Jewish History with Rabbi Dr. Dovid Katz

1

Rosh Hashanah and the Dangers of AI: An interpretation of the theme of Malchiyos

Sep 10, 2026

29:04

Also: The historical origins of וְכֵן תֵּן פַּחְדְּךָ

2

A Historical Introduction to the Drashos HaRamban to Rosh HaShanah, Pt. 2

Sep 9, 2026

52:57

Ramban, a Sephardi, spars with his Ashkenazic audience

3

A Historical Introduction to the Drashos HaRamban to Rosh HaShanah, Pt. 1

Sep 7, 2026

1:03:44

A Sephardi take on עִנְיְנֵי רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה delivered in an Ashkenazi yeshiva (in the Capital of the Crusader Kingdom) in 1267

4

Rosh Hashanah: A Suggested History of Malchiyos, Zichronos and Shofros in the Common Liturgy (5787)

Sep 6, 2026

37:45

Did the predecessors of R’ Abahu also combine different meanings of תְּקִיעַת שׁוֹפָר that were "out there" into a single standard liturgy for all Jews? Was he merely following their example of uniformization?

5

Haftarah Nitzavim-VaYelech: Angelology and the Final Redemption

Sep 4, 2026

26:30

Will Hashem Himself kill Edom? Or will it be the Archangel Michael? Different strands of Jewish Tradition.

6

פָּרָשַׁת נִצָּבִים תשפ"ו "הַנִּסְתָּרוֹת וְהַנִּגְלוֹת" לְמַה בְּדִיּוּק מִתְכַּוֵּן הַתּוֹרָה?

Sep 3, 2026

39:04

Are courts, shul-rabbis, teachers, roshei-yeshiva and mashgichim, principals etc. obligated to organize spies and snitches in the institutions under their control?

7

רַבִּי יְשַׁעְיָהוּ דִּטְרַנִי - הַ"תּוֹסְפוֹת רי"ד " (1150s-1240s) THE Gadol of Italy & the Byzantine Empire

Sep 2, 2026

37:30

Classic case of a Rishon (among the greatest, according to his contemporaries) whose writings were forgotten for centuries and then rediscovered in the Modern era.

8

What is the exact history of the practice of 30 shofar blasts? Part 2

Aug 31, 2026

37:07

A Hasidic-Kabbalistic metahistorical narrative from the בְּנֵי יִשָּׂשכָר

9

הַפְטָרַת פָּרָשַׁת כִּי תָבֹא תשפ"ו - The Nations of the World "See the Light"

Aug 27, 2026

32:13

In the Messianic Era, will the Jews influence the gentiles to respect Judaism, or will the gentiles' respect for Judaism influence the Jews to value their own religion?

10

תְּקִיעַת שׁוֹפָר as part of anti-Karaite/Sadduceean Rabbinic Judaism

Aug 27, 2026

29:07

Aspects of the laws of תְּקִיעַת שׁוֹפָר reflect anti-heretical practices which are such an interesting part of Rabbanite Judaism

11

Did World War Two end widespread antisemitism in America?

Aug 26, 2026

34:38

Already in 1945 organizations like the ADL & Co. feared some future technology (like the internet) which would empower antisemitic groups and even enable them to win elections

12

Rabbi Aharon of Narbonne (Luniel), late 1200s-early 1300s, the אָרְחוֹת חַיִּים

Aug 24, 2026

51:40

Thoughts on the social-history of rabbinic literature: How come some seforim take-off (like the Tur), while others remain obscure, despite their quality?

13

What is the exact history of the practice of 30 shofar blasts? Part 1

Aug 24, 2026

35:40

Talmud Bavli, Rambam, Zohar

14

הַפְטָרַת פָּרָשַׁת כִּי תֵּצֵא תשפ"ו - The Childless woman discovers she has children!

Aug 19, 2026

26:20

The sharp (and deep) conversation between בְּרוּרְיָה and the Jew for J

15

פָּרָשַׁת כִּי תֵּצֵא תשפ"ו - Moshe switches from Musar to Halacha

Aug 17, 2026

26:10

Do these laws originate with Moshe, just Hashem confirms them? Were they told to him at an earlier time?

16

The Imprisonment of the Tosafos Yom Tov in the Historical Context of the Thirty Years War

Aug 17, 2026

1:05:43

Worthy of its own miniseries: Rabbi Yom Tov Lipman Heller, Jacob Bassevi, Albrecht von Wallenstein and The Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand II

17

Some Original Thoughts about the Original Elul

Aug 16, 2026

35:13

Moshe was up on the Mountain for the third time with two blank tablets waiting for writing to appear...

18

Haftarah Shoftim: Don't give up hope for a Glorious Future!

Aug 13, 2026

26:08

Isaiah endeavors to inspire hope in a Jewish People suffering (understandably) from depression and hopelessness because of so much persecution. The future is brighter than you can imagine!

19

Parshas Shoftim: Moses Shifts Gears From Mussar Schmooze to Practical Directions for Government

Aug 13, 2026

40:18

Also, Rambam vs. Ramban re: whether the Canaanites must be exterminated or not

20

פְּשַׁט vs. דְּרַשׁ in Judaism and Christianity: A Tale from the שֵׁבֶט יְהוּדָה

Aug 11, 2026

24:02

כָּל פָּסוּק בְּלָשׁוֹן עִבְרִי סוֹבֵל כָּל צוּרָה שֶׁיִּרְצֶה הַמְּצַיֵּר, אֲבָל הַצּוּרָה הָאֲמִתִּית בְּמָה יִתְאַמֵּת הֲלֹא הוּא אִם נִמְשְׁכוּ שְׁאָר הַפְּסוּקִים עַל הַצּוּרָה הַהִיא.

21

Rabbi Abraham Bing of Frankfurt and Wurzburg (1752-1841), the most influential modern German Gadol you never heard of

Aug 10, 2026

53:26

The Rebbe of all the German Gedolim (in Germany and elsewhere) you ever heard of. Really

22

הַפְטָרָה פָּרָשַׁת רְאֵה תשפ"ו - A בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ constructed out of diamonds? Literally?

Aug 5, 2026

32:03

Only in the Messianic Era will Israel be totally free of terror. Sigh

23

Parshas Re’Eh: Are you Bonim or are you Avodim?

Aug 4, 2026

32:25

The difference between living in the desert "panopticon" vs. living scattered on farms in Israel with the privacy (and therefore the option) to make bad choices.

24

The fight in Israel over who exactly is being פּוֹרֵשׁ מִדַּרְכֵי הַצִּבּוּר?

Aug 3, 2026

30:43

Similarities between the current antisemitism and that of the era of Theodore Herzl

25

The current Moroccan "invasion" of Spanish Ceuta and Melilla and its possible effect on Israel

Aug 2, 2026

31:33

Is Spain dumping on Israel in order to kiss-up to the Muslim world and thereby get a pass and avoid criticism for the fact that Spain still colonially rules parts of Muslim N. Africa?

26

Jewish Communists of the 20th Century, particularly in Poland

Jul 30, 2026

1:00:43

A fascinating set of interviews with leading Jewish communists in their old age, plus equally fascinating secret remarks re: Jews by Nikita Khrushchev, successor to Stalin. Communism was a religious faith!

27

Historical Megatrends: The "Secular Episode" in Western History and the rise of the State of Israel

Jul 29, 2026

26:18

Is the 21st century going to be the century in world affairs when religion returns to it position as the LEADING factor in world events ?

28

ט"ו בְּאָב תשפ"ו - The existential Jewish tension between Tribalism and Nationalism

Jul 28, 2026

30:34

שִׁבְטֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל vs. כְּלַל יִשְׂרָאֵל

29

Haftarah Eikev: The Depression of Zion and the melodramatic transformation

Jul 28, 2026

27:50

Tragedy, especially prolonged tragedy, brings depression in its wake

30

הַפְטָרַת פָּרָשַׁת עֵקֶב תשפ"ו - The Depression of Zion and the melodramatic transformation

Jul 28, 2026

26:38

Tragedy, especially prolonged tragedy, brings depression in its wake

31

Trump and his seesaw re: the Iran War

Jul 27, 2026

26:38

Do 18th century tactics work in a 21syt century conflict with evil fanatics?

32

פָּרָשַׁת עֵקֶב תשפ"ו - What happened during those 38 years missing from the Torah's narrative?

Jul 27, 2026

30:11

"You have been rebellious all the way through!"Even during those missing years?

33

Haftarah Shabbos Nachamu: The Highway to Hashem

Jul 22, 2026

31:37

The four obstacles to building a "Straight Road to Hashem"כְּנֶגֶד הָאַרְבַּע גָּלוּיוֹת?

34

Tisha b"Av 5786 (2026): another opinion on why Jews were exiled in the Biblical era

Jul 22, 2026

26:02

The "war-crime" of Amaziah King of Judah re: mistreating the Edomite POWs

35

פָּרָשַׁת וׇאֶתְחַנׇּן תשפ"ו - The strange passage " וַיִתְעַבֵּר הַשֵּׁם בִּי"

Jul 21, 2026

30:02

Were the pleas of Moses rejected out of anger? Because the request was premature? Out of a sense of Divine "pain?"

36

What is the meaning of גָּלוּת, as in גָּלוּת אֱדוֹם? Afterall, the Romans did not kick the Jews out of Israel?

Jul 19, 2026

30:24

What is the difference between heresy and unbelief? Which more accurately applies to the חִלּוֹנִים in Israel today?

37

הַפְטָרַת שַׁבַּת חֲזוֹן תשפ"ו - Isaiah blasts the smug survivors of the Assyrian Holocaust

Jul 14, 2026

26:25

"You were not spared because you are righteous! In fact, God hates your so-called mitzvos!"

38

פָּרָשַׁת דְּבָרִים תשפ"ו - Is Moss talking about "Greater Israel"?

Jul 14, 2026

33:45

He is rebuking the CHILDREN of the sinners, not the sinners themselves. The challenge of rebuking constructively

39

More on Ancient Judaism, Christianity, and the Question of Proselytism

Jul 13, 2026

22:38

Why is וּלְמַלְשִׁינִים juxtaposed to עַל הַצַּדִּיקִים?

40

Why has (Rabbinic) Judaism not encouraged Proselytizing?

Jul 12, 2026

27:54

The big difference between Judaism and Christianity re: Proselytizing. Origin of the Talmudic concept of עֵרֶב רַב?

41

הַפְטָרַת פָּרָשַׁת מַטּוֹת-מַסְּעֵי (בֵּין הַמְּצָרִים) - The Broken Cisterns

Jul 9, 2026

26:30

You abandoned land which contained a natural spring of fresh water for arid land supplied by collected rainwater only to find the cistern which was supposed to hold the water had a leak!

42

Henry (Tzvi Hirsh) Gersoni 1844-1897: a story of בְּנוֹת מוֹאָב and בַּעַל פְּעוֹר in Czarist Russia

Jul 8, 2026

42:29

בַּעַל הַ"מוֹדֶה וְעוֹזֵב יְרֻחָם"

43

פָּרָשַׁת מַטּוֹת- מַסְּעֵי תשפ"ו - The Massacre of the Midianites

Jul 6, 2026

35:44

The peculiar moral characteristics of a "War of Revenge" - נְקֹם נִקְמַת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל מֵאֵת הַמִּדְיָנִים

44

Some reflections on בֵּין הַמְּצָרִים in light of Current Events

Jul 5, 2026

28:36

What does רשב"ג mean when he says (שבת י"ג ע"ב) אֵין אָנוּ מַסְפִּיקִין?

45

שִׁבְעָה עָשָׂר בְּתַמּוּז other events, such as July 4, 1776! And July 15, 1099

Jul 2, 2026

26:53

The Fall of Jerusalem to the Crusaders in 1099 and the accompanying massacres of Jews

46

הַפְטָרַת שַׁבַּת פִּינְחָס (בֵּין הַמְּצָרִים) - Jeremiah is from the non-corrupt, banished, kohanim

Jul 1, 2026

30:12

His Divinely-ordained career of musar and tochechah begins in the middle of King Josiah's radical (and unpopular!) campaign to exterminate idols in the Kingdom of Judah

47

Parshas Pinchas: Pinchas criticizes Hashem and is rewarded by Hashem for it

Jun 30, 2026

30:01

Were the 24,000 who perished Jews? Or erev rav?

48

The Tosfos Shantz: Rabbi Samson of Sens (1150-1211), Pt. 3

Jun 30, 2026

47:35

How were the Crusader-Related events in Eretz Yisroel that took place in the 12th century interpreted by the Baalei Tosfos and their Jewish contemporaries? As עִקְבְתָא דִּמְשִׁיחָא!

49

הַפְטָרַת פָּרָשַׁת חֻקַּת בָּלָק תשפ"ו - Micah's horatory message

Jun 26, 2026

22:38

What exactly is הַצְנֵעַ לֶכֶת עִם אֱלֹהֶיךָ?

50

פָּרָשַׁת בָּלָק (מֵחֻקַּת-בָּלָק) תשפ"ו - Balak's Grand Strategy

Jun 24, 2026

27:34

Bil'am the spinmeister could have (through his rhetorical skills) united the various kingdoms into an anti=Jewish Alliance...