Ramban Al haTorah – Divrei Hashkafa by Rav Mayer Twersky

Shiurim in this series are listed below.

Listen using the player below
Click the download button next to a shiur to download that shiur
Click the lyrics button in the player to read the transcript of a shiur (where available)
See the table below the audio player for the full list of shiurim in this series, with links to transcripts

Track	Title	Date	Description	Transcript
1	Devarim 30:11 – "ki haMitzvah hazos"	2023-08-29	Devarim 30:11 – "ki haMitzvah hazos" – refers to teshuva. "v'shavta" means both chiyuv & havtacha. "V'hasheivosa el levavecha" also refers to teshuva. V'hasheivosa means to be misbonein on the trouble we experienced, which will then awaken us to "v'shavta". Tzara is mechayeiv in cheshbon haNefeshm, which in turn leads to teshuva.	View
2	Types of Teshuva	2023-08-30	Types of Teshuva 31:28 Tzara is mechayeiv in cheshbon hanefesh. Kol Dodi Dofeik, f.n. #3: difference between general mitzvas teshuva & eis tzara – chiyuv to do teshuva in general comes from already having awareness of cheit, while an eis tzara requires us to proactively look for cheit. Ramban says our parsha is a havtacha that Bnai Yisroel will do teshuva. on the end of the shira in Ha'azinu he says: the geula will come even without teshuva. Which is it? If the geula comes without our doing teshuva, then we will subsequently do teshuva as a response to the geula. Ramban: teshuva is ledoros, "ah'ta u'banecha". This refers to a higher level of teshuva, which is associated with geula and brings us to acharis haYomim, is final.	View
3	u'mal Hashem Elokecha es levavcha	2023-09-05	Devarim 30:6 – "u'mal Hashem Elokecha es levavcha…l'ma'an chayecha" Ramban: What's milas halev? Pshat 1) "Habo litaheir, mesayin oso." Pshat 2) in days of Moshiach, human nature will be different – people will be "sichli", i.e. we will not be conflicted between good and bad. Rambam 9:2 – "ein bein…" – no change in human nature. How did Rambam learn pshat in the pesukim the Ramban quotes? Radak: "Eini kol elecha yisabeiru…" means HKB"H set up teva that everything finds its food b'ito. Rambam would say that in the days of Moshiach, HKB"H will set up a spiritual climate in the world where all those pesukim will play out naturally.	View
4	Hashem's Help With Teshuva	2023-09-06	Hashem's Help With Teshuva Rambam (Hilchos Teshuva 6:5): a person on the right path wants to continue on it, and that's "habo litaheir mesayin oso" – not that Hashem intervenes, but that there's positive momentum felt by the person and he wants to continue. R' Yona: begining of Sha'arei Teshuva – as long as a person does as much as he can do to do teshuva, HKB"H finishes the job and takes him the rest of the way. (Chovos Halevavos says same point about ahavas Hashem, Ramchal says it about kedusha.) We shouldn't give up because we can't make it all the way – if we go as far as we can, HKB"H takes us the rest of the way.	View
5	Zichron Teruah	2023-09-11	– explanation of "zichron Teruah" according to Ramban and Rashi – shofar as the vehicle causing our zicharon to come before Hashem and trigger His mercy – Explanation of how we know the yom Teruah that comes before YOm Kippur must be a yom hadin. Obligation to try to hold ourslevs to ideal standards, not default immediately to relying on rachamim.	View
6	Din, Zichron Teruah, and Simcha	2023-09-12	– Rav Hutner (Y"K, 29:1-5)" R"H is elevated from being a yom hadin to being a yom tov via zichron teruah. – Explanation as to why every day of simcha / yom tov is also a day of din (as listed in mishna R"H 16a).	View
7	Degrees of Teshuva	2023-09-19	– "Ach be'asor lachodesh" – according to the chachomim, the mi'ut indicates that it is not Y"K for the person who doesn't do teshuva	View
8	Issur Melacha & Teshuva. Sukkos Mamash.	2023-09-20	– "Ach be'asor": how fasting and issue melacha each contribute to teshuva – "ki baSukkos Hoshavti es Bnei Yisroel": the message if one assumes it means physical sukkos (two opinions – Ramban and Rambam.)	View
9	Accountability	2023-10-10	– First Ramban on Chumash: starting from Breishis teaches us how HKB"H's hashgacha works, i.e. there are consequences to our actions. – The notion of accountability, yiras ha'onesh, is not something that is spoken about in this generation, and the omission is wrong. What's hapenning in Eretz Yisroel is a middas hadin. Airbrushing out yiras ha'onesh is a distortion of Yahadus. – Describing Yahadus in exclusively warm & fuzzy terms and our not taking firm stands are parallel.	View
10	Rambam, Hilchos Teshuva, Yiras ha'Onesh	2023-10-11	Yiras ha'onesh is not something we are supposed to ever outgrow. Yahadus is not a religion OF fear, but is one WITH fear.	View
11	Intuitive Natural Morality, the Hypocrisy and Evil of Some Reactions to the Massacre in Israel	2023-10-16	– Ramban, Breishis, 6:13: chomos-theft is more egregious because it's intuitive that it's wrong, and one can't plead ignorance or blame its prevalence in society. Hakdama of R' Nissim Gaon to Shas: all humans are obligated in that which is intuitive. – Rambam, Hilchos Teshuva 5:1: people have free choice and the innate ability to recognize natural good from natural bad. – There is zero excuse for the hypocrisy and evil in the world in the reactions to what happened in Israel. It is nothing less than pure evil. Those who provide verbal cover for Hamas have blood on their hands. – Rav zt"l: when society defies natural morality, the world can't function. We see empirical evidence of this in today's world. – Our efforts have to be as sustained as those of the Chayalim etc.	View
12	Noach's Children. Noach vs. Moshe.	2023-10-17	– Shem, Chom, Yafes saved as Noach's children. Two possibilities why. – Why Noach was spared from the judgement against the entire world (Hilchos Teshuva 3:2), while Moshe was included in the gzeira on his generation to not go into Israel.	View
13	Tzedek, Tzedaka, Tamim.	2023-10-18	– tzedek == din/innocence, tzedakka == rachamim. – "Tamim" – wholly innocent	View
14	Which of the 7 Miztvos Benei Noach Are Intuitive?	2023-10-23	Resolution to seeming contradictions in both the Ramban and Rambam regarding whether the 7 mitzvos are intuitive or not.	View
15	Mitzvos Sichliyos Being Obligatory	2023-10-24	– sources that they're obligatory – multiple halachic implications of their being obligatory	View
16	Natural and Commanded Ahavas Hashem	2023-10-25	Rambam Hilchos Yesodei haTorah 2:2 and Hilchos Teshuva 10:2 state one definition/part of ahavas Hashem, Sefer Hamitzvos, Mitzvas Aseh 3 and Hilchos Teshuva 10:5 add another.	View
17	An Eved Hashem Lives, and Merits Hashgacha, as an Individual	2023-10-30	Ramban 18:19, ki yeda'ativ. Hashem knows the chassid as an individual. Explanation from Ish Halacha.	View
18	Ye'di'ah and Hashgacha	2023-10-31	Ramban, on ki yeda'ativ: being known by HKB"H is, itself, to have hashgacha.	View
19	Avraham's Uniqueness, Justice Divinely Defined	2023-11-01	18:18 according to Rashi, Ramban, and Rambam – highlighting what is special about Avraham and understanding darkei Hashem.	View
20	The Point of Challenges. The Impact of Intentions.	2023-11-07	– the point of challenges is l'hotzi min ha'koach el ha'poal, in order to increase his reward. – reward and punishment for attitude & intention, independent of outcome	View
21	– The More One Wants in Gashmius, the More One is Missing	2023-11-08	We have a quality of being insatiable, there's always more to do, the question is where we channel it – money or mitzvos.	View
22	Mesora. Eretz Yisroel.	2023-11-15	– the slander of leitzonei hador about Yitzchok's paternity. – biological vs. spiritual descendants. – Avos only kept kol haTorah kula in Eretz Yisroel	View
23	Ma'aseh Avos Siman Labanim	2023-11-20	12:6 – ma'aseh avos siman labanim	View
24	Ma'aseh Avos Siman Labanim, part 2	2023-11-21	12:10 – ma'aseh avos siman labanim – role of cheit in Avraham going to Mitzrayim and in galus Mitzrayim.	View
25	Hishtadlus & Bitachon	2023-11-22	32:4 – HKB"H saves his servants, but must do our best hishtadlus. Halacha functions on a natural plane (see, e.g., choleh on Shabbos.)	View
26	War & Emunah	2023-11-27	Devarim 20:1 – kohein frames things supernaturally, shotrim frame them naturally. Ibid 9 – Torah commands us to act on a natural level, with emunah that HKB"H is poised to perform miracles.	View
27	Bitachon and Hishtadlus	2023-11-28	Bitachon and hishtadlus are both supposed to be present, and one should not be incorrectly reduced because of the other.	View
28	Ramban on Doctors	2023-11-29	Ramban on Doctors in Different Eras	View
29	Jewish Monarchy	2023-12-04	Permissibility, and status, of kings not from Beis Dovid. Status of malchus Beis Chashmonai.	View
30	Chanukah Extending the Beis Hamikdash	2023-12-05	HKB"H's consolation to Aharon in Beha'aloscha via his involvement in neiros Chanukah which last even after churban bayis.	View
31	Status of Mitzvos D'rabbanan.	2023-12-06	Why are mitzvos derabanan not bal tosif? Shitos of Rambam and Ramban, connection to previous shiur.	View
32	Ramban Hakdama to Shemos	2024-01-22	⁃ Galus and geulas mitzray not defined in terms of E”Y ⁃ Hakdama to vayikra – vayikra all about kohanim and leviim, ie Mitzvos which help avoid siluk ha shechina.	View
33	Ramban Hakdama to Vayikra	2024-01-23	⁃ each Chumash has a theme. Shemos theme is galus and geulah. ⁃ Yerushalayim is chareiv until beis hamikdash is built ⁃ Can have Shem E”Y without kedusha E”Y. Avos didn’t have kedushas, so at Har sinai we reached their level via the Mishkal	View
34	Anochi Hashem	2020-01-29	– Anochi, Havaya: He is existence and all existence exists through Him. Elokim: kol yachol. Yetzias Mitzrayim provides proof for anochi – supernatural nissim show that the world is His creation, under His exclusive control, etc.– Ramban & Rambam count anochi as a mitzva, Bahag doesn’t because a mitzvah presupposes a Metzaveh, so it’s a prerequisite/axiom for mitzvos. Ramban & Rambam say it includes more than there being a metzaveh and hence can be counted.	View
35	Anochi Hashem, Part 2	2020-01-30	– “Mibeis avodim”: why we have more of an obligation to serve Him. Lashon yachid to tell us that we’re each individually obligated even though Torah was given to the Klal as a whole.– “Lo yihiye lecha”: Rashi quotes not to own avodah zara. Ramban – we don’t pasken like that opinion as pshat here, rather this is to not believe and elevate avodah zara to be a deity.	View
36	Goy Kadosh	2024-02-19	What is means to be a goy kadosh, and the role the mishkan played in fulfilling that mission.	View
37	Ramban Al haTorah	2024-02-20		View
38	Ramban Al haTorah	2024-02-21		View
39	Ramban Al haTorah	2024-02-26		View
40	Ramban Al haTorah	2024-02-27		View
41	Ramban Al haTorah	2024-02-28		View
42	Ramban Al haTorah	2024-03-04		View
43	Ramban Al haTorah	2024-03-05		View
44	Ramban Al haTorah	2024-03-11		View
45	Ramban Al haTorah	2024-03-12		View
46	Ramban Al haTorah	2024-03-18		View
47	Ramban Al haTorah	2024-03-19		View
48	Ramban Al haTorah	2024-03-20		View
49	Ramban Al haTorah	2024-03-26		View