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What are good Seforim for using to help in developing drashos to say on the weekly Parsha (i.e. to use as a starting point, to quote, to find Medreshim, "nice vertlach", various "p'shatim" in pasukim, etc, etc.) I'm specifically looking for seforim that are "older" (i.e. from around 80 years ago (could be later however) and older.) Sifrei Chassidus may be recommended however for this better to avoid I'd say (certainly the more traditional Sifrei Chassidis that are well known or those that have deeper Toras al pi concepts in Chassidus or Kabballah.)

There will obviously be no right answer to this and am simply looking for as many recommendations people can make.

Note: I only said to avoid Sifrei Chassidus in order to "limit" the amount that people my post. That was my intention. As well as the "age" limit was done in order to prevent too many "new" seforim.

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  • When you say "better to avoid sifrei chassidus", does that include Shem MiShmuel?
    – jake
    Commented Apr 7, 2013 at 16:30
  • @jake I said that only to "limit" the number of Sifrei Chassidus that people might say. However not to discourage it completely
    – Yehoshua
    Commented Apr 7, 2013 at 18:14

6 Answers 6

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RCA Manual series

There is a many-year annual series of collected sermons delivered by members of the Rabbinical Council of America. They all come with the name and affiliation of the deliverer, as well as the occasion of delivery, for a slight amount of context.

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In the 'Litvish' genre, you can't go wrong with Be'er Yosef. It's easier to read than Hirsch, and slightly longer than classic Likkutim such Maayoneh Shel Torah, Gra, Gan Ravah, Apirion, etc. Lekach Tov is always a classic, too, especially if you're looking for one with a bit of a lesson.

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I find going straight to the classic sources is often the best way to springboard to a larger topic. and by that i mean looking to the Midrash itself on the parsha as often it will bring an aspect of the parsha to light and then from there you can develop an idea and see what meforshim reference the midrash and how they interpret it.

The Malbim (b. 1809) is a fantastic peirush - he often will give insight to the use of language of the pesukim and how it conveys the underlying message of the parsha.

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If I'm understanding what you're looking for, I think you'd like בית הלוי על דרוש ומילי דאגדתא. (I mistakenly called it בית הלוי על התורה earlier.)

In the introduction, he indicates that his intention is, essentially, to provide insights into various Midrashim and ideas, generally ordered on the weekly Parashah (although he stops this pattern after Sefer Shemoth).

It fits the bill because it is more than 80 years old, it is not Chassidus, and it is a collection of short vortlach based on Midrashim.

It's also a little more to "chew on", meaning it's got heavier analysis and deeper insights, than some contemporary collections.

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My personal favorite is the commentary of Rav Hirsch. But if you want to focus more on midrashim, I have been doing the commentary of Rabbi Eli Munk, who often quotes them. But that is only fifty years old.

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אוצר חיים is a collection of good short ideas.The Torahs Moshe(Chasam Sofer),Dorash Dovid,one of my favorites is M'rafsin Igri(hard to get).

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