How unfortunate when man must put his fate in the hands of other men.
Chanukah: Looking Backward and Forward
The holiday of Chanukah is a most beloved one. Lighting the candles is the only mitzvah that has,…
Shevuot 9: When G-d Sins!
One of the beautiful things about learning Daf Yomi is seeing the enormously wide range of rabbinic…
Vayeshev: Sibling Rivalry
The Talmud records that one who has no dreams for a period of seven days is called a wicked person…
Shevuot 2: Counting Goats!
“New moons You have given to Your people, a time of atonement for all your generations.…
An Introduction to Masechet Shevuot
The story is told that when the Vilna Gaon was a little boy, he wanted to learn masechet …
Makkot 24: A Heart of Gold!
“A song to David; G-d, who will live in Your tent, who shall dwell on your holy mountain? He…
Makkot 24: 11+6+3+1= 613!
“’And now let Me go, so that I may destroy them and make you a great nation’ (…
Makkot 23: It's Great To Do Nothing!
Almost by definition, news—at least most of it—is of the less-positive variety, often…
VaYetze: G-d is Against Me
The experiences of history have made our people a nervous lot. Whatever nervousness is warranted as…
Makkot 12: It's Not My Fault
The Torah takes justice very seriously: “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a…
Makkot 5: Don't Quote Me
When I first started learning Gemara – and as we prepared for tests – we were told not…
Toldot: All My Children
It is hard to imagine a more disparate couple than Yitzchak and Rivka, the quiet contemplative…
Makkot 5: A Fatal Mistake
“And you shall do to them as they sought to do to others” (Devarim 19:19). …
Makkot 5: I Don't Believe You
“The witnesses do not become zomimim, ‘plotting witnesses’, unless they…
Chayei Sarah: More than a Story
"The discussions of the servants of our patriarchs are more beloved than the Torah of their…
An Introduction to Makkot
In the standard editions of the Talmud Bavli in vogue today, there are 63 tractates of…