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Pesachim Comes to a Close
Mashechet Pesachim details the events of the busiest day of the year, beginning with the search for chametz the night before the seder, the…
Pesachim 120: What's On the Menu?
With the destruction of the Temple, the focus of the seder menu shifted from the eating of the korban pesach to the eating of matza. The importance…
Pesachim 117: King of the Poets
Great poetry resonates across generations and even cultures, with all finding different layers of meaning that speak to them. Yet at the same time,…
Pesachim 113: The Chicken, the Prostitute, and the Rabbi
The Netziv, in his commentary on Chumash, explains that the first verse of the priestly blessing "May G-d guard you and protect you"…
Pesachim 113: A Love/Hate Relationship
In our last Daf Yomi Thought we spoke of the three people whom G-d loves. However, there are those whose actions are such that G-d actually hates…
Daf Yomi Pesachim 113b: Reciprocal Love
G-d's greatest gift to man is that He created us in His image. As heretical as it sounds, man and G-d are, in effect, opposite sides of the…
Pesachim 113: Praise From the Lord
Our Sages have long recognized that the desires for money, honour, and sexual gratification are most powerful. Avoiding sin in these areas, something…
Pesachim 112: A Jewish First Amendment
Today's daf is sponsored by Arthur Little in observance of the Yahrzeit of his father, Areyeh Ben Avraham Yitzhak z"l,…
Pesachim 108: Sit Back and Relax
Perhaps the major social issue facing the Orthodox community today is defining the proper role for women within the observant community. While the…
Pesachim 104: Who Said That?
The Talmud is the written record of the Oral Law. With the destruction of the Temple and subsequent exile of the Jewish people, it was no longer…
Pesachim 103: Five Jews, Nine Opinions
One of the basic ways we express gratitude is simply to say thank you. One way in which observant Jews do such is by reciting abracha before…
Pesachim 100: Table Manners
Considering the myriad of opinions on almost every aspect of Jewish law, it is not surprising that many pious Jews would try to act in a way that…
Pesachim 99: Drinks On Us
Jewish law is most strict when it comes to accepting charity. "Make your Shabbat like a weekday"--eating less quantitatively and…
Pesachim 91: Keeping Our Children Honest
One of the unusual laws regarding the korban pesach is that it can only be eaten leminuyav, by those who were specifically intended to…
Pesachim 88: Watch Those Dates
It is amazing how a slight change in perspective can make a huge difference. "R. Hiyya taught: What is meant by the verse, 'G-d understands…
Pesachim 87b: We Want Converts
We generally tend to view exile from the land of Israel as punishment for our sins, an apparent truism reinforced during the Yom Tov mussaf that…
Pesachim 68b: Fasting or Feasting
The Gemara (Pesachim 68b) records a debate as to the proper way to celebrate Yom Tov. Rabbi Eliezer says that one must make a choice; we must either…