] if you wish to join the Google Classroom. Please do not...

Aggadeta: Berachot 2a - A Second Reading of the Mishnah - Class 18 Class highlights: The importance of transmitting the Oral Torah not just orally, but accurately; a second reading of the Mishnah with the goal of answering some of the questions we brought up last week; analyzing various words and phrases according to Peshat; and more! (9/10/2020) — The Shiviti Night Kollel has expanded with a brand-new Talmud Track! Join us as we delve into the non-Halachic segments of the Talmud, otherwise...

Aggadeta: Berachot 2a - Initial Reading of the Mishnah - Class 17 Class highlights: Mentioning the different editions of Talmud and En Yaakov which are available; understanding the style of study in Sepharadic Yeshivot; understanding the Mishnah so that we may build on it in future classes; why is it called "Rashi script"?; leaving off with questions as food for thought; and more! (9/3/2020) — The Shiviti Night Kollel has expanded with a brand-new Talmud Track! Join us as we delve into the...

Aggadeta: Rabbi Yechiel Yaakov Weinberg - The Two Great Streams of Judaism - Class 16 Class highlights: Brief biographical sketch of Rabbi Yaakov Weinberg; a heart-wrenching letter; exploring a Talmudic passage from Bava Kama (60b); two different bodies of water; the ships of life sail freely in the wide and consistent waters of Halachah; the rocky and treacherous waters of the Aggadah; the correlation to two different types of souls found among those who study Torah; parables of a young wife...

Class highlights: Reviewing the general attitude of our Chachamim towards Midrash and Aggadah; picking and choosing Midrashim; do we have the right to interpret the rationale behind the Mitzvot and therefore change Halachah in accordance with that interpretation?; the majority of the stories of Torah are Aggadah which are a means of enabling us to accept the Halachic side of Torah; a teacher has an obligation to teach the students the reason for everything they say; and more!...

Aggadeta: Rabbi Chaim David Halevy - Fusion of Halachah and Aggadah (Part 2) - Class 14 Class highlights: A unique story told by Professor Mirsky about Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook; the locked door between Halachah and Aggadah; two disciplines which are united in their roots but completely separate in their branches; the difference between Maran who lived in Israel and the Bach who did not; the goal in writing Mekor Chaim; softening the rigidity of Halachah with the gentleness of...

Aggadeta: Rabbi Chaim David Halevy - Fusion of Halachah and Aggadah (Part 1) - Class 13 Class highlights: Brief biography of Rabbi Chaim David Halevy; the charted waters of Halachah and the uncharted waters of Aggadah; the necessity to complement Halachah with Aggadah and the danger of mixing the two; attempting to be faithful messengers of the beautiful Torah without allowing our personal shortcomings to blemish it's message; explaining the phases of Exile and Redemption in Jewish history;...

Aggadeta: Rabbi Benzion Meir Chai Uziel - Twin Sisters: Aggadah and Halachah (Part 2) - Class 12 Class highlights: Our rabbis cursed preachers who used Aggadah to show off; those who reveal the secrets of creation to disparage their Creator; Torah is supposed to give us a wondrous name among the nations, though the way some teach Aggadeta accomplishes the exact opposite; the importance of verifying Halachic concepts with those not yet tainted by incorrect Jewish opinions; the Geonim teach...

Aggadeta: Rabbi Benzion Meir Chai Uziel - Twin Sisters: Aggadah and Halachah (Part 1) - Class 11 Class highlights: Meeting the twin sisters - Halchah and Aggadah, both rivers which flow from the same source of life; dangerous types of Halachah; nonsensical interpretations of Aggadah; cases of rabbinic peer-review on matters of Aggadah; Rabbi Peretz's advice not to teach anything you are not immersed in; Tzlach's teaching that not all Aggadot are created equally; and more! (6/18/2020) — The...

Aggadeta: Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook’s Introduction (Part 2) - Class 10 Class highlights: The damage of being forced to rebel against one’s unique spiritual personality; supporting those who author works dealing with the “duties of the heart”; the mistaken mentality that study of Aggadah will cause one to neglect Halachah; finding inspiration in the writings of all camps of Chachamim despite the fundamental differences between them; and more! (6/11/2020) — This video refers to a...

Aggadeta: Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook’s Introduction (Part 1) - Class 9 Class highlights: The danger of quoting certain rabbis; the need to strengthen the study of Aggadah which is the Torah of ethics, faith, and spirituality; the need to encourage Torah scholars to study the “duties of the heart” as seriously as they study Halachah; utilizing this area of Torah to satisfy the young generation’s thirst for knowledge from within Judaism without forcing it to foreign faiths and...

Aggadeta: Rabbi Benzion Meir Chai Uziel’s Introduction (Two Chapters on Aggadah in Michmene Uziel) - Class 8 Class highlights: Aggadah as the “Divine song of the Nation of Israel”; unlocking the secrets of life encrypted and hidden in the words of Chazal; extracting our Rabbis’ defenses of Judaism from the critiques foreign faiths and philosophies; shifting perspectives to understand Midrashim in the sophisticate way our Sages did; and more! (5/14/2020) — The Shiviti Night Kollel has...

Aggadeta: Rabbi Benzion Meir Chai Uziel’s Introduction (Introduction to Michmene Uziel) - Class 7 Class highlights: A response to critics of Judaism; silver-plated apples - the hidden and revealed teachings througg the lense of the Rambam; those who wish to damage the Torah by using Rabbinic texts; unlocking the secrets of life encrypted and hidden in the words of Chazal; meeting the twin sisters - Halchah and Aggadah; and more! (5/7/2020) — The Shiviti Night Kollel is expanding with a...

Aggadeta: Rabbenu Avraham Ben HaRambam’s Introduction (Part 3) - Class 6 Class highlights: Understanding the stories of the Chachamim by discerning the four categories they fit into; stories directly deal with Halachah; cryptic stories for the sake of teaching deeper messages; built-in encryption to ward away the less-discerning students; far-fetched stories understood through the correct lens open us up to their true messages intended by the Chachamim; and more! (4/2/2020) Thank you to...

Aggadeta: Rabbenu Avraham Ben HaRambam’s Introduction (Part 2) - Class 5 Class highlights: The holiness of integrity; seeking truth regardless of the source; not being afraid of admitting our errors; type of humility which leads to success; unlocking Talmudic texts by properly understanding the five categories of Aggadeta; and more! (3/26/2020) Thank you to Natanel (Jamal) Stafford for his assistance with the class description! — The Shiviti Night Kollel is expanding with a brand-new Talmud...

Aggadeta: Rabbenu Avraham Ben HaRambam’s Introduction (Part 1) - Class 4 Class highlights: Rambam’s hesitation to explain Aggadah; don’t accept something just because of the one who said it; the need for critical thinking when learning Torah; your Rebbe or your idol?; medical and scientific knowledge of Chazal; don’t throw Aristotle out with the bath water; and more! (3/19/2020) — The Shiviti Night Kollel is expanding with a brand-new Talmud Track! Join us as we delve into the non-Halachic...

ggadeta: Rambam’s Introduction (Part 2) - Class 3 Class highlights: Two types of fools; believers who are really heretics; preachers who teach what they don’t understand; the value of silence; the truth is never popular; unhealthy people can’t appreciate healthy Torah; and more! (3/12/2020) — The Shiviti Night Kollel is expanding with a brand-new Talmud Track! Join us as we delve into the non-Halachic segments of the Talmud, otherwise known as Aggadeta! — Google Classroom Please email...

ggadeta: Rambam’s Introduction (Part 1) - Class 2 Class highlights: The need for Aggadah to be cryptic; judging rabbinic texts favorably; secrets of wisdom; anguish of the ignorant; humility and prayer for intellectual enlightenment; and more! (3/5/2020) — The Shiviti Night Kollel is expanding with a brand-new Talmud Track! Join us as we delve into the non-Halachic segments of the Talmud, otherwise known as Aggadeta! — Google Classroom Please email [email protected] if you wish to join the...

Aggadeta: Historical Introduction - Class 1 Class highlights: Defining Aggadah by not defining it; history of En Yaakov; life of Rabbi Yaakov ibn Habib; lessons in humility; expulsion from Spain; the unpaved road of Aggadah and the need for imagination; and more! (2/27/2020) — The Shiviti Night Kollel is expanding with a brand-new Talmud Track! Join us as we delve into the non-Halachic segments of the Talmud, otherwise known as Aggadeta! — Google Classroom Please email [email protected] if...