In the Beginning…
Welcome to my new website!
Just over 9 years ago I was zocheh to marry my Eishet Chayil. One major dream we both had was a home centered around Torah. A big part of that goal is our Shabbat table. We wanted Torah discussed at every Shabbat meal. For my part, that meant having at least 3 divrei Torah ready for each Shabbat.
After about a year, I decided to do this in a more methodical fashion. That year I learned through the Netziv’s Ha’emek Davar each week, with an eye for which part of his peirush I felt best lent itself to an interesting discussion topic or meaningful message. That year I shared a Netziv at all 3 meals every week, and we really felt that the Netziv was our constant Shabbat guest in our home throughout the year.
So I decided to do the same thing again with another peirush each year. Some of the peirushim are a systematic commentary on the parasha, commenting on almost every pasuk (Ramban, Seforno, Netziv), while others are a collection of derashot compiled according to each parasha (Darash Moshe, Emes L’Yaakov, Chofetz Chaim, etc.). But each year we felt that we were zocheh to have that author as a special guest at our Shabbos table.
I am now in the middle of my ninth peirush (Sefas Emes), but after compiling these divrei Torah every week into an organized spreadsheet, I realized that this spreadsheet is now a resource that can be useful to many others. Instead of having to go through an entire peirush, a person could search the database and be provided with a list of sources that experience shows could be used to formulate a Dvar Torah easily. It could be useful to a shul rabbi who gives derashot every week, not to mention needing to speak multiple times a week at a shalom zachar, bar mitzvah, or other Simcha. It could be useful to someone who needs to speak at their family event, or someone who just wants a Dvar Torah at their Shabbos table.
I’m zocheh to be a part of Yeshivat Har Etzion. For the past few years, a group of talmidim has joined me each week as I share one of these Divrei Torah with them. Those audio recordings are linked to in the search results, which may also prove helpful to many.
This website is still a work in progress, so please give us your feedback. We hope this website helps lehagdil Torah uleha’adira.
Bevirkat HaTorah VeHamitzva,
Yonatan Shai Freedman
