Who the Ramban was
Ramban on the Parsha is a series about a commentary, not the name of a living teacher — and the commentary is one of the greatest in all of Torah. The Ramban, Rabbi Moshe ben Nachman (Nachmanides), lived in thirteenth-century Spain and was a towering figure: a master of Gemara and halacha, a defender of the tradition in famous public disputation, and a mekubal whose Torah commentary weaves peshat together with deep, hidden meaning.
His commentary on the Chumash is unlike the terse notes of some other Rishonim. The Ramban writes in flowing, argued prose — he raises questions on Rashi, sets out the plain sense of a passage, and then often gestures toward "al derech ha'emes," the deeper kabbalistic layer. A series that follows him week by week is therefore an entry into a whole way of reading the Torah, not a light skim of the parsha.
What a Ramban-on-the-parsha series does
A series like this takes each week's portion and reads it through the Ramban's eyes. That usually means slowing down at the places where the Ramban himself slows down — the questions he asks, the debates he has with Rashi and with the Ibn Ezra, the overarching themes he returns to, such as the deeds of the avos foreshadowing the history of their children. The parsha becomes a text to be argued with, not just recited.
Because the Ramban ranges so widely — history, philosophy, the reasons behind mitzvos, the hidden dimension — a series on his commentary naturally covers a great deal of ground over a year. One week the focus may be a fine point of peshat; another, a sweeping idea about hashgacha or the purpose of the mishkan. The Ramban's own breadth sets the agenda, and the learner is carried along it.
Why learn the parsha with a Rishon
Learning the weekly parsha through a classical commentator changes the experience of Shabbos. Instead of reading the same narrative each year as a familiar story, a learner arrives with the Ramban's questions in hand and sees the text open up. This is how Jews have always deepened their parsha: not by inventing new meanings, but by sitting at the feet of the Rishonim who mapped the terrain centuries ago.
That makes a series like this especially valuable for a home that wants its Shabbos table grounded in something real. A single insight from the Ramban — one sharp question, one resolution — is often enough to carry a family's discussion well beyond the surface of the story. Followed across the year, the series builds a genuine, lasting relationship with one of the tradition's master commentators, parsha by parsha.
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 learning the Ramban on the parsha, 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
- Ramban on the Parsha is a learning series built on a commentary, not a person — the Torah commentary of the Ramban (Nachmanides).
- The Ramban, Rabbi Moshe ben Nachman, was a thirteenth-century Spanish Rishon, master of halacha and mekubal, whose commentary blends peshat with deeper meaning.
- The series follows his questions on the parsha — his debates with Rashi and Ibn Ezra and themes like maaseh avos siman labanim.
- Learning the parsha through a classical Rishon deepens Shabbos beyond retelling a familiar story.
- Search FilteredTube for kosher, approved Torah video — the catalog grows every day.