Rabbi David Semah – Parashat Naso "Gold in Bircat Kohanim" | Weekly Parasha

Rabbi Joseph Dana – Berachot 21b | Weekday Gemara

Rabbi Joseph Dana hosts classes every day at 6:50 AM at West Deal Shul. This class covers Brachot 21b, focusing on the status of a Baal Keri — someone who has experienced a seminal emission — and whether they are permitted to engage in words of Torah. The Mishnah presents a dispute, with Rabbi Yehudah's opinion that a Baal Keri may recite blessings before and after Torah study and meals. The Gemara then probes the biblical source for the prohibition on a Baal Keri learning Torah, deriving it through Drash Semuchim — expounding on two adjacent pesukim in Devarim — and raises the question of whether this prohibition is biblical or rabbinic in origin, ultimately suggesting it is an Asmachta, a rabbinic enactment supported by a verse. A key tension emerges around Rabbi Yehudah's legal methodology: does he expound on connected pesukim or not, and if not, how does he arrive at the Sekila ruling for a Mechashefa? The class concludes by demonstrating through the Mechashefa-Baal Keri discussion that Rabbi Yehudah does not generally use Drash Semuchim across the Torah, setting up tomorrow's class to show that he does apply it specifically within Sefer Devarim. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - (0:00) Introduction: Brachot 21b (0:37) Mishnah: Baal Keri Overview (3:06) Gemara Begins: Rabbi Yehudah (4:26) Is Baal Keri Permitted in Torah? (6:06) Pasuk Source: V'Hodatam L'Vanecha (7:06) Drash Semuchim Explained (8:40) D'Orayta or Rabbinic Decree? (10:28) Asmachta B'Alma Defined (13:18) Rabbi Yehudah's Position (20:00) Does Rabbi Yehudah Use Semuchim? (22:07) Ben Azai: Mechashefa and Sekila (24:21) Rabbi Yehudah Rejects the Drasha (27:44) Ob and Yidoni: Alternative Source (30:01) Conclusion: Preview of Tomorrow - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Visit: westdealshul.org Sponsorships: west.deal.classes@gmail.com

Rabbi Ike Hanon – Pesahim 44a-44b | Weekday Gemara

Rabbi Ike Hanon hosts classes Tuesday and Thursday at 12:30 PM at West Deal Shul. This class covers Pesachim 44a-44b, focusing on a debate between Abaye and Ravdimi regarding the principle of kazayit b'chdei achilas peras — whether one can receive lashes for consuming a prohibited kazayit eaten over time rather than in one bite. Abaye challenges Ravdimi with cases involving mixed pots and boxes of terumah and non-terumah food, arguing that if the prohibition applies over time, the leniency of she'ani omer (assuming the permitted fell into the permitted) should not hold. Ravdimi deflects each case by arguing that the items in question — spices and then terumah generally today — are only prohibited midirabanan, not de'orayta, and therefore we can be lenient in cases of doubt. The class then introduces the Rambam's ruling that terumah is only midirabanan today since not all Jews have returned to Israel, a condition required for the biblical obligation to apply. Finally, the class explores the word mishrat and a debate between Rabi Akiva and the Rabanan over whether it is used to permit combining permitted and prohibited foods into a kazayit, or to teach the foundational kosher principle of ta'am ki'ikar — that the taste of a prohibited food renders a mixture prohibited just as the food itself would. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - (0:00) Intro: Heter Mitzaref L'Issur (1:06) Two Pots Case: She'ani Omer (4:45) Terumah Spices Are Midirabanan (7:24) Two Boxes of Grain Case (9:01) Rambam: Terumah Nowadays (14:45) New Attack: Word of Mishrat (16:52) Ta'am Ki'Ikar Explained (21:18) Nazir vs. Kilayim: Kal Vachomer (22:59) Rabi Akiva vs. Rabanan on Mishrat - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Visit: westdealshul.org Sponsorships: west.deal.classes@gmail.com

Mr. Sammy Saka – Pirke Abot 2:8 "Moderation"

Mr. Sammy Saka hosts classes on Zoom Tuesday and Thursday at 12:30PM. Contact Jacob Betesh to be added to the chat. In this class on Pirkei Avot 2:8, Mr. Sammy Saka explores the Mishnah's paired teachings on excess and virtue, offering moderation as the unifying theme. The first half of the Mishnah warns that overindulgence in food, possessions, and household staff leads to worry, moral pitfalls, and financial strain, with Mr. Saka drawing on real-life examples of people who overspend beyond their means. The second half pivots to the positive, showing how more Torah, study, counsel, and charity bring life, wisdom, understanding, and peace into the world. Mr. Saka emphasizes that Torah study is not merely an intellectual exercise but a living practice — Torah Hayyim — meant to be applied directly to daily decisions and behavior. He concludes by noting that while Hashem grants talents, a good name is something each person must earn for themselves, and that Torah learning is the surest path to a share in the World to Come. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - (0:00) Introduction to Mishnah 2:8 (0:44) The theme of moderation (2:34) More flesh, more worms (4:00) More possessions, more worry (6:55) More wives, more witchcraft (7:53) More maidservants, more problems (9:28) More Torah, more life (10:48) More study, more wisdom (12:34) More counsel, more understanding (15:00) More charity, more peace (15:27) Acquiring a good name (16:09) Torah and the World to Come - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Visit: westdealshul.org Sponsorships: west.deal.classes@gmail.com

Rabbi Ike Hanon – Perasha Balak & Pesahim 44a | Weekly Parasha

Rabbi Ike Hanon hosts classes every day at 6:10 AM at West Deal Shul. This class continues the Gemara in Pesachim 44a, examining a case involving a stew mixture of terumah and chulin, and asking how a non-kohen who eats it can receive malkut when the terumah may not constitute a full kazayit on its own. The central debate revolves around two competing mechanisms: kazayit b'chdei achilat peras, the idea that a kazayit eaten cumulatively over a set time frame is halachically significant, versus heter mitzaref l'issur, combining the permitted and forbidden portions to form a punishable quantity. Through a back-and-forth between Ravdimi and Abaya, the Gemara challenges each position using the case of kutach habavli, a yogurt dip with breadcrumbs, and ultimately resolves the debate by invoking batla daateh, the principle that abnormal eating behavior is halachically disregarded. The class closes with a brief but meaningful thought on Parashat Balak, focusing on the haftarah's call to remember the story of Balak and Bilaam as a lesson in Hashem's hidden protection and the value of restraining anger for the sake of others. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - (0:00) Intro: Terumah & Tevel Yom Case (1:16) Heter Mitzaref L'Issur Question (2:09) Nazir & Mizbeach Exceptions (3:35) Kazayit B'Chdei Achilat Peras (5:49) Is Achilat Peras D'Orayta? (8:05) Challenge from Kutach HaBavli (9:47) Ravdimi vs. Abaya Back and Forth (12:08) Resolving Kutach: Batla Daateh (17:47) Shekhar HaMadi Deflection (19:28) Parasha Balak: Haftarah Pasuk (20:29) Hashem's Hidden Anger & Bilaam (21:16) Lesson: Hidden Miracles - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Visit: westdealshul.org Sponsorships: west.deal.classes@gmail.com

Rabbi David Semah – Perasha Balak | Weekly Parasha

Rabbi David Semah hosts classes Monday through Friday at 6:45 AM at West Deal Shul. In this class on Parshat Chukat Balak, Rabbi Semah focuses on the pasuk describing Bilaam waking early to saddle his donkey and set out to curse the Jewish people. Rashi notes that Bilaam's intense hatred caused him to act beneath his stature, saddling his own donkey as hatred distorts a person's normal behavior and judgment. Rabbi Yosef Edes raises a sharp question: if Bilaam was simply motivated and learned from Avraham Avinu's own early rising, why is he called a rasha? Rabbi Semah answers by explaining that Bilaam's true motive was strategic — he wanted to reach the heavens before the Jews woke up for Shacharit, believing he could slip his curse in while they were off guard. God's response to Bilaam is that Avraham already taught the Jewish people to rise early for prayer and mitzvot, so there is no moment when the Jews are spiritually unguarded, and Bilaam's plan was doomed from the start. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - (0:00) Introduction: Parshat Chukat Balak (1:07) Bilaam Saddles His Donkey (1:42) Rashi: Hatred Twists Judgment (3:02) God Compares Bilaam to Avraham (3:51) Rabbi Yosef Edes: Why Is Bilaam Wicked? (4:32) Jews Rise Like a Lion for Mitzvot (7:17) Bilaam's Real Motive for Waking Early (8:07) Avraham Already Taught Us Shacharit (9:05) Bilaam Cannot Defeat the Jewish People - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Visit: westdealshul.org Sponsorships: west.deal.classes@gmail.com