Reading the weekly parsha closely
Rabbi Yaakov Hamer's shiurim work through the weekly Torah reading with a close eye on the text. "The True Legacy of Yitro" reconsiders what Yisro actually contributed, and "Mishpatim: The Beginning of Oral Law" presents that parsha as the point where the Torah's civil law and the wider tradition of Torah she-be'al peh begin to unfold. These are readings that ask what a familiar parsha is really teaching.
The strength of parsha-based learning is that it follows the calendar and never runs dry — there is always a next sedra. Rabbi Hamer's classes use that structure to build ideas week by week, drawing lessons out of the narrative rather than imposing them on it. For a learner staying with the parsha, the collection offers a thoughtful companion through the Chumash.
The Mishkan, the Mikdash and Yerushalayim
A distinct thread in the collection is the Temple and the holy city. "The Three Dimensional Beis Hamikdash" explores the Mikdash as more than a building, and "Parashat Tetzaveh: Yerushalayim — the Place, the Time, the Person" considers Yerushalayim across three axes at once. These shiurim take a subject that can feel remote and press on what it means for a Jew's relationship with kedushah.
Learning the Mikdash alongside the parsha is fitting, since so much of Sefer Shemos turns to the Mishkan and its service. Rabbi Hamer's classes connect the details of the structure to larger ideas about place, time and the people who fill them. The effect is to make the Beis Hamikdash feel less like ancient architecture and more like a living idea.
The festivals and Megillas Esther
The collection also marks the festivals. "Splitting the Sea: A Tribute to the Tribes" reads the great miracle of Yetzias Mitzrayim through the role of the shevatim, tying the Pesach story to the character of the people who lived it. "Megillat Esther: Insight and Out" turns to Purim and the hidden hand within the Megillah's plot, where nothing is quite as it appears.
These holiday and Megillah classes share the same instinct as the parsha work: look again at a story everyone knows, and find the question that reopens it. Whether it is the sea splitting or Esther's court, Rabbi Hamer treats the narrative as something to be examined rather than simply retold, and invites the listener to see it fresh, as if hearing it for the first time.
Finding kosher Torah video for your family
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If your family enjoys teachers like Rabbi Yaakov Hamer, search FilteredTube for the speakers and topics that matter most to you. With a daf yomi shelf, a weekly parsha shelf, topic shelves, audio-only listening for the car, and a kids mode with a PIN, kosher Jewish video is easy to reach — and the approved catalog keeps growing every day.
At a glance
Key takeaways
- His shiurim read the weekly parsha closely, from Yisro to Tetzaveh.
- Several classes explore the Beis Hamikdash and the meaning of Yerushalayim.
- Festival and Megillah topics include the Splitting of the Sea and Esther.
- Mishpatim is presented as the beginning of the Oral Law.
- Search FilteredTube for kosher, approved Torah video — the catalog grows every day.