Much ink has been spilled and much discussion ensued in trying to analyze the difference between…
Shabbat 25: Who is Wealthy
“Who is wealthy? One who is happy with his lot!” (Avot 4:1). This teaching of Ben Zoma…
Tzav: The Place of Sin
"This is the law of the sin offering, chatat: at the place where the elevation offering, olah…
Shabbat 17: Murder in the Beit Midrash
The Talmud quotes some 316 debates between Beit Hillel and Beit Shammai.
Shabbat 17: Murder in the Beit Midrash
The Talmud quotes some 316 debates between Beit Hillel and Beit Shammai.
Shabbat 13: Fasting or Feasting
When it was still forbidden to write down the Oral Law, one of the very few written texts was that…
Vayikra: A Book of Love
Perhaps Man’s greatest fear is his ultimate irrelevance, that we really don’t make a…
Shabbat 10: A Special Gift
“Rava bar Machsseya said in the name of Rav Chama bar Gurya in the name of Rav: One who gives…
Pekudei: Time and Space
“And it was on first month of the second year on the first of the month that the Tabernacle…
Shabbat 4: Praying Alone
One of the hardest mitzvot to properly fulfil is that of rebuke, “hocheiach tocheech et…
Ki Tisa: The Golden Garden
"And the people saw ki boshesh Moshe, that Moshe delayed in coming down from the…
Shabbat 2: From Place to Place
“The carrying out on Shabbat are two that are four [for one] inside [a home] and two that are…
Purim: Time for a Change
Purim marks a transition point in Jewish history. It ushers in the time period of hester panim…
Brachot 55: People Power
Leadership is not for the faint of heart. A leader, by definition, must make decisions that are…
Terumah: Child's Play
Judaism sees the sparks of the Divine within the most mundane of activities. Revelation at Sinai is…
Brachot 48: Pumpkin, Pumpkin Look to the Sky
I imagine that many of us had elementary school classmates whom we knew were going to reach great…
Brachot 43: Learning from Tamar
We have often noted that the Talmud was edited with great precision. A simple example is the…
Brachot 43: Sweet Smells
When one is consumed with hatred, one is liable to act in ways that are out of the norm, to say the…