“Ezra enacted for the Jewish people that they should read the curses that are …
Pesachim 29: Enjoying Some Chametz on Pesach
There are few ritual prohibitions as widely and carefully observed than that of the…
Vayigash: Reconciliation?
Hugs, kisses, joy and forgiveness. So appears the reunion of Yosef and his family after twenty-two…
Asara b'Tevet and Christmas
For better or worse, in the minds of many—Jew and non-Jew alike—Chanukah and Christmas are two…
Pesachim 21: Welcome Stranger
There is no more oft-repeated command in the Torah than the charge to be kind and sensitive to the…
Mikeitz: Family First
Judaism has always maintained that a strong family life is the most important ingredient to create…
Chanukah: Clothes Make the Man
There is no more powerful symbol than light in our tradition. It is how we usher in the Shabbat,…
Pesachim 13: Time for a Joke
In describing our Talmudic Sages, one would not put a sense of humour at the top of the list—…
Chanukah: Back to the Future
Mai Chanukah? What is Chanukah? the Talmud (Shabbat 21ba) queries, a question we find with respect…
Pesachim 8: Bathing In Jerusalem
The problem of theodicy—why a benevolent G-d allows so much evil to exist in this world…
VaYeshev: Coats and Goats
We tend to divide the Bible into narrative and law. The former teaches ethical and moral values…
Pesachim 6: 30 Days Notice
One of the principles of Biblical interpretation is that the Torah is not necessarily written in…
VaYishlach: Where Was Rivka?
One of the fascinating (and, at times, frustrating) aspects of the Torah is how much information it…
Pesachim 7: Let the Dough Rise
One of the requirements our Talmudic Sages set for the receiving of semicha, rabbinic…
Vayezei: Making One Pray
"And G-d saw that Leah was hated, and He opened her womb" (Breisheet 29:31). Apparently,…
Pesachim 2: Searching for Chametz
“On the eve of the fourteenth, we search for chametz by candlelight” (Pesachim 2a). I…
An Introduction to Masechet Pesachim
The task of editing involves critical decision-making. Beyond questions of language and syntax, an…
Toldot: A Wonderful Sin!
"When Eisav heard his father’s words he let out a most loud and bitter scream" (27:…