Shaylah of the Week - Yeshurun - Rabbi Zev Cohen · Rabbi Zev Cohen

Can a Korban with a Blemish be Brought for the Sake of Peace?

·28 min·2 clips

Rabbi Cohen reveals a troubling halachic question he's been working on for 48 years.

This episode features Rabbi Zev Cohen delivering a Torah lecture, or shiur, on a specific question in Jewish law. The lecture is part of his regular series, "Shaylah of the Week," and he addresses his audience directly at the outset. He notes this will be the final lecture of the term and expresses deep gratitude to his listeners for their participation throughout the year. The central topic is a complex legal question, or shaila, that Rabbi Cohen first encountered 48 years ago and has extensive notes on. He announces that the upcoming Shabbat afternoon will feature a combined Gemara and Halacha study session starting at a quarter to seven. The lecture references a Talmudic narrative involving a figure named Bar Kamsa. Rabbi Cohen clarifies this is not the beginning of the well-known story of Kamsa and Bar Kamsa, which he previously taught in an explosive shiur, but another point within that same Gemara passage. The narrative describes Bar Kamsa becoming angry and going to the Melech, or king. Rabbi Cohen mentions he has written notes on this, describing the situation as a little amazing regarding how they entered the shiur's subject matter. He speculates that Bar Kamsa may have gained an audience by reporting he wanted to say something negative about the Jewish people. The Talmud states that Bar Kamsa told the king the Jews were rebelling and proposed a test involving a "carbine." According to the account, Bar Kamsa sabotaged the offering by putting a "boom" in the carbine, specifically in the lips or the eyes. The episode is presented in a traditional, educational lecture style typical of a rabbinic discourse. Rabbi Cohen's tone is conversational yet scholarly, directly engaging his audience with logistical announcements and personal reflections on his teaching history. This episode is ideal for students of Talmud and Jewish law interested in detailed analysis of classical texts and narratives. Listeners seeking casual entertainment or topics unrelated to religious study would likely find it less engaging.

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