“How do we know that one who sees something unseemly in his friend, that he must rebuke him?…
Mattot: Split in Half
The centrality of the land of Israel is a basic tenet of Jewish thought. Our Sages note that…
Erachin 16: Where's The Fire!
Which would you prefer? That those who gossip about you do so behind your back and thus, you may…
Erachin 15: To Speak or Not to Speak
“What is lashon hara?” (Erachin 15b). This is a most reasonable question—had…
Balak: Fearless Leadership
Bilaam, the heathen prophet, recognized that the strength of the Jewish people was in their high…
Erachin 15: Money Talks
One would not expect to find the major Talmudic discussion on the laws and moral failings of…
Erachin 4: More Priestly Obligations
In our last post, we began our discussion as to why in so many disparate cases, one might have…
Chukat: Marching On
Judaism is a religion that celebrates life. "Better one hour of repentance and good deeds in…
Musings from Morocco: Lasting Impressions
Visiting Morocco leaves one with both a sense of hope and of despair. The sense of despair…
Musings from Morocco: Shabbat in Marrakech
The city of Marrakech was, for many years, home to the largest Jewish population in Morocco. Today…
Musings from Morocco: Berber Blessings
“Eizo asheer? Hasameach bechelko, Who is wealthy? One who is happy with his lot”.…
Korach: No Unity Without Diversity
It is in times of crisis that effective leadership is most important--and the years spent wandering…
Musings from Morocco: Welcome to Fez
Outside of the world of the yeshiva, it’s a safe bet to assume that most who study…
Musings from Morocco
“With fidelity to its irreversible choice to construct a democratic State of Law, the Kingdom…
Erachin 3: Priestly Obligations
In our opening post on masechet Erachin we discussed how the use of the word hakol,…
Shelach Lecha: Confirmation Bias
How can two people witness the exact same events and yet offer two distinct and different reports?…
All Are Welcome to Masechet Erachin
Amongst the most obscure laws of the Torah are those of erachin, which form the subject…
Naso: Counting Our Blessings
A Jew is commanded to recite one hundred blessings each and every day (Menachot 43b). We need…