“We work and get reward and they work and do not get reward?” This statement, said when one completes a Talmudic tractate, articulates a…
“In a place where ba’alei teshuva stand there, not even the fully righteous can stand” (Brachot 34b). This teaching is generally…
Man has a tremendous capacity for self-deception. We easily see faults in others; somehow, we miss them in ourselves. Teshuva, repentance,…
The Yamim Noraim of the year 70 must have been quite traumatic. The Temple had been destroyed less than two months earlier and thousands lay dead,…
One of the best-known wedding customs is the breaking of a glass during the chuppah. The common explanation given for this custom is that it serves…
If someone gives you ten answers to a question, the one thing you can be assured of is that none of the answers is a very a good one. If one has a…
“Aharon the priest ascended Hor Hahar and died there in the fortieth year... in the fifth month on the first of the month” (Bamidbar 33:…
“Rav Yossi said: It would have been appropriate had the Torah been given through Ezra, but Moshe preceded him… and even though the Torah…
The Jewish nation waited for close to 1,900 years to regain sovereignty over G-d’s chosen land. It took an additional 19 years until…
“Shimon ben Azzai said: I have received a tradition from the seventy-two elders on the day when they appointed Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah…
Seemingly, one of the more depressing debates in rabbinic literature is one that the houses of Hillel and Shammai argued about for two-and-half years…
Much ink has been spilled and much discussion ensued in trying to analyze the difference between the question of the chacham and the rasha. On the…
Purim marks a transition point in Jewish history. It ushers in the time period of hester panim, the transition from G-d's obvious and active…
Before there were clocks and standard time, time was determined in relation to the position of the sun—hence, the importance of the sundial. As…
One of the painful realties of Jewish life is that the Jewish people are often judged by a double standard. What in other cultures is done with…
Tomorrow is Shmini Atzeret. It is also Election Day in Canada. While that is no doubt unfortunate for (observant) Jews, these days, Election Day is a…
Sukkot is a holiday full of contradictions. At the time we celebrate our harvest, we are bidden to leave the comfort of our home and expose ourselves…
“It was on the next day…” (Shemot 18:13). Apparently, something of significance had happened on the previous day, yet the Torah makes no mention of…
Our society worships greatness. Whether it be athletes, rock stars, actors or successful business leaders, they are showered with wealth and…
Integral to the teshuva process is the act of vidui, confession. One can intellectually know one has done something wrong; one can even feel…
"And on the seventh month on the first day of the month, it shall be a day of rest. It is a sacred day for remembrance and blowing" (Vayikra 23:24). …
One of the lessons Nehama Leibowitz, z”l, drilled into us during the time I was fortunate to study with her was that if Rashi has two…
Our attitude towards Torah is a most fickle one. On the one hand, the Jewish people demonstrated great faith in following Moshe into a barren…
The period of sefirat haomer has undergone great transformation over the ages. In the Torah itself, it links the korban haomer …