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…
An Introduction to Makkot
In the standard editions of the Talmud Bavli in vogue today, there are 63 tractates of…
Sanhedrin 98: Not Worrying About Mashiach
The Torah talks very little – actually, not at all (at least explicitly)– about the…
Sanhedrin 97: It's Almost Over
One of the philosophical debates between the Greeks and Jews concerned the eternity of the world.…
Sanhedrin 97: Nothing But the Truth
“Stay far away from a lie” (Shemot 23:7). Unlike the other mitzvot in the Torah where…
Sanhedrin 91: The Greek Court
The Jewish people have long been accused of being robbers and thieves. The importance of countering…
Sanhedrin 90: What's In Your Mind?
The last chapter of masechet Sanhedrin is like no other in the Talmud. Almost devoid of legal…
Sanhedrin 88: Let's Have a Debate
“Every argument that is for [the sake of] heaven's name is destined to endure. And …
Noach: Stuck in the Present
"G-d said: I will obliterate humanity that I have created from the face of the earth; man,…
Sanhedrin 76: No Time to Waste
“Do not profane your daughter and make her a harlot” (Vayikra 19:28). One has to wonder…
Sanhedrin 74: Lechaim!
“The entire house of Israel is commanded to sanctify the Name” (Laws of the…
Sanhedrin 72: I Love My Money
“And you shall love the Lord your G-d with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all…