Sukkot marks the beginning of the end of the holiday season. As the fall season commences, and as…
Sanhedrin 71: It Works in Theory
Fundamental to Jewish theology is the belief that both the Written Law and the Oral Law were given…
Yom Kippur: Bedtime Stories
The Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 619:6) quotes a custom to remain in shul through the…
Sanhedrin 45: Take off Your Clothes!
In an amazing teshuva, Rav Yaakov Ettlinger (Binyan Tzion #172-173), basing himself on the story of…
Rosh Hashanah: Time for Prayer
Rosh Hashanah is first and foremost a day of prayer. Prayer, as Rav Soloveitchik often noted, is…
Sanhedrin 44: I Didn't Do It!
In recent years, as more forensic tools have become available, we have been able to free many…
Sanhedrin 43: Confess and Die
The fact that the Bible allows – perhaps at times even encourages – the death penalty…
Nitzavim: It's Great to Be a Jew!
One often hears the lament that it is difficult to be a Jew. There are seemingly endless demands…
Sanhedrin 40:Where Were You on Monday at 3:00pm?
"They would cross-examine him with seven questions: in which year of the jubilee, in which…
Sanhedrin 37: The World Was Created for Me
There is nothing more precious than human life. As we discussed in our last post, it is due to the…
Ki Tavo: In the Garden of Eden
"And now, behold, I have brought the first fruits of the land which You have given me" (…
Sanhedrin 37: 1+1=Eternity
One of the most famous and beautiful teachings of Judaism is, “whoever preserves one…
Sanhedrin 37: Back to School
With thousands going back to school today (myself included), parents, teachers and students are…
Sanhedrin 36: The Mean Judge
The conflict between truth and peace dates back at least as far as the creation of the world, with…
Ki Teitzei: What a Story!
A legal brief and a good story are two very different forms of writing. We have even coined a term…
Sanhedrin 29: I Hate that Rabbi
“Based on the words of two or three witnesses shall the matter be established” (…
Sanhedrin 27: I Love to Sin
Over the last few posts (see here and here) we have been discussing those who are…