A halacha maggid shiur with a practical focus
Rabbi Zev Smith's recorded library centers on halacha — the day-to-day application of Jewish law. His shiurim work through real situations a Jew actually faces: where and when to light the Chanukah menorah, whether one may eat or do melacha before lighting, and how to handle sheimos, the sacred texts and Divine Names that may not simply be thrown away. Rather than staying abstract, each class begins in the classic sources and follows them to a clear, livable conclusion.
Across a very large body of recorded shiurim, his subjects move across the calendar and the daily routine — Shabbos, the Yamim Tovim, tefillah, and the ordinary questions that come up at home. The breadth lets a listener follow one topic in depth or return through the year as each holiday and its halachos come around. Throughout, the emphasis stays on what the halacha actually requires and how to carry it out correctly.
From the source to the practical ruling
A recurring strength of these shiurim is the path from text to practice. A class on kedushas ha-mitzvos, or on lashon hara l'toeles — the cases where speaking negatively is not only permitted but an obligation — starts with the underlying principle and then maps it onto the situations people meet. Listeners come away not just with a bottom-line ruling but with a sense of why the halacha lands where it does.
That makes the material useful across a range of learners. Someone preparing for a specific mitzvah can reach for a focused, self-contained shiur and check their practice against the halacha. Someone who wants a fuller picture of a subject can follow the sequence and build it piece by piece. The tone is precise and unhurried, aimed at getting the details right rather than at broad inspiration alone.
Learning the halachos of the Jewish year
Much of the collection tracks the Jewish calendar, which makes it a natural companion as each season arrives. The Chanukah shiurim alone address where to light, the timing relative to other obligations, and the finer points a family weighs every winter. Similar attention goes to the halachos of Shabbos and the other festivals, so a household can review the relevant laws before the observance rather than during it.
For a family, that seasonal structure turns a large library into something manageable. Instead of facing everything at once, learners can pull the shiur that matches the week or the coming Yom Tov. The result is a steady, year-round way to keep the practical details of observance clear, current, and correct.
Finding kosher Torah video for your family
FilteredTube is a kosher video service built for Jewish families — every single video is approved against one written standard before it can appear, with no open feed, no comments, and no surprises. It is a calm, safe place to look for the Torah and Jewish music you love.
If your family enjoys teachers like Rabbi Zev Smith, 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 focus on practical halacha — Chanukah lighting, Shabbos, the laws of sheimos, and lashon hara l'toeles.
- Each class moves from the classic sources to a clear, livable ruling rather than abstract theory alone.
- The library follows the Jewish calendar, so families can review each holiday's halachos as it comes around.
- With a very large recorded library, a listener can study one topic in depth or return throughout the year.
- Search FilteredTube for kosher, approved Torah video — the catalog grows every day.