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P'SHUTO SHEL MIKRA

THE SHIUR

P'shuto shel Mikra is a weekly shiur with the aim of exploring one of the central themes of that week's Parashah from a specifically textual perspective. In addition to the many shiurim which focus on finding a message in the text and gleaning ethical instruction from the Parashah, Project Genesis is proud to present a shiur which aims to analyze a difficulty in the Parashah and, through that analysis, to explore some broader themes throughout the Torah.

As an example, we have examined a textual explanation for God's selection of Mosheh, for Yitzchak's love of Esav and for Yoseph's ability to interpret dreams.

Although the focus of the shiur is on the actual text and does not "build" on Midrashic or medieval commentaries, the direction and approach of the shiur are traditional and utilize explanations and comments of the Midrash and Rishonim -notably Ramban and S'forno.

The hope is that the study and analysis of Rambam's texts will reach and inspire as wide an audience as this technology makes possible "to beautify and expand Torah" *L'hagdil Torah ul'ha'adirah*.

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ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR

Rabbi Etshalom is an alumnus of Yeshivot Kerem b'Yavne and Har Etzion in Israel, received his S'mikhah (ordination) from the Chief Rabbinate of Jerusalem and presently serves as Educational Coordinator of the Jewish Studies Institute, a joint project of the Yeshiva of Los Angeles and the Simon Wiesenthal Center. Questions, responses and comments can be sent to the author at rebyitz@ix.netcom.com. In addition to this class, Rabbi Etshalom also gives a weekly in-depth Mishneh Torah class through Project Genesis, titled "Rambam".

For more information about subscriptions, return to the P'shuto Shel Mikra Home Page.