Money is a great motivator, impacting so many of the decisions we make. The crucial role money…
Ketubot 5: Moving Yom Kippur
In our last post we discussed that a betulah should marry on a Wedne
Ketubot 2: We Would Like to Invite You...
Planning a wedding is no easy task. One must pick a date, hall, caterer, band, florist, and on and…
Some Opening Thoughts on Masechet Ketubot
The Ketuba is one of the best known, but least understood, documents in Judaism. Read at every…
Some Concluding Thoughts on Masechet Yevamot
"Rabbi Elazar said, in the name of Rabbi Chaninah: Torah scholars increase peace in the world…
Yevamot 116: One Witness Is Enough
We have previously referred to the special leniency that allows a woman to remarry on the testimony…
Yevamot 115: To Believe or Not to Believe
Back in the tenth chapter of Yevamot, we discussed the case of a woman who remarried on the basis…
Yevamot 114: Put Out the Fire
One of the basic tenets of our legal system is that those who are not of a sound…
Yevamot 109: Torah Study
"Talmud Torah kneged kulam" (Mishnah Peah 1:1). This teaching is generally…
Yevamot 105: Don't Get It in Writing
One would not think that a discussion about the intricacies of the laws of …
Yevamot 101: If the Shoe Fits
For those who do not live in Toronto--and perhaps for many who do--you may not be familiar with the…
Vaera: Searching for G-d?
"G-d spoke to Moshe, and said to him, 'I am the Lord. I revealed myself to Abraham, to…
Yevamot 99: A Healthy Diet
In our last post, we discussed why Rav Yochanan was so angry when
New Paths for Ba'alei Teshuva, Part 3
On one level, one could not help but be impressed by the intensity and earnestness at Aish Hatorah…
New Paths for Ba'alei Teshuva, Part 2
In early 1982, I began to study something called "The 48 Ways of Wisdom" one night a…
Yevamot 96: Beyond the Grave
Perhaps the greatest fear of man is that he will be forgotten, that ultimately his life will be…
Shemot: The Names Are the Same
"And these are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt". The above verse serves…
Yevamot 90: Changing with the Times
"Rav Elazar ben Yaakov said: I heard that the beit din may hit and punish not…