West Deal Torah Center

Mr. Sammy Saka – Mishna 2:1 “What is the Proper Path in Life” | Pirkei Abot

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, Mr. Sammy Saka opens Perek Bet of Pirkei Avot with the famous Mishna of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi, who asks what the proper path in life is and answers that it is one that brings credit to oneself and earns the esteem of others. Drawing on the Rambam, Mr. Saka explains that this straight path — rooted in the meaning of the name Yisrael, Yashar El — is about righteousness, justice, and acting with integrity in our everyday interpersonal dealings, especially in business and community life. He explores the Mishna's teaching that we cannot know the true reward of any mitzvah, using the equal reward given for honoring parents and sending away the mother bird as proof, and emphasizes through personal stories that even small acts of kindness can change the trajectory of entire families. The class also addresses the calculation of sin against its cost, with kashrut cited as a particularly relevant example in the community today, and a moving story about helping a family secure a reservation at a kosher restaurant that ultimately led them to commit to keeping kosher as a family. Mr. Saka closes by reflecting on the Mishna's final teaching — that an eye sees, an ear hears, and all our deeds are recorded — reminding the class that Hashem is always watching and that living the straight path means acting with that awareness at all times. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - (0:00) Introduction to Perek Bet (0:32) The Mishna: What Is the Proper Path? (1:09) Be Careful with Easy Mitzvot (2:03) Three Things to Avoid Sin (2:42) Breaking Down the Mishna (3:08) Yashar — Straightness & Yisrael (3:44) Rambam on the Straight Path (5:23) Teferet: Credit & Esteem of Others (7:03) Torah vs. Daily Conduct (8:41) Kiddush Hashem in Business (9:33) Value of Every Mitzvah (11:44) Day-to-Day Acts of Kindness (13:07) Story: Helping Someone in Need (14:14) Calculating the Cost of Sin (14:29) Kashrut as a Practical Example (15:35) Story: The Teva Reservation (19:01) Three Things to Remember (20:06) Everything Is Written Down (20:49) Rambam & Righteous Path Recap (23:55) Closing Thoughts - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Visit: westdealshul.org Sponsorships: west.deal.classes@gmail.com

Rabbi Ike Hanon – Pesahim 39a | Weekday Gemara

Rabbi Ike Hanon hosts classes Monday through Friday at 6:10 AM at West Deal Shul. This class covers Pesachim 39a, which opens with the Mishnah listing the five vegetables that fulfill the mitzvah of Maror on Pesach night. Rabbi Hanon works through the identification of each species — including hazeret (lettuce), tamcha, charvina, ulshin, and maror — noting that the order in the Mishnah reflects their relative halachic quality, with lettuce being the preferred choice. A major discussion centers on the Ashkenazic tradition of using horseradish, which Rabbi Hanon argues was a historical substitution made in Eastern Europe where leafy greens were unavailable, and which fails several of the criteria the Gemara itself will establish for valid Maror. The class also addresses halachic points about fresh versus pickled Maror, combining species to reach a kazayit, using the stalk of romaine, and the demai concerns when purchasing produce from an uneducated seller. The Gemara's attempt to identify the Mishnah's species is then examined, along with a supporting baraita that offers an alternate list of valid Maror vegetables. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - (0:00) Mishnah: Maror species intro (0:25) Identifying the five species (1:25) Hazeret = lettuce explained (1:58) Tamcha, Charvina, Ulshin IDs (2:27) Fresh vs. dry vs. pickled Maror (3:05) Mixing species for a kazayit (3:12) Using the stalk of romaine (3:29) Demai produce and Maror (4:22) Mitzvah vs. sin (d'oraita/d'rabbanan) (5:58) Gemara identifies Mishnah species (7:05) Horseradish debate begins (7:25) Rashi text and the horseradish insert (9:54) Can't eat kazayit of horseradish (11:25) Horseradish fails Maror criteria (11:55) Minhag: use lettuce AND endives (13:33) Baraita: alternate species list (14:51) Wild vs. garden varieties (15:20) Why repeat species already taught? (16:00) Afas, Tudor, Maror identification (17:26) Chervil, parsley, field eringo - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Visit: westdealshul.org Sponsorships: west.deal.classes@gmail.com

Mr. Sammy Saka – Mishna 1:18 “Core Values of Leadership” | Pirkei Abot

Mr. Sammy Saka hosts classes on Zoom Tuesday and Thursday at 12:30PM. Contact Jacob Betesh to be added to the chat. In this final class of Pirkei Avot Chapter One, Mr. Sammy Saka explores Mishnah 1:18, in which Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel teaches that the world endures on three things: justice (Din), truth (Emet), and peace (Shalom). He distinguishes this Mishnah from the earlier one about Torah, Avodah, and Gemilut Chasadim, explaining that the earlier three form the foundation of the world while these three are what sustain and beautify it in daily life. Mr. Saka draws on the story of Rav Safra to illustrate the highest standard of truth, emphasizes that no relationship — in business, family, or community — can survive without honesty, and highlights the Rambam's teaching that Gadol HaShalom, peace is the greatest value, as evidenced by every major blessing ending in Shalom. Using analogies from basketball and baseball, he frames Din, Emet, and Shalom as the advanced "three-point shots" that great leaders must work to master, built upon the daily fundamentals of Torah, prayer, and kindness. The class concludes with a Shavuot blessing and a reflection on the significance of Chapter One ending with the word Shalom. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - (0:00) Opening: Mishnah 1:18 Intro (0:20) Comparing Two Foundational Mishnahs (1:09) Foundation vs. Endurance of the World (2:30) Al HaDin: Justice & Law (3:33) Din in Schools & Society (4:15) Al HaEmet: Truth (5:13) Emet: Letters & Hashem's Seal (5:52) Rav Safra: Truth in His Heart (7:08) No Relationship Survives Without Truth (8:08) Word Over Contract: A Father's Lesson (9:04) Al HaShalom: Peace (9:12) Shalom Bayit & Honoring Your Wife (10:03) Din, Emet, Shalom as Leadership Values (10:53) Unity & Strength: The Fist Analogy (11:10) Gadol HaShalom: The Rambam (11:59) All Blessings End in Shalom (13:06) Torah, Avodah, Chesed: Daily Foundations (14:00) Torah = Gemilut Chasadim (Both = 611) (14:55) Basketball Analogy: Layups vs. Three-Pointers (16:06) Great Leaders: Word Is Your Bond (16:29) Shalom in Family Business (17:02) Closing: 18 Mishnayot Complete (17:16) It's How You Finish: Mariana Rivera (19:29) Shavuot Blessing & Closing Remarks - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Visit: westdealshul.org Sponsorships: west.deal.classes@gmail.com

Rabbi Ezra Labaton A"H – (Part 2/2) What are Reasons for Hashem's Commandments?

A shiur from our beloved founding Rabbi of West Deal Shul, Rabbi Ezra Labaton A"H. In this class, Rabbi Ezra Labaton A"H continues his exploration of ta'amei hamitzvot — the reasons behind God's commandments — building on the tension between the Rambam's rationalist approach and the Ramban's more mystical objections. He surveys how modern Jewish thinkers such as Rabbi Soloveitchik, Heschel, and Robert Gordis have addressed the philosophy of Judaism broadly but largely avoided a mitzvah-by-mitzvah analysis. The class then focuses on the Rambam and Ramban's pointed disagreement over korbanot, where the Ramban sharply challenges the Rambam's rationalist justification. Rabbi Labaton then introduces the intriguing case of Eglah Arufah — the ceremony of the broken-necked heifer described in Devarim 21 — as a test case for whether both the overall mitzvah and its specific details can be given rational explanations. The class raises initial questions about the meaning of key terms such as nahal etan, setting up a deeper analysis of how the Rambam and other commentators approach the particulars of this enigmatic ritual. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Visit: westdealshul.org Sponsorships: west.deal.classes@gmail.com

Rabbi Ezra Labaton A"H – What are Reasons for Hashem's Commandments? (Part 1/2)

A shiur from our beloved founding Rabbi of West Deal Shul, Rabbi Ezra Labaton A"H. In this class, Rabbi Ezra Labaton A"H introduces the topic of Ta'amei HaMitzvot — the reasons behind the commandments — framing it as one of the most fundamental yet overlooked questions in Jewish thought. He explores the central tension between whether Hashem commands out of divine wisdom, implying rational and comprehensible mitzvot, or purely out of divine will, which may transcend human logic entirely. Rabbi Labaton connects this question to broader theological issues such as the definition of Tzelem Elokim and the nature of man, and illustrates the real-world halachic stakes through three compelling examples: the prohibition of shaving on Chol HaMoed, the laws of mamzerut, and the agunah crisis. He then begins to survey the spectrum of Jewish thinkers on this issue, highlighting the Rambam's systematic rationalist approach and setting up the Ramban as a contrasting figure who is both drawn to and uncomfortable with providing reasons for the commandments. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Visit: westdealshul.org Sponsorships: west.deal.classes@gmail.com