Rabbi David Semah – Shabuot and Acquiring the Low Hanging Fruits | Shabuot Class

Rabbi David Semah – Perasha Korah | Weekly Parasha

Rabbi David Semah hosts classes every day at 6:45 AM at West Deal Shul. In this class on Parashat Korach, Rabbi David Semah draws a powerful life lesson from Moshe Rabbeinu's response to Korach's rebellion: rather than engaging in conflict immediately, Moshe urges everyone to wait until the next morning, teaching that a person in the heat of anger is like someone who is drunk — incapable of reason or negotiation. Rabbi Semah illustrates this with personal stories, including a man who deeply regretted a destructive decision he made while emotionally overwhelmed, underscoring that pulling back and giving time is often the wisest course of action in any dispute. The class then explores how Moshe proposed the Ketoret — the incense offering, the most beloved of all Temple services — as the divine test to determine who was truly chosen by God, noting that improper use of the Ketoret brings death, making it the ultimate proof of Aharon's sanctified status. Finally, Rabbi Semah shares the Sforno's remarkable insight that God commanded Moshe to physically distance himself from Korach before the earth swallowed him, because Moshe's own spiritual merit was so powerful that his mere presence would have protected Korach from divine punishment. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - (0:00) Introduction & Opening (1:06) Parashat Korach Overview (1:24) Moshe Tells Korach: Wait Till Tomorrow (2:26) Rashi: Don't Act When Emotionally Drunk (3:24) Personal Story: Waiting Defuses Conflict (4:30) Story: Man Regrets Acting in Anger (5:42) Moshe's Test: The Ketoret Challenge (6:22) One God, One Torah, One Kohen (7:42) Ketoret: Most Beloved Service to God (8:20) The Ketoret as Proof of Aharon's Holiness (9:36) God Tells Moshe: Walk Away from Korach (10:16) Moshe's Merit Protects Even His Enemies - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Visit: westdealshul.org Sponsorships: west.deal.classes@gmail.com

Rabbi Moshe Tobal – Perasha Korah | Weekly Parasha

Rabbi Moshe Tobal hosts classes every day at 6:30 AM at West Deal Shul. Rabbi Moshe Tobal opens with a story about the genius of Rav Yehoshua Leib Diskin, using a Jerusalem dispute involving a British High Commissioner as a metaphor for the Korach rebellion against Moshe Rabbeinu. He raises the famous question of how the Rambam can say that doubting Moshe's nevuah proves one's ancestors were not at Har Sinai, given that Korach himself was present yet still rebelled. Both the Vilna Gaon's disciple and the Rashba independently answered that the Rambam refers only to intellectual denial, not rebellion driven by negiyus — personal agendas and jealousy. The class explores how Korach's wife ignited his hidden jealousy by framing the slight against him as a personal attack, teaching that people can carry destructive middos that lie dormant until provoked. Rabbi Tobal concludes with a practical lesson from Reb Yisroel Salanter, who stressed that the path to growth is constant self-testing in private, never trusting that one has truly conquered traits like jealousy or the desire for honor. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - (0:00) Introduction: Rav Diskin's Genius (1:33) The Jerusalem Rabbinical Dispute (2:58) Korach vs. Moshe: A Parallel (3:38) The Rambam on Doubting Moshe (4:05) The Question of Korach at Har Sinai (5:06) Negiyus: Agendas vs. True Denial (6:15) Korach's Hidden Jealousy (6:45) The Wife of Korach Ignites the Fire (7:43) Hidden Middos Within a Person (8:17) Reb Yisroel Salanter: Test Yourself - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Visit: westdealshul.org Sponsorships: west.deal.classes@gmail.com

Rabbi Joseph Dana – Parashat Korah | Weekly Parasha

Rabbi Joseph Dana hosts classes every Friday at 7:30 AM at West Deal Shul. In this class on Parashat Korach, Rabbi Dana examines the rebellion against Moshe Rabbeinu, focusing on the three distinct groups involved: Korach, Datan and Aviram, and the 250 tribal leaders. A central question drives the class — why were the rebels punished through two unusual means, the earth swallowing some and a fire consuming others, rather than a single uniform punishment? Three major commentators are brought to answer this question. The Or HaChaim HaKadosh offers a Kabbalistic approach, explaining that the earth's swallowing of Korach's faction was a tikkun, a rectification, for the earth having previously absorbed the blood of the righteous Hevel. The Netziv analyzes each group individually, arguing that the 250 leaders were genuinely holy people driven by a burning love for God, and their death by fire reflected a kind of sacred dignity, while Datan and Aviram, driven purely by spite and machloket, were swallowed by the earth like animals with no trace left behind. Finally, the Sfat Emet draws a profound lesson from Korach's downfall, teaching that Torah knowledge alone is meaningless unless it transforms a person into action, comparing Torah learning to food that must be fully digested into one's bloodstream — a lesson the rabbi drives home as the core takeaway for every student in the room. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - (0:00) Introduction to Parashat Korach (1:03) The Three Rebel Groups (4:02) The Test of the Ketoret (5:00) Two Different Punishments (7:30) Gemara Sanhedrin: What Happened to Korach? (10:05) Or HaChaim: Tikkun for Cain & Hevel (14:51) Netziv: Each Group Gets Its Due (16:52) The 250 Leaders — Holy Motivations (21:20) Datan & Aviram — Masters of Machloket (23:05) Korach — The Complicated In-Between (24:37) Sfat Emet: Torah Must Be Transformative (28:35) Two Berachot on an Aliyah Explained (30:47) Rabbi Tzadok & Checking Your Veins (31:14) Korach as Esav — Knowledge Without Action (32:24) Summary of All Three Approaches - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Visit: westdealshul.org Sponsorships: west.deal.classes@gmail.com

Rabbi Ike Hanon – Pesahim 42b-43a (& Parashat Korah) | Weekday Gemara

Rabbi Ike Hanon hosts classes Monday through Friday at 6:10 AM at West Deal Shul. The class begins on Pesachim 42b-43a by examining what the Mishnah means by 'women's cosmetics' containing chametz, identifying hair removal pastes made from fine flour as the relevant product. The Gemara then discusses three methods of hair removal used by women of different social classes, and explores the identity of Shemen Hamor referenced in Megillat Esther. A key question is raised as to why the Mishnah lists specific chametz products if a general rule already covers them, with the answer being practical consumer awareness, illustrated by the story of the traveler who avoided kutah because he recognized it from his learning. The class then identifies Rabbi Meir as the author of the Mishnah based on his position regarding se'ur, and presents the dispute between Rabbi Meir and Rabbi Yehuda over the stages of dough fermentation that define se'ur versus full chametz. Concluding with Parashat Korach, the class explores Moshe Rabbeinu's prayer against Datan and Aviram, with the Malbim's insight that Moshe's extraordinary humility led him to genuinely fear losing the confrontation — a lesson in both humility and never writing off a fellow Jew. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - (0:00) Women's cosmetics & chametz (1:49) Hair removal methods by class (2:44) What is Shemen Hamor? (3:53) Rashi admits he doesn't know (5:00) Why Shemen Hamor was used (6:42) Why list examples in the Mishnah? (8:47) Story: the traveler and kutah (10:17) Chametz mixtures vs. nukshah (12:16) Who authored this Mishnah? (13:28) Se'ur: Rebbi Meir vs. Rebbi Yehuda (17:00) Burn it or give to your dog? (18:07) Parashat Korach: Moshe's prayer (19:28) Rashi vs. Ramban on the korban (20:54) Moshe's humility & the Malbim (21:41) Story of Rabbi Akiva Eger - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Visit: westdealshul.org Sponsorships: west.deal.classes@gmail.com

Rabbi Ike Hanon – Pesahim 42b (II) | Weekday Gemara

Rabbi Ike Hanon hosts classes Monday through Friday at 6:10 AM at West Deal Shul. The class continues through the Mishnah on Pesachim 42b, defining several items that constitute Hametz and are therefore prohibited to own on Pesach. Rabbi Hanon explains Zitom HaMitzri, a medicinal drink made of barley or wheat, saffron, and salt, which served as both a laxative and a constipation remedy. The class then covers Zoman shel Tzavain, a bran-based liquid used by dyers to color animal skins, and Amilan shel Tabakhin, an unripe-grain dough used by bakers to absorb foam from cooking pots. A significant discussion develops around Kolan shel Sofrim, the so-called scribe's glue, exploring whether it refers to a shoemaker's adhesive, a scribe's bookbinding paste, or a cosmetic hair-removal cream used by wealthy women. The class concludes with an important practical principle: Hametz used in a craft is only problematic to own while still in its edible raw form, but once applied to a finished product and dried out, it is considered spoiled beyond the threshold of Hametz. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - (0:00) Intro: Zitom HaMitzri (1:01) Defining Zitom HaMitzri (2:01) Mnemonic: Rav Yosef vs. Rav Papa (2:55) How Zitom was prepared (4:37) When was Zitom drunk? (5:21) Danger for pregnant women (6:58) Zoman shel Tzavain: dyer's liquid (9:08) Amilan shel Tabakhin: baker's dough (11:07) Kolan shel Sofrim: scribe's glue (11:33) Is it a shoemaker's glue? (12:02) Hair removal paste theory (14:32) Defending the shoemaker explanation (16:20) When does Hametz become inedible? (19:06) Story: Rabbi Aluf and cologne - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Visit: westdealshul.org Sponsorships: west.deal.classes@gmail.com