Tuesday, September 19, 2006

Maimonides

It appears that some of out files were corrupted therefore I uploaded the files againa and have reposted them. Copy the url below and paste into your web browser

www.magen-david.net/Maimonides1.wav
www.magen-david.net/Maimonides2.wav
www.magen-david.net/Maimonides3.wav
www.magen-david.net/Maimonides4.wav
www.magen-david.net/Maimonides5.wav
www.magen-david.net/Maimonides6.wav
www.magen-david.net/Maimonides7.wav
www.magen-david.net/Maimonides8.wav
www.magen-david.net/Maimonides9.wav
www.magen-david.net/Maimonides10.wav


www.magen-david.net/Rambam.6.wav

Tuesday, July 04, 2006

Parasha of the Week

The transition between Shemot and Vaeira, some insight
http://www.magen-david.net/20060122091029.wav

Parashat Mishpatim
http://www.magen-david.net/20060122091029.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060223-083246.wav

Parasha Shekalim
http://www.magen-david.net/20060224-075131.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060224-081816.wav

Parashat Bo
http://www.magen-david.net/20060129-091007.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060205-091716.wav

Parashat Zachor
http://www.magen-david.net/20060227-080226.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060228-081218.wav

Parashat Terumah
http://www.magen-david.net/20060303-081545.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060305-091214.wav

Parashat Parah
http://www.magen-david.net/20060317-074958.wav

Parasha Kitisa
http://www.magen-david.net/20060317-080916.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060319-091627.wav

Vayakel Pekudey
http://www.magen-david.net/20060324-080547.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060326-091412.wav

Vayikra
http://www.magen-david.net/20060331-081845.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060407-071809.wav

TAZRIA METZORAH
http://www.magen-david.net/20060428-083621.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060430-091830.wav

Kedoshim
http://www.magen-david.net/20060505-081218.wav

Emor
http://www.magen-david.net/20060512-081256.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060514-091416.wav

Behar
http://www.magen-david.net/20060519-081020.wav

Bamidbar
http://www.magen-david.net/20060521-091733.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060526-081756.wav

naso
http://www.magen-david.net/Parashat.Nasso.Birkat.Kohanim.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/Parasha.Nasso.Sota.Nazir.wav

Monday, July 03, 2006

Kohelet

Kohelet
http://www.magen-david.net/Kohelet.9.18.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/Kohelet.9.15.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/Kohelet.9.13.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060320-082911.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060321-081249.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060322-081955.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060322-082335.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060323-082344.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060327-082909.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060328-080928.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060329-081440.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060403-073318.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060404-064310.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060405-071930.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060406-072611.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060411-082014.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060425-082101.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060427 081902.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060501-083707.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060502-082116.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060503-083920.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060508-082357.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060509-081643.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060510-081633.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060511-082341.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060515-083720.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060516-080820.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060517-081037.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060518-081959.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060523-081904.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060530-081634.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060531-081139.wav

Prayer

Prayer

Birkat Kohanim
http://www.magen-david.net/Birkat.Kohanim.3.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/Birkat.Kohanim.2.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/Parashat.Nasso.Birkat.Kohanim.wav
The Amidah
http://www.magen-david.net/20060509-073935.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060510-074540.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060511-074422.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060515-075801.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060517-074840.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060518-075842.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060519-074500.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060522-075622.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060523-075012.wav

Barachu
http://www.magen-david.net/20060125-074234.wav

The Shema
http://www.magen-david.net/20060126-074923.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060131-074700.wav
http://magen-david.net/200601300-80509.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060220-080719.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060221-074434.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060223-075933.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060209-075538.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060210-074703.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060213-075037.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060206-080109.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060207-075308.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060208-074408.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060505-074917.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060508-075046.wav

Psukei D'zimra
http://magen-david.net/JKNM.wav
http://magen-david.net/VLJA.wav

Minyan

who counts for a minyan
http://magen-david.net/INMO.wav

What type of people count
http://magen-david.net/TKIJ.wav

Azkarah, when someone dies in Adar 2
http://magen-david.net/MQJH.wav

Saying Kedusha
http://magen-david.net/PRHS.wav

Kaddish
http://magen-david.net/IFYX.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060123075527.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060124074522.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/BRGE.wav
http://magen-david.net/JRDR.wav

Wednesday, June 14, 2006

Women of the Tanach Series

Miriam
www.magen-david.net/Womans.class.Miriam.wav

Sarah
www.magen-david.net/Sarah-Imeynu.wav

Rivka
http://www.magen-david.net/20060523-120919.wav

Leah and Rachel
http://www.magen-david.net/20060530-121014.wav

Wednesday, March 29, 2006

Passover, OMER, SHAVUOT Halachot

Passover

http://www.magen-david.net/20060316-075429.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060317-074958.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060321=194812.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060321-074752.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060321-074752.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060322-074957.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060323-075622.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060324-074653.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060327-075952.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060328-074452.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060329-074150.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060330-081016.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060331-074206.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060331-081845.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060402-081543.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060404-064310.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060405-064350.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060406-064949.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060407-064134.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060409-081211.wav

Insights to Passover
http://www.magen-david.net/20060321-194812.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060328-194622.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060404-184919.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060410-075517-1.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060416-094634.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060512-074447.wav

OMER
http://www.magen-david.net/20060426-074423.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060427-075126.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060428-080650.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060501-080237.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060502-075040.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060516-074231.wav

Pirki Avot
http://www.magen-david.net/20060507-091803.wav

Shavuot
http://www.magen-david.net/20060528-094346.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060529-092824.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060530-074323.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060531-074414.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/halachot.shavuot.2.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/Halachot.Shavuot.1.wav

Sunday, February 19, 2006

Ask The Rabbi

For answers to questions, and to interact with the ask the Rabbi Blog. click on the link

Monday, January 30, 2006

Rosh Chodesh Torah Reading

Files are posted to itunes

Wednesday, January 25, 2006

DO I HAVE A QUESTION FOR THE RABBI!!!

Please click on the link to go to a new feature of Magen David. Post your question to Rabbi Maroof.

Sefer Hachinuch:

Sefer Chinuch

Mitzvah #5
http://magen-david.net/QMHR.wav
Mitzvah #7
http://www.magen-david.net/EHYX.wav
Mitzvah #9
http://magen-david.net/QGBC.wav
Mitzvah #11-12
http://magen-david.net/SVFM.wav
Mitzvah #13
http://magen-david.net/IFDO.wav
Mitzvah #15
http://magen-david.net/HRCL.wav
Mitzvah #17
http://magen-david.net/OTGC.wav
Mitzvah #19-21
http://magen-david.net/XTYN.wav
Mitzvah# 22-23
http://www.magen-david.net/20060123083347.wav
Mitzvah #24: Pidyon bichor behema
http://www.magen-david.net/20060123083347.wav
Mitzvah 25: Ten commandments, believe in Gd
http://www.magen-david.net/20060124081348.wav
Mitzvah #26
http://www.magen-david.net/20060221-081842.wav
Mitzvah #27
http://www.magen-david.net/20060125-082254.wav


The Ten Commandments
http://www.magen-david.net/20060221-081842.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060220-083704.wav

Mitzvah #30
http://www.magen-david.net/20060126-082813.wav
Mitzvah #31
http://www.magen-david.net/20060130-082938.wav
Mitzvah #32
http://www.magen-david.net/20060131-082445.wav

Halacha of Holidays DRabbanan

Fast 10 of Tevet
http://magen-david.net/QRPA.wav


Chanukah
Chanuka; Why 8 days
http://magen-david.net/HDGH.wav

Tu B'shvat
http://www.magen-david.net/20060213-081240.wav

Purim
http://www.magen-david.net/20060302-075445.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060303-074227.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060306-080343.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060307-074447.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060308-082424.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060308-074753.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060309-075757.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060310-074626.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060312-091804.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060313-081252.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060314-083122.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060315-074734.wav
http://www.magen-david.net/20060315-081424.wav

YOM HAATZMAUUT
http://www.magen-david.net/20060503-080059.wav

Yom Yerushalayim
http://www.magen-david.net/20060526-075316.wav

Insight into Judaism, Torah to Maimonides

1. "Understanding The Tanach (Bible): Through a careful analysis of the content of the Tanach, its history and its purpose, a radically new approach to Bible study is revealed."

http://www.magen-david.net/BITI.wav
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2. "The Oral Torah and Why We Need It: Dispelling common misconceptions about the nature of the Oral Tradition."

http://magen-david.net/TXXO.wav
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3. Commentary

http://www.magen-david.net/20060125-193727.wav
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4.Midrash and Aggada (legends)

http://www.magen-david.net/20060201-193733.wav
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5. Kabbalah

http://www.magen-david.net/20060208-193636.wav
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Maimonides Series
1. http://www.magen-david.net/20060426Rambam1.wav
2. http://www.magen-david.net/20060503Rambam2.wav
3. http://www.magen-david.net/Rambam3.wav
4. http://www.magen-david.net/Rambam4.wav
5. http://www.magen-david.net/20060531-212712.wav

Rambam Shiur #1: April 26, 2006

Introduction to the Mishneh Torah: Its Context and Objective

A Summary of the First Rambam Lecture


Prepared by Rabbi Joshua Maroof

Part One: The Verses

The Rambam “crowns” the introduction to his magnum opus with two verses from the Tanach. The first is a fragment of a verse from the Book of Genesis that was the “signature line” of the Rambam; he placed it atop all of his works – the Mishneh Torah, Moreh Nevuchim and Commentary to the Mishnah.

“In the name of Hashem, G-D of the Universe.”

This statement describes the mission of Abraham our Forefather, who dedicated his life to demonstrating the unity of Hashem and the fact that all of creation is a manifestation of His infinite wisdom. Of course, we as human beings are also a part of the Universe and we would expect that mankind would also reflect the Divine plan in his values and behavior. However, the first narrative in Genesis teaches us that Adam and Eve, rather than pursue the divinely determined “good” for humanity, chose to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil and thus to establish their own artificial definition of “good”. This was the first step in the evolution of a human culture that viewed the entire world as nothing more than material for mankind’s domination and enjoyment. This idolatrous view of the universe – no different than the materialistic perspective of ‘modern’ man – enabled human beings to feel comfortable with their position as the lords of all of creation, the centers of the cosmic drama. Even the idolatrous ‘gods’ were only products of human imagination that allowed people the comfort of believing they could negotiate with the harsh forces of nature that otherwise seemed so indifferent and threatening to them. By revolutionizing our concept of the universe, then, Abraham also sparked a revolution in our perception of man’s place in that universe.

The second verse that adorns the Introduction is taken from Psalm 119:
“Then I will no longer be ashamed – when I gaze upon all of your commandments.”

Our recognition of the wisdom of Hashem manifest in the orderly and lawful function of the universe causes us to feel a sense of deficiency – why don’t we exhibit, in the context of our own lives, principle-based action organized so beautifully? Instead, we are bundles of contradiction and conflict, at times being guided by wisdom and other times allowing our fantasies, whether hedonistic, egotistic or otherwise, to replace true knowledge as our guide. The verse in Psalms emphasizes the idea that our sense of shame will only be removed once we possess a clear vision of ALL the mitsvot. This means we must acquire a ‘big picture’ perspective on the Torah that will enable us to apply its wisdom systematically and thoroughly to every aspect of our lifestyles – including the way in which we pray, the way we eat and drink, the way we interact socially and politically, etc. Any dimension of our existence that remains unilluminated by Hashem’s wisdom will of necessity be hijacked by our own inner desires that are expressions of our wish to, in the words of the Torah regarding Adam and Eve, “be like gods, knowing good and evil.”

Thus, the two pesukim reflect two dimensions of our religious outlook. “In the name of Hashem, G-D of the Universe” – this is our view of the “macrocosm”, the principle that the existence and order of all of creation is a manifestation of Hashem’s wisdom and providence. The second verse “Then I will no longer be ashamed” speaks to our view of ourselves as deficient parts of the creation that have not yet come under the governance of Hashem’s design and need the educational system of the mitsvot to enable us to do so.

This is reminiscent of the first two chapters of Genesis: In the first, the beautiful and idyllic universe is created. In the second, human beings come on the scene and begin grappling with the question of what values and lifestyle to adopt. Compare this to “The heavens declare the glory of G-D, and the firmament tells of His handiwork…The Torah of Hashem is perfect, reviving the soul, the testimony of Hashem is trustworthy, making the simple one wise.”

We can understand the appropriateness of these verses to the Mishneh Torah: The purpose of the book is to provide us with a proper outlook on all of existence – of which we are, of course, a small part – and then to offer us a systematic understanding of the mitsvot that will guide us to the true removal of the “shame” of unprincipled living.


Part Two: The Introduction to the Oral Torah - Questions

Rambam opens his introduction with a description of the history of the Oral Torah, beginning with Moshe Rabbenu and concluding with the composition of the Mishneh Torah. He mentions several details that are worthy of further consideration:

1 – The fact that Moshe wrote a Sefer Torah for each tribe and then deposited one next to the Ark of The Covenant – why do we need to know this? How is it germane to our understanding of the Oral Tradition?

2 – The account of the primary Prophets and Sages who transmitted the Oral Torah from one generation to the next is provided twice: Once going from Moshe to the closing of the Talmud, and a second time, going from the closing of the Talmud back to Moshe and then to Hashem. Why the repetition?

3 – Initially, the Oral Tradition was transmitted in purely verbal form. Then Rabbi Yehudah Hanasi composed the Mishnah, which served as a textual basis for lectures. The Gemara was compiled several generations later. How did these compositions differ from the Rambam’s?

4 – Why does the Rambam enter into a lengthy discussion of the fact that the communities were dispersed and that each one developed its own set of customs? Why is this the place to discuss this issue?

5- Why does the Rambam need three reasons why the Talmud is binding on all Jews: The fact that it was compiled by the majority of the Rabbis, it was accepted by the majority of Jews, and the rabbis involved were direct recipients of the oral tradition. Isn’t one reason sufficient?

6- How exactly did the learning style of the Geonim differ from the earlier generations? Was it simply the quantity of people involved, or did the quality or form of study change?

7 – Why does the Rambam emphasize how difficult the language of the Talmud is? Why does he again underscore the proliferation of different opinions?


Part Three – Rambam’s Message

The essential purpose of the Rambam’s introduction is to diagnose a pervasive problem with our understanding of the Oral Torah that he has attempted to solve through the Mishneh Torah. Simply stated, the problem is that we fail to see the Torah as a form of hochma (wisdom) that is orderly and systematic. We instead perceive Torah as a disorganized conglomeration of concrete details, viewpoints and arguments that are the products of human opinions and attitudes. There is one fundamental reason for this misconception of the Torah, which can be summarized as follows:

The separation of rabbinical authorities by distance and the lack of a centralized Bet Din result in independent Torah traditions. Serious intellectual disciplines are characterized by the presence of a community of researchers who pursue understanding together based upon a common foundation of knowledge. This distinguishes science from realms of subjective opinion where no common ground among people is necessarily presumed. The fact that each rabbi or group of rabbis now develops his/their own independent vision of “Torah” seems to indicate that there is no fundamental core of knowledge that unites them, and that Torah is more an expression of personal opinion than objective wisdom. The constant emphasis in Talmudic study on rabbinic disagreement also contributes to this false impression. In addition, the consequent proliferation of local customs divide Jewish communities from one another and seems to suggest that, like other forms of cultural practice, Jewish practice is “all relative”.

The Rambam recognized that this perspective on Torah was more than a simple intellectual error. If the Torah is not acknowledged as hochma, and is relegated to the status of human opinion, then the whole purpose of the Torah has been undone! For, as explained above, the purpose of the Torah is to redeem us from the artificial, subjectively fashioned values that have formed the basis of human culture and to enable us to see how divine wisdom can be the guide of human life. If Torah itself is reduced to subjective taste, the whole purpose of its existence is thereby defeated, since the false view – that man is the “measure of all things” – has been reinstated!

(For another example of this kind of problem, consider the ‘social sciences’ and ‘humanities’ – psychology, sociology, philosophy, etc. Many serious thinkers avoid these subjects because they assume that, since there are so many different opinions and schools of thought in these disciplines, there is no real “field of study” to speak of. Cynics view the humanities as arenas for the expression of personal bias and subjective opinion. Of course, there must be truth in philosophy, psychology, etc., though it is much more difficult to establish consensus in these areas. The point is that people’s respect for a scientific discipline becomes diminished when they see that the so-called experts can’t seem to agree on anything and are constantly locked in debate.)

Thus, the Rambam emphasizes the fundamental unity of the Oral Torah and its initial transmission. He counts the Masters of the Tradition twice to underscore the fact that the Oral Torah proceeded from, and can be traced back to, the Almighty. He observes that, although a Sefer Torah was presented to each tribe of Israel, an additional one was kept beside the Ark. This was in order to demonstrate that, despite its application to many tribal “cultures”, the Torah itself remains the same – a pure expression of Hashem’s wisdom. Similarly, Moshe communicated only one Oral explanation of the mitsvot – a comprehensive, systematic and unified vision of the meaning, method and proper application of all the mitsvot – and it was this core “perush”, or explanation, that was transmitted in an unbroken chain from the times of Moshe until the closing of the Talmud. Whatever disagreements, new applications, etc., evolved over time, emerged in the context of a serious intellectual discipline of the highest order – in the same way that differences of opinion emerge in physics or mathematics, not in the way that differences are manifest in discussions of what TV shows are best or which ice cream flavor is tastiest.

At a certain point in time, people were no longer able to devote sufficient energy and focus to the study of Torah. As a result, Rabbi Yehuda Hanasi created the Mishnah, which served as a textual basis for lectures. The format of Oral transmission remained in place; what Mishnah did was allow students to prepare material in advance. In the end, though, the real learning took place when the teacher helped the student see the correct understanding of the Written Torah in light of the framework of the Oral Torah – a framework that itself was not committed to writing. The Mishnah is not the Oral Torah – it is a set of conclusions that emerge from the Oral Torah. The bona fide Oral Torah is the understanding of the principles that illuminate and interconnect all the mitsvot. No real change in pedagogy was introduced with the Gemara; it was simply a further extension of Rabbi Yehuda Hanasi’s work.

The major dispersion that followed the closing of the Talmud ushered in the period of the Geonim. At this time, no unified body of scholars existed anymore. There wasn’t even a unified community to speak of. Yet, the Oral Torah needed to remain a unified body of knowledge in some sense; this was accomplished through the study of the Talmud itself, which was the last vestige of the body of scholars that had recorded it and the community that had accepted it. Thus, the oral tradition now centered on a tradition of comprehending the structure, method and content of Torah that was implicit, but not explicitly described, in the Talmud. Each one of the Geonim went about constructing his own integrated vision of the totality of the Oral tradition and its relationship to Written Torah through the study of the Talmud, clarifying and interpreting its words. Though the number of students had greatly diminished, enough were present to keep the chain of transmission alive. By the Rambam’s time, even this approach had begun to disintegrate. Even the words of the Geonim – let alone those of the Talmud – were exceedingly difficult to grasp. The multiplicity of opinions was daunting, and mastering the language of the Talmud required a separate course of study. Lack of time and a waning dedication to intellectual pursuits yielded scholars who were less and less capable of forming any unified vision of Judaism or the mitsvot through the study of traditional texts. They were slowly losing the thread that had held the structure of Torah together for generations – the thread of Oral Tradition.

The Rambam’s solution was an awesome undertaking – the presentation of the entire oral law as a unity, in its fully integrated and systematic form, in writing. Ideally, he hoped to “rehabilitate” Torah as a field of hochma. In order for the Rambam’s plan to be successful, three things would need to be accomplished:

1) The composition he produced would have to be universally accessible, written in a language and style that transcended the culture of any specific diaspora community. Therefore, he selected Hebrew as the language of the Mishneh Torah

2) The structure and format of the Torah in its totality would have to be readily discernible to the reader, even in the complete absence of any Oral Tradition. Any “background information” or context that would normally be provided by a teacher would need to be explicitly discussed in the text of Mishneh Torah.

3) The composition would have to eliminate reference to differences in opinion and practice, focusing instead on the presentation of the Torah as a single, all-encompassing and systematic approach to the world and to life. Distinctions between communities, whether in halachic opinion or in custom, were, in the Rambam’s eyes, the unfortunate result of the lack of an integrated NATIONAL Torah study program. With Mishneh Torah, the Rambam hoped to institute a single course of Torah learning for the entire Jewish people, thus restoring the honor due to the Torah as a serious intellectual discipline (placing it at least on the same level as any one of the sciences) and rejuvenating our appreciation of the Torah’s depth and significance.

A point of clarification: Rambam did not intend to show any disrespect to the Talmud, nor did he believe that there was no possibility of a meaningful difference of opinion among scholars. There is room for differences in interpretation in every discipline, no matter how rigorous. However, the Rambam understood that the inclusion of different opinions and competing perspectives in the Mishneh Torah would dilute the impact of seeing Torah as a seamless and comprehensive body of knowledge, distracting us with nuances and subtleties better left to advanced scholars. This holistic vision of Torah is a necessary prerequisite to reinstating the Torah as a serious body of knowledge shared by the entire nation of Israel. Therefore, he eliminated mention of disagreements and arguments among Rabbis, choosing instead to emphasize the final product, the system as a whole in its finished form. In this sense, he teaches us in the manner that any introductory-level instructor in physics, mathematics or even history would - he provides us with a single, consistent and complete treatment of his subject before exposing us to problems or ambiguities in interpretation that might be debatable.

(Without a solid sense of context and an intellectual framework in which to operate, it is impossible to really appreciate the “cutting edge” of a field. The kinds of issues addressed in professional journals that might be the focus of a debate among experts are the kinds of issues argued about in the Talmud – and it is precisely such issues that are reserved for the student who has already mastered his discipline. Mishneh Torah was composed to help us establish a unified intellectual “field” of Torah, and this must exist before any theoretical debates can be meaningful.)

The revolution wrought by the Mishneh Torah was the replacement of increasingly localized “oral traditions” as the integrating force in learning with a single, unified and universally accessible textbook. Rather than depending upon teachers to guide, shape and develop our understanding of the system of mitsvot comprehensively, we can simply open the Mishneh Torah and study it carefully. Thus, the loss of Oral Tradition did not spell the loss of the opportunity for the Jewish people to appreciate the wisdom, sophistication and magnificence of the Torah.

Had the Rambam not provided us with the Mishneh Torah, we, in an age bereft of any Oral Tradition that could present the mitsvot systematically, would be lost in the complex and overwhelming Sea of Talmud, desperately seeking a foundation of principles to orient and guide us. Frustrated, we might have been tempted to reject the Oral Torah as nothing more than the expression of human opinion and give up any hope of having Divine Wisdom illuminate our lives. The Rambam allows us to see the infinite wisdom of the Creator in the well-ordered and systematic design of the corpus of mitsvot, reestablishing the Torah’s status as a branch of knowledge that is a fitting reflection of the Divine Mind. In so doing, he follows in the footsteps of Avraham - calling out in the name of Hashem, God of the entire universe, whose Unity and Wisdom are manifest in the order of creation as well as the order of His Torah. Rambam also helps us to see how this grand system can be applied consistently to every area of our lives, bringing all aspects of our existence in line with Hashem’s purpose – so that we can declare, together with King David, that now “we are not ashamed, for we gaze upon all Your commandments.”

Podcasting or listening to items on blog

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Pirkei Avot, Siyum Gemara

Pirkei Avot
http://www.magen-david.net/20060507-091803.wav

SIYUM TALMUD SHEKALIM
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Monday, January 23, 2006

Blessing over learning torah

Luxury, Material things continued

attitude towards Material things

Say all the Korbanot

Korbanot: Korban tamid

Internal Conflicts

Saying morning Korbanot

Spiritual Development

Yaakov name changes

Chanukah: Introduction

Introduction to Sefer Hachinuch: Mitzvah #1

Mitzvah of Chanuka: How many menorot

Sefer Chinuch Brit Milah

Menorah inside or outside the house

Sefer Hachinuch: Not eating the Gid Hansheh

Placing the Chanakuh Menorah

Sefer Chinuch: Kiddush Chodesh

Lighting Chanukah Candles in the Bet Knesset

Analysis of the Story of Josef

Chanukah: No Sudat Mitzvah

Donuts and Latkes are optional, why

Mitzvah of Chanuka

Jewish Form Of Justice

Yom Iyun at National Synagogue, Rabbi Maroof gives a lecture on Jewish view of justice.

Chanuka lighting

How long should they burn, when do you light

Torah Reading Chanukah

Lighting Chanukah Candles

You dwell in a college dorm, what o you do.

Megilat Antiochas

Chanuka 8 days, Why

Sunday, January 08, 2006

Lighting Chanukah Candles Erev Shabbat

Parshat Miketz

Dreams of Paraoh, the magicians could not give an explanation that satisfied him

Hallel on Holidays

The structure and meaning or Hallel, why is it not holiday specific, like Yaaleh veyavo?

Wednesday, January 04, 2006

Chanuka Why 8 days, only seven days of Miracles?

Wednesday, December 14, 2005

RABBI SOAE

gemara Sanhedrin Class page 7

Gemara Sanhedrin Class page 6B

Issue of Comprimising

Being Generous

Tefillin: where do they go

Tefillin: Keeping our Focus

Based on the Tzizt of the Koehn Gadol, which he wore on his forehead

Guest Speaker from Kollel of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, Rabbi Soae

Discusses numerous issues of Halacha on Shabbat

Tuesday, December 13, 2005

Patience

Minhagim of Tefillin

Various minhagim are discussed, sitting, standing, putting on and taking off, bracha when taking off Tefillin, which hand do you use to remove.

HAVING PATIENCE

HUMILITY 2

Tefillin on Shabbat

Are Tefillin on Shabbat Mukteh

Birkat Shaachar

Humility

Bitachon 1

100 Blessing a day

Bitachon

Continuation of previous talk

BARECH ALENU DEC 4 OR DEC 5

WHAt do you do when you make a mistake

PARASHA HASHAVUA

THOUGHTS ON YAAKOV AND ESAV

BRACHA ON LEARNING AND STUDYING TORAH

HASHKAFA LECTURE 12.5

BITACHON, BELIEF

Gemara Sanhedrin Class SEPT 9

Wednesday, December 07, 2005

MDSC Application for Membership

PDF File can be download and then submitted for membership

Zeman Tefillot for MDSC

This is a work in progress

Thursday, November 03, 2005

Tefillin

Pronouncing the Hebrew correctly is very important. A dagesh in the wrong place changes the meaning of the word

Monday, October 24, 2005

Hoshanah Rabba Shiur

Sunday, October 23, 2005

Teshuva

Etrog

Aravot

The Stolen Lulav

Eating in a Small Succah

Thursday, October 20, 2005

Visiting Cemetary

The Power Of Yom Kippur

Selichot Shiur

Selichot Concert

Avi Lev, Shai Machmali, Evyatar Alfassi and Yosef Almaga

Tzom Gedalia

Shacharit with Chazzan Amalga

Slichot erev RH

A fork in the Road

Two synagogues one has only Shofar, no one can pray Musaf. The other has no shofar, but has sidduring and chazzan for Musaf

No Fasting Erev Yom Kippur

Sunday, October 09, 2005

Selichot from Ellul 18

The entire selichot service

Shofar

Sounds of the shofar

shulchan Aruch: September 22

Halachot of Blowing Shofar

mishnayot Succah: The Traveling Succah

A succah on a boat or on a camel!

shulchan Aruch: September 20

Tefillah of Rosh Hashanah

shulchan Aruch: September 21

Moving sefer torah

Gemarah Sanhedrin Class 4

The midrash and aggadatah

mishnayot Succah: Mishana Class #9

Second Perek: The halachot of sleeping and living in the succah

shulchan Aruch: September 20

Kriyat Torah on Rosh Hashanah. Two Sifrei Torah on each day. Each day different material is read. What is the pattern in the kriyat torah and the haftorah.

shulchan Aruch: September 19

No Hallel is recited on Rosh hashana and Yom Kippur. Both are Yom TOv and Yom simcha, so why no Hallel.

mishnayot Succah: Mishana #8

Last Mishna First Chapter of Succah

Sunday, October 02, 2005

Mishnayot Succah: Mishana #7

Construction of the succah

Halachot of Shaliach Tzibor

Halachot reviewed by Eli Shemony

shulchan Aruch: September 16

Yehi Ratzoan recited over traditional foods erev Rosh Hashana.

mishnayot Succah: Mishana #6

The roof of the succah

Shulchan Aruch: September 15

Bowing during the tefillah, where and when do you bow.

Succah Sept 14 class

Shulchan Aruch: September 14

More on tefillot of Rosh Hashana

Gemarah Sanhedrin Class 3

Court of three judges

Shulchan Aruch: September 13

The halachopt of the brachot of shema

mishnayot Succah 3

Succah under a tree

Saturday, September 17, 2005

Masechet Succah 1

The height of the Succah

Additional Lines in Shmone Esrei

Changes to the Tefillot for RH and 10 days of Teshuva

Additional sentences in Shmoneh Esrei

Wednesday, September 14, 2005

Sunday Shiur on Rambam: Am I a Tzadik

Merits and sins, Quality and Quantity

Hamelech Hakadosh

mishnayot Rosh Hashanah #18

When to Blow the Shofar

Rabbi Maroof discusses difference of minhag Ashkenazim who blow at the end of shacharit to Sephardim who blow either during Selichot or at the end of selichot.

mishnayot Rosh Hashanah #17

Musaf

Mishnayot Rosh Hashanah #16

Doing Extra Mitzvot

Getting up early, doing more mitzvot during Ellul, and then going back to your old ways, who are we fooling!

Selichot In Aramaic, Why

Thursday, September 08, 2005

Halachot of Ellul #5: How Many Aliyot

Weekday 3 Aliyot, Rosh Chodesh 4, Yom Tov 5, Yom Kippur 6, Shabbat 7 Aliyot. Rabbi Maroof revies the Gemarah in Megillah that gives the basic formula, in addition gives insight into new material.

Wednesday, September 07, 2005

Halachot of Ellul #4: Selichot

13 midot

Mishnayot Rosh Hashanah #14

Lulav and Shofar halachot

Monday, September 05, 2005

Halachot of Ellul #3: Hallel

Rabbi Maroof brilliantly describes why some people make a brachah before Hallel on Rosh Chodesh, while other people do not.

Mishnayot Rosh Hashanah #13

What do we do if Rosh Hashanah falls on the Shabbat? Why did the Rabbis make these laws

Maimonides view on Catastrophic events: Hurricane Katrina

Rabbi Maroof tells us what our attitude and reaction should be if G-d forbid a disaster occurs. Especially apropos in the face of the horrible Hurricane Katrina disaster on New Orleans.

Halachot: Our Attitude as we come closer to Rosh Hashanah

Rosh Hashanah is coming. We enter in awe of the huge judgement that G-d is going to pass upon us, yet we prepare delicious foods and dress in beautiful garments. What is going on? What should our attitude be towards this holy day? Find out here.

Sunday, September 04, 2005

Selichot Led by Chazzanim A. Alfassi, Rav E. Avidani, S. Machmali

I am sorry the quality is not the best, but you can listen to the melodies and get into the mood of Selcihot which begin Tuesday

Friday, September 02, 2005

Washington Jewish Week Article On MDSC

Jewish learning by pod. Eric Fingerhut
Click on the link to read the article.

Breakfast with the Rabbi Mishnayot Rosh Hashanah 12

Last Mishna third chapter, and Moshe lifted his hand and they would win the war. Success comes from God

Halachot of Ellul #2

Rosh Hashanah is coming. We enter in awe of the huge judgement that G-d is going to pass upon us, yet we prepare delicious foods and dress in beautiful garments. What is going on? What should our attitude be towards this holy day? Find out here.

Thursday, September 01, 2005

Gemarah Sanhedrin Mishna Class 3

Class one was not loaded, but most of the material from that class is in class 2

RSS Feed Submitted to Itunes: Tzizit

This will take you to a page that lists the lectures submitted to itunes, they should be availble to podcast within 10 days. Until then scroll down and click on any title with a little capital building, The audio will play on your computer

tzizit 9

When making a tallit make it complete, not piecemeal

tzizit 8

Matching tzizt to the garment, garments that require tzizit, what if you have 5 corners

tzizit 7

Silk, wool, Linen, fringes and garment, match and mismatch

Tzizit 6

What kind of fabric recquires tzizit, and what material can be used t make tzizit

tzizit 5

Taking tzizit on and off, not putting tzizit on a four cornered garment

tzizit 4

Multiple Tzizit and how many brachot do we say

breakfast with The Rabbi: Masechet Rosh Hashanah 7

Rabban Gamliel, accepting witnesses that were suspect. Other Rabbanim disagree with him

Breakfast with The Rabbi: Masechet Rosh Hashanah 6

The Witnesses, how do you evaluate them

Breakfast with The Rabbi: Masechet Rosh Hashanah 5

The cycles of the moon, how would they notify the public that a new moon had officially begun, fire signals

breakfast with The Rabbi: Masechet Rosh Hashanah 4

Conclusion of the first chapter, Mishna 9. Making the trip to Jerusalem, even on shabbat!

breakfast with The Rabbi: Masechet Rosh Hashanah 3

Third Mishna: Kiddush Hachodesh, How to determine the new lunar month

Breakfast with The Rabbi: Masechet Rosh Hashanah 2

Second Mishna: Four times in the year the world is judged

Breakfast with The Rabbi: Masechet Rosh Hashanah 1

First Mishna which discusses the (4) types of Rosh Hashanah. We discuss each one and its significance

The Process of Mourning

What do you do when a person who dies has no close relatives (the 7 relatives), who mourns?

Wednesday, August 31, 2005

Tisha B'Av Morning Lecture

Lecture given afer Shacharit

Tisha B'Av Afternoon Lecture

Lecture given after Mincha

UPDATE ON BLOG AND PODCSATING

I have been working for hours today loading the data into an XML program.THe program is not easy to use, and all spaces have to be accounted fo in the name of the file created by Robert. After 6 hours my computer crashed and i lost all of the work. I am now trying to reproduce all of that work. Good thing is I now understand the ins and outs of the program. After a 4x Espresso I am ready to go at it again.

RSS Feed

OK, this is an experiment. The link is an XML feed for 5 lectures. These have also been submitted to itunes for podcasting. You cna't download the audio file, but this gives you a list of the lecutures submitted. Itunes can take up to 10 days to clear and accept the files. Stay tuned! Ha Ha

Monday, August 29, 2005

Rabbi Devries, JD, Dvar Torah to MDSC

Rabbi Devries speaks to the minyan on July 20. Rabbi Devires is a long time friend of Magen David Synagoue. Known by many, he was raised in London, in the Spanish Portuguese tradition, and is a lawyer, Rabbi and a Dayan (Rabbinical Judge). He has aided many women in obtaining a Get from a husband that refuses to give one, thereby making her an Agunah.

Friday, August 26, 2005

Brit Milah Ceremony, the Mohel Speaks

This material is presented by the Mohel Lou Marmon, to hear comments by Rabbi maroof please scroll down to July 20, "Bris Milah"

PODCASTING

In the near future you will be able to download the lectures to your computer and play them with itunes, or transfer them to your MP3 player. This is called podcasting.
The program is FREE and works on Mac and Windows computers.
1. Shiur is "taped" digitally with an IPOD recorder (Belkin microphone)
2. Shiurim SOUND BEST listening with headphones. Download the file to your ipod or MP3 player for the best sound.
3. If you listen on you computer, the audio may not be loud enough, so attach a pair of Multimedia Speakers to your computer, it will sound much better!!!!
4. We are working on improving the quality
5. We will try to create video clips in the future
6. Thank you to Robert Solomon who helps record the shiurim

Thursday, August 25, 2005

Gemarah Sanhedrin Mishna Daf 2

This is an introduction lecture to The Gemara

Tzizit 3

The torah tells us why we wear tzizit

Tzizit 2

How to put on a tallit

Tzizit 1

The halachot of tzizit

August 18 Thursday: Masechet Taanit

August 19 Friday: Masechet Taanit

August 17 Wednesday: Masechet Taanit

August 16: Tuesday: Masechet Taanit

August 15: Monday: Masechet Taanit

August 14: Sunday: Masechet Taanit

August 12: Friday: Masechet Taanit

August 11: Thursday: Masechet Taanit

August 10: Wednesday: Masechet Taanit

August 9: Tuesday: Masechet Taanit

August 8: Monday: Masechet Taanit

August 7: Sunday: Shulchan Aruch

August 7: Sunday: Masechet Taanit

August 5: Friday: Masechet Taanit

August 5 Friday: Shulchan Aruch:

August 4; Thursday: Breakfast with the Rabbi

Masechet Taanit

Wednesday, August 03, 2005

August 3 Wednesday: Breakfast with the Rabbi: Masechet Taanit

Click on title to go to audio

August 3 Wednesday: Shulchan Aruch:

Halachot of Tisha B'Av. This year it is on Motzei shabbat. How do we conduct ourselves on shabbat at Sudat Shlishi?

Tuesday, August 02, 2005

August 2 Tuesday: Shulchan Aruch:

Halachot of Tishabav

August 2 Tuesday : Breakfast with the Rabbi: Masechta Taanit

We continue with the Mishnayot about Fasting. This section is about Shimon haTaymani and his machloket with the Rabbanim

August 1: Monday : Breakfast with the Rabbi: Archived

This is the first mishna, click on the link

August 1: Monday: Shulchan Aruch: Archived

July 31: Sunday: Shulchan Aruch: Archived

July 29: Friday: Shulchan Aruch: Archived

JULY 29 FRIDAY: Breakfast with the Rabbi: Archived

Masechet Taanit continues

July 28 THURSDAY: Breakfast with the Rabbi: Archived

JULY 28 THURSDAY: Shulchan Aruch: Archived

JULY 27 WEDNESDAY: Shulchan Aruch: Archived

JULY 27: Breakfast with the Rabbi: Archived

July 26: Breakfast with the Rabbi: Archived

JULY 26: Shulchan Aruch: 9 Days of AV

Shulchan Aruch discussion on the week leading up to the 9th of AV

Monday, July 25, 2005

July 25: Breakfast with the Rabbi: Archived

July 25: Shulchan Aruch: Archived

July 24: Why do we fast on a Taanit: Archived

July 24: Shulchan Aruch: Archived

Halachot about Taanit and Fast days: 17 day of Tamuz and 9 Av.

July 22: Breakfast with the Rabbi

July 22: Shulchan Aruch:

July 21: Breakfast with the Rabbi:

July 21: Shulchan Aruch

July 20: Breakfast with the Rabbi

July 20: Shulchan Aruch

Shulchan Aruch on washing ones hands after the use of the lavoratory, the Brecha Asher Yatzar

July 19: Breakfast with the Rabbi:

Masechet Taanit

July 19: Shulchan Aruch

Monday, July 18, 2005

July 18: Breakfast with the Rabbi

Continuation of the topic

July 17: Sunday Breakfast With The Rabbi

This series is based upon Mishnayot of Sefer Taanit. We are discussing this specifically in preparation for 17 of Tamuz and 9 of Av. This first file deals with the introduction to the topic. The class was held at Goldberg's Bagel Shop.

July 17: Sunday Shulchan Aruch

Conclusion of the Section on Washing ones Hands

July 18 Monday : Shulchan Aruch

More on Washing ones Hands

Shulchan Aruch Friday July 15

We continue with the Halachot of Washing ones Hands. Why you wash your hands, and for what reasons you do or don't wash your hands

Sunday, July 10, 2005

Brit Milah Sunday July 10

A very nice shiur on Brit Milah, mazal tov to the family.

Shulchan Aruch: Friday July 8:

The Rabbi reviews washing ones hands upon arising in the morning

Friday, July 08, 2005

Shulchan Aruch: Thursday July 7, Rosh Chodesh

Prayers before the prayers: The Korbanot, why when you read them, it counts as if you performed them. How is this different from other mizvot like Lulav. Could you read about Lulav, and get credit for perfoming the mizvah?
Archived

Brit Milah

Insights into Brit Milah by a Mohel

Thursday, July 07, 2005

Shulchan Aruch: Wednesday July 6

Dvar Torah on Tefillah, prayer

Tuesday, July 05, 2005

Shulchan Aruch: Tuesday July 5

Shulcahan Aruch, Halachot of getting up in the morning