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Jewish History with Rabbi Dr. Dovid Katz

To help support this podcast, please consider giving a tax deductible contribution here: https://thechesedfund.com/rabbikatz Rabbi Dovid Katz, PhD is lauded for his extensive knowledge of Jewish History, his engaging and insightful lecture series, and eye opening historical international tours. Follow him weekly. New content released each week, including Personalities in Jewish History, Insights into Tefillah and Perspectives on the Haftarah and Parshah. Sponsorships of podcasts are available. He can be reached at the following email: [email protected].

Israel & France (and Syria) : Connecting Dots

35 mins; December 04, 2025

Chanukah 2025: Was the oil in the jar in the Temple the only kosher oil available?

34 mins; December 03, 2025

"פָּרָשַׁת וַיִּשְׁלַח תשפ"ו "תַּרְיָ"ג מִצְווֹת שָׁמַרְתִּי - Why does Jacob say this to Esau?

27 mins; December 01, 2025

The "בַּת עַיִן" in Historical Context (1765-1840)

71 hours 46 mins; November 30, 2025

Haftarah VaYeitzei: Hoshea 11:7, an extremely difficult verse to parse

30 mins; November 27, 2025

What's with this Israeli preoccupation with the bodies of their dead, killed by Hamas & Co.?

32 mins; November 26, 2025

Parshas VaYeitzei: What is Yaakov afraid of?

30 mins; November 25, 2025

November 25, 2025

30 mins; November 25, 2025

Some thoughts on Self-Hating and Self-Denying Jews in the current antisemitic climate, now and a century ago

33 mins; November 24, 2025

Answering a listener's query re: allegorical interpretations of Biblical stories in ultra-orthodox sources

27 mins; November 24, 2025

Today's Posthumous Promotion of Alfred Dreyfus to General in the French Army

47 mins; November 20, 2025

Haftarah Toldos: Quantity vs. quality in the performance of mitzvos. An age-old problem. Sigh

26 mins; November 19, 2025

Manasseh Ben Israel's (very recently translated from the Latin) "Thirty Problem Concerning מַעֲשֵׂה בְּרֵאשִׁית"

28 mins; November 17, 2025

Parshas Toldos: Was Yitzchak Avinu poverty-stricken (Ibn Ezra)?

26 mins; November 17, 2025

The recent 50th anniversary (November 10, 1975) of Moynihan's great speech at the UN excoriating the אֻמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם for offcially branding Zionism as Racism

29 mins; November 13, 2025

Rabbi Michoel Forshlager of Baltimore: His recent yahrtzeit and some thoughts on this remarkable gadol

54 mins; November 13, 2025

הַפְטָרָה פָּרָשַׁת חַיֵּי שָׂרָה תשפ"ו Adonijah vs. Shlomo: the Background

28 mins; November 13, 2025

Parshas Chayei Sarah: Why does Avrohom adjure Eliezer not to take a wife from the Bnos Knaani for Yitzchok?

34 mins; November 10, 2025

The Current Christian Dispute Between Philosemites and Antisemites

25 mins; November 09, 2025

Haftarah VaYera: Elisha and the Shunamis

23 mins; November 06, 2025

Psalm 83 and the current coinciding of שִׂנְאַת יִשְׂרָאֵל on the part of the Antisemitic Christian influencers and their counterparts in the בני ישמעאל world

26 mins; November 03, 2025

פָּרָשַׁת וְיֵרָא תשפ"ו - The Rashbam's unique take on Abraham's encounter with the Three Angels

28 mins; November 03, 2025

Part 2: The Other "Hellenistic Judaism" - not the Chanukah villains

43 mins; November 02, 2025

The Current Wave of Antisemitism in Italy - My reaction to a podcast

36 mins; November 02, 2025

Part 1: The Other "Hellenistic Judaism" - not the Chanukah villains

30 mins; October 30, 2025

הַפְטָרָה פָּרָשַׁת לֶךְ לְךָ תשפ"ו - Drawing inspiration from Abraham's victory over the Four Kings

24 mins; October 28, 2025

Parshas Lech Lecha: "And he will be a wild donkey of a man..."

24 mins; October 27, 2025

The Abarbanel on the Stories in Genesis: The relationship between literal and symbolic meanings of Scripture

24 mins; October 26, 2025

הַפְטָרַת פָּרָשַׁת נֹחַ תשפ"ו "כִּי מֵי נֹחַ זֹאת לִי" - The Flood as a metonymy for Jewish suffering down the Ages...

23 mins; October 20, 2025

Parshas Noach: Noah and "the Day After"

27 mins; October 20, 2025

Is Donald Trump a "Second Cyrus"?

27 mins; October 19, 2025

Rabbeinu Tam and Count Henry I of Champagne (and Countess Marie)

42 mins; October 18, 2025

Haftarah Bereishis: Israel will survive (Al Aqsa) Floods and even the fires of internal strife

21 mins; October 16, 2025

Parshas Bereishis: The world was created for a UNITED Klal Yisroel

33 mins; October 16, 2025

The Strage history of Hoshanah Rabbah in the Temple: TheWillow vs. the Palm Frond ( הַלּוּלָב שֶׁנִּפְרְדוּ עָלָיו)

40 mins; October 12, 2025

The Chasam Sofer, the Yad haMelech, and the "overused" esrog. Haredi vs. Maskilic notions of aesthetics

37 mins; October 10, 2025

נִעֲנוּעִים: The ritual of lulav-waving and its contemporary relevance in the year 5786 (2025)

25 mins; October 09, 2025

Sukkos 2025: What's with the strange ritual of פָּרֵי הַחַג?

30 mins; October 09, 2025

Today is the (English) anniversary of the Yom Kippur War of 1973, another conflict in which Israel was surprise-attacked

33 mins; October 06, 2025

The Four Minim and the Wars of Sichon and Og: A Different take on the אַרְבָּעָה מִינִים

32 mins; October 06, 2025

A Different Understanding of the Holiday of Sukkos

32 mins; October 04, 2025

Sukkos: The Symbolism of the sukkah under a tree

31 mins; October 03, 2025

The Lishkas HaParvah in the Avodah of Yom Kippur- Who was הַפַּרְוָה? Why does the High Priest purify himself there?

19 mins; October 01, 2025

The Pros and Cons of Publicly Confessing Your Sins to the Rest of the Congregation

27 mins; September 30, 2025

Yonah: Compare and contrast with Akeidas Yitzchok

26 mins; September 30, 2025

Late Antiquity in Eretz Yisroel (300-600 C.E.): The Early History of the Yom Kippur Liturgy

30 mins; September 29, 2025

Haftarah Ha'azinu: Victory Middle Eastern Style

26 mins; September 29, 2025

Parshas Ha'azinu:זְכֹר יְמוֹת עוֹלָם, אֲבָל בִּינוּ שְׁנוֹת דּוֹר וָדוֹר

30 mins; September 28, 2025

שַׁבַּת שׁוּבָה 2025 - Primordial or Mosaic?

77 hours 52 mins; September 27, 2025

?"הַפְטָרָה שַׁבַּת שׁוּבָה תשפ"ו "שׁוּבָה עַד?" אוֹ "שׁוּבָה אֶל

25 mins; September 25, 2025

Some famous cases of Penance (not repentance!) in סֵפֶר חֲסִידִים and שׁוּ"ת מַהַרַ"ם לוּבְּלִין

41 mins; September 24, 2025

"פָּרָשַׁת וַיֵּלֶךְ תשפ"ה "הֶסְתֵּר פָּנִים

32 mins; September 22, 2025

The Debate in the Mishna whether the Shliach Tzibur should be motzi the intelligent worshipers on Rosh HaShanah - שֶׁהוּא יוֹם הַדִּין

26 mins; September 18, 2025

Haftarah Nitzavim: Delighting in G-d - "How is that done?

28 mins; September 17, 2025

The Middle East: G-d's Chess Board - R' Katz discusses current events in Egypt, Israel, Yemen, and Ethiopia

28 mins; September 17, 2025

A Suggested History of Tekias Shofar - Involving the Masses, the Satan, and Chazal

34 mins; September 15, 2025

The Haredi Who Spied for Iran and Committed Sabotage on Their Behalf

23 mins; September 15, 2025

Parshas Nitzavim: Trying to match the glorious prophecy with recent Jewish history

30 mins; September 14, 2025

The "shouting match" between Primie Minister Sanchez of Spain and Prime Minister Netanyahu of Israel: The Freudian aspects

46 mins; September 12, 2025

הַפְטָרַת פָּרָשַׁת כִּי תָּבֹא תשפ"ה - יְמוֹת הַמָּשִׁיחַ בְּלִי מִלְחָמָה

28 mins; September 10, 2025

A suggested history of shofar blowing

35 mins; September 09, 2025

פָּרָשַׁת כִּי תָּבֹא תשפ"ה - "הַגֵּר אֲשֶׁר בְּקִרְבְּךָ יַעֲלֶה עָלֶיךָ מַעְלָה מָּעְלָה וְאַתָּה תֵרֵד מַטָּה מָּטָּה"

28 mins; September 09, 2025

R Katz analyzes the current Arab-Israeli conflict in in the face of the giant water crisis threatening the entire Middle East

20 mins; September 08, 2025

Why doesa shofar have to be davka from a שְׁפוֹפֶרֶת, from a horn whose inside layer can be removed?

27 mins; September 08, 2025

Why is Rosh Hashanah decribed as "covered up" or obscure? תִּקְעוּ בַחֹדֶשׁ שׁוֹפָר בַּכֵּסֶה לְיוֹם חַגֵּנוּ?

32 mins; September 03, 2025

"הַפְטָרַת פָּרָשַׁת כִּי תֵּצֵא תשפ"ה - "הַרְחִבִי מְקוֹם אֲהָלֵךְ!

26 mins; September 01, 2025

Genazym is offering a personal letter from R Ovadia Yosef to R Shlomo Zalman Auerbach re: High Israeli Politics concerning the Shas Party

26 mins; September 01, 2025

פָּרָשַׁת כִּי תֵּצֵא תשפ"ה - יְפַת תֹּאַר בְּעוֹלַם הַקַּבָּלָה

35 mins; September 01, 2025

Genazym is offering the Prague 1595 edition of the famous Ramban theological essay דְּרָשַׁת "תּוֹרַת הַשֵּׁם תְּמִימָה"

41 mins; August 31, 2025

הַפְטָרַת פָּרָשַׁת שׁוֹפְטִים תשפ"ה - "סוּרוּ סוּרוּ צְאוּ מִשָּׁם, טָמֵא אַל תִּגְּעוּ!"

30 mins; August 28, 2025

פָּרָשַׁת שׁוֹפְטִים תשפ"ה - What is the actual meaning of "צֶדֶק צֶדֶק תִּרְדֹּף"?

30 mins; August 27, 2025

Psalm # 2 and Israel's losing the current propaganda war

30 mins; August 26, 2025

Genazym: The First Printing of the classic בֵּית מֵאִיר (1787), the author's own copy with extensive handwritten glosses on the sides!

50 mins; August 25, 2025

A recent find of of an ancient coin in Jerusalem, and thoughts about the Messianic Era . Some "dirt" re: Ptolemy III and Berenice II

51 mins; August 24, 2025

Genazym is auctioning the 15h century classic of Talmudic Methodolgy - הֲלִיכוֹת עוֹלָם, first complete edition (Constantinople 1510)

42 mins; August 21, 2025

Moses' warning: אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל can easily become a קְלָלָה!

39 mins; August 20, 2025

The Remarkable R' Meir Bumsla (1703-1769): A סְמִיכַת חָבֵר from the tension-laden Golden Age of Prague, the Era of the Noda BiYhudah- An item being auctioned by Genazym

49 mins; August 19, 2025

הַפְטָרָה פָּרָשַׁת רְאֵה תשפ"ה - A future without fear? Really?

25 mins; August 18, 2025

פָּרָשַׁת רְאֵה תשפ"ה - Keep the booze out of the house of the fellow in recovery

32 mins; August 18, 2025

R Naphtali Katz (1648-1719) Part 2

56 mins; August 16, 2025

R' Naphtali Katz (1648-1719): The Baal Semichas Chachamim, Part 1

71 hours 49 mins; August 14, 2025

Moses and the Bones of Joseph: Two different models of Jewish leadership?

25 mins; August 13, 2025

Pirkei Avos Chapter 4: Why is the phrase אַל תִּפְרֹשׁ מִן הַצִּבּוּר associted with the Tanna R Tzadok?

30 mins; August 11, 2025

הַפְטָרַת פָּרָשַׁת עֵקֶב תשפ"ה - The Revolution in Identity in the Messianic Era

29 mins; August 11, 2025

פָּרָשַׁת עֵקֶב תשפ"ה - וְנָשַׁל יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ אֶת הַגּוֹיִם הָאֵל מִפָּנֶיךָ מְעַט מְעָט לֹא תוּכַל כַּלֹּתָם מַהֵר פֶּן תִּרְבֶּה עָלֶיךָ חַיַּת הַשָּׂדֶה

37 mins; August 10, 2025

פָּרָשַׁת וָאֶתְחַנַּן תשפ"ה - זָכוֹר אוֹ שָׁמוֹר? Is the Sabbath theology or history?

35 mins; August 06, 2025

The curious but vital role of Egypt in the current Gaza War.

41 mins; August 05, 2025

הַפְטָרַת שַׁבַּת נַחֲמוּ תשפ"ה - Prophets cannot provide comfort to survivors; Prophets are too "frum"

27 mins; August 05, 2025

פָּרָשַׁת וָאֶתְחַנָּן תשפ"ה - וְנוֹשַׁנְתֶּם

27 mins; August 05, 2025

15th of Av - Humpty-Dumpty Day?

37 mins; August 05, 2025

R' Katz' Tisha b'Av Kinos Explication 5785/2025

282 hours 22 mins; August 03, 2025

On the Arizal's yahrtzeit: Some historical thoughts re: one of the most mysterious yet influential figures in Jewish History

39 mins; July 30, 2025

הַפְטָרַת שַׁבַּת חֲזוֹן תשפ"ה - Isaiah decries organized crime in Ancient Jerusalem

25 mins; July 29, 2025

This Tisha B’av, turn tears into Action

21 mins; July 29, 2025

Parshas Devarim: The strange story of how the Transjordan was divided-up by Moses, not G-d

29 mins; July 28, 2025

Torah Im Derech Eretz in a Different Key, Pt. 2

40 mins; July 28, 2025

Torah Im derech Eretz in a Different Key: Four Gedolim who dropped-out of college but utilized their secular education

31 mins; July 25, 2025

Analyzing the sinister role of Turkey, currently Israel's mortal enemy, inthe goings-on in Syria and the Middle East

36 mins; July 24, 2025

Parshas Matos 5785 What happened to the kids of the two and a half tribes while the fathers were away fighting on the other side of the Jordan River?

25 mins; July 23, 2025

הַפְטָרַת מַטּוֹת-מַסְּעֵי (בֵּין הַמְּצָרִים) תשפ"ה - A Famous Jeremiad

25 mins; July 22, 2025

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Jewish History with Rabbi Dr. Dovid Katz

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