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Barry Gelman's suggestions (Parsha)
‫ רמב"ן‬shiur. Sources I use:
o ‫ פרשה ופרשה‬and ‫ פרשה ולקהח‬- both by Moshe Golrelik. (a collection of his articles from Maariv).
o Rav Nevenzhal: ‫ שיחות‬on ‫פרשת השבוע‬
o ‫( טל חרמון‬Rav Aviner)
o Bar Ilan Parsha site
o Rabbi Sacks (www,chiefrabbi.org)
Judah Dardik’s Suggestions (Parsha & Tanach):
Three-prong overview:
1. Educational
a. Specifically interactive (there are people who are far more engaged when they can share)
b. People share their own thoughts (It gives them a great feeling when they have a creative insight or intuit the
words of a ‫)ראשון‬
Whenever one looks at a Torah text there is always a tension between the literal words and what we expect it to
mean.
Other times, Chumash has extra words, missing words, unclear text, etc.
To reconcile the words with what we expect them to mean, the ‫ מפרשים‬comment. At one end of the spectrum are
the interpretations that fit the words (text committed) and are highly creative (and surprising) in their
implications, and at the other end are those ‫ מפרשים‬that make it the ideas smooth but have to stretch the words.
2. Methodology
a. Take a piece of the parsha (5 – 10 ‫ פסוקים‬long)
b. Try to get the most literal starting translation of the ‫( פסוק‬Aryeh Kaplan)
c. Then I edit the translation to be even closer to the literal (as much as possible) – making it sound
awkward/literal
d. I now go back to using the ‫( תורת חיים‬Mosad HaRav Kook) – to see how each of the ‫ ראשונים‬read it. I take
notes on how each reads the phrase.
e. I give everyone copies of my edited (literal) version. They’re looking at
i. the ‫פסוק‬
ii. Kaplan’s translation mixed with the edited/literal translation
f. Discussion
i. I ask “What do you think of this?”
1. set up questions for the ‫’מפרשים‬s …answers, which I share with them.
2. they look at the text, they’re troubled, and they offer suggestions.
3. They feel like little kids in school… they’re so proud that they came up with Ramban’s and
‫’ספורנו‬s explanations.
ii. It’s interactive! They don’t go for the “lecture” approach
iii. My underlying agenda is that these ‫ ראשונים‬didn’t just make this stuff up – it is embedded in a careful
and thoughtful reading of the Torah and is brilliant!
Sefer “‫ ”בשם אומרו‬quotes from many ‫ מפרשים‬on any given ‫ פסוק‬in different areas of Tanach
‫ – תורה תמימה‬brings you the ‫ גמרא‬and very creative insights.
Kalman Topp (Parsha):
There are 2 types of parsha shiurim:
a) One major theme
Notes from Gush, Gush articles, R' Elon, Daat,
Old fashioned way: ‫פסוקים‬, ‫רש"י‬, ‫רמב"ן‬, ‫אור החיים‬, ‫כלי יקר‬, ‫אברבנאל‬, etc
b) Assorted short ideas or vortlech:
‫ אמת ליעקב‬,‫ שמן הטוב‬,‫עיטורי תורה‬, R’ Isaac Bernstein
Tanach; again two types:
a) Tanach Analysis: -analyzing the story, parallels with other stories in Tanach
b) Quasi Tanach: meaning the story and then branching off onto a halachic topic that relates to the story
Kenneth Auman (Parsha):
Each week I give two shiurim related to the Parsha, one on a hashkafa topic related to the parsha, and the other
on a halacha topic related to the parsha.
Encyclopedia Talmudit
‫לך לך‬
‫וירא‬
‫חיי שרה‬
‫תולדות‬
‫ויצא‬
‫וישלח‬
‫וישב‬
ISRAEL: The modern State as heir to the ancient kingdom.
May one go on ‫?הר הבית‬
Does arguing with G-d make any sense?
The Mitzvah of ‫חסד‬
Shidduchim, Bashert, and dating.
The Jewish Wedding ceremony
How does prayer work?
The ‫ סעודת הבראה‬and other cheerful topics
What’s in a name?
Attempting to be an honest employer or employee
Receiving blessings from angels.
Family dynamics
Dreams and their significance.
The ‫ מצוות‬of ‫ יבום‬and ‫ – חליצה‬Jewish continuity
Mordechai Torczyner
Aggada:
usually very text-based, sometimes picking up on apparent anomalies and contrasting approaches
of ‫ פשט‬and ‫דרש‬, sometimes trying to provide a complete picture based on a specific ‫מפרש‬.
Particularly useful in providing themes: ‫תורה תמימה‬, ‫ העמק דבר( נצי"ב‬as well as ‫ פירושים‬to ‫מכילתא‬
and ‫)ספרי‬, ‫( סוכת דוד‬Rav Dovid Kviat).
Tanach
Sometimes I teach specific events from ‫תנ"ך‬, and then I draw on subjects from ‫גמרא‬/‫ מדרש‬that
relate to those events. For example, I taught about "Queen" Atalia and discussed the Gemara on
anointing kings, on the Davidic line, and on the powers of a queen.
Specific ‫ספרי תנ"ך‬:
‫דעת מקרא – יהושוע‬, ‫מקראות גדולות מפרשים‬, ‫מלבי"ם‬
‫ שופטים‬- ‫דעת מקרא‬, ‫מקראות גדולות מפרשים‬, ‫מלבי"ם‬
‫ תהלים‬- ‫דעת מקרא‬, ‫דעת מקרא‬, ‫מקראות גדולות מפרשים‬, R' Shimshon Raphael Hirsch.
‫ משלי‬- ‫דעת מקרא‬, Gemara Shabbos and corresponding ‫ מדרשים‬on its censorship, ‫פירוש הגר"א‬
‫ שיר השירים‬- Gemara and Midrash
‫ קהלת‬- ‫דעת מקרא‬, ‫דעת מקרא‬, ‫מקראות גדולות מפרשים‬, R' Shlomo Aviner's "‫"קהלת‬
Yaacov Lerner (Parsha):
For my weekly parsha shiur I focus on a single ‫ מפרש‬usually devoting 1-3 years to go through his commentaries
on the whole parsha fairly extensively:
‫מש"ך חכמה‬,
‫רבינו בחיי‬,
‫אברבנאל‬
‫רמב"ן‬
I occasionally do a comparison between them when the subject lends itself to that
Yaacov Bieler(Parsha):
Gilyanot of Nechama Leibowitz, ZaTzaL:
I present one of her ‫ גליונות‬each Shabbat for consideration and study. There are various websites where one can
find her ‫ גליונות‬translated and with answers to the questions that she asks.
‫פרקי נחמה‬, ed. Moshe Arend, Ruth Ben-Meir and Gavriel Cohen.
Dr. Moshe Sokolow has prepared an index of the topics
‫ פרשיות‬Guidelines for teaching that contain additional sources and recommendations for how to present the
material. When for a given topic, such a sheet was produced, I distribute that as well.
How do you prepare for a weekly TANACH shiur?
The approach that I have been using over the last several years in my ‫ תנ"ך‬Shiurim, is looking for the interface
between ‫ תורה שבכתב‬and ‫תורה שבעל פה‬, i.e., I am interested in the ‫ מדרשים‬and ‫ סוגיות‬in the ‫ גמרא‬that expand upon
particular verses in ‫תנ"ך‬, using an electronic database such as Bar Ilan