“For there will never cease to be needy within the land. Therefore, I command you, saying, you shall surely open your hand to your brother, to…
Shabbat 151: I Want a Reward
“Mitzvot were given only to purify people” (Breisheet Rabba 44). By refraining from gossip, not bearing a grudge, not giving…
Shabbat 139: It's Good to Forget
“Rav Yehuda said in the name of Shmuel: Three thousand halachot were forgotten during the days of mourning for Moshe…
Shabbat 87: If G-d Agrees
One of the distinguishing marks of many successful companies is the encouragement they give to employees to experiment, encouraging innovation and…
Shabbat 69: What Time is It?
That we are living in unprecedented times hardly needs to be stated. It is hard to believe that less than three months ago we in the west were living…
Shabbat 63: I Did Not Know
One of the changes accompanying the creation of the State of Israel is the flourishing of the study of Tanach. Returning to our ancient homeland, and…
Shabbat 33: Silence is Golden
When our Sages entered the vineyard in Yavne, Rabbi Yehuda, and Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Yossi, and Rabbi Shimon were there, and a question was…
Shabbat 32: The Uneducated Jew
“Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel says: The laws of hekdesh, consecrated items; terumot; and ma’asarot, tithes, are the…
Shabbat 31: Farming and Faith
The Torah is full of mitzvot relating to farmers. Whether one is plowing, planting, or harvesting, the Torah has clear guidelines to direct…
Shabbat 31: Awe and Fear
“And now, O Israel, what does the Lord your G-d demand of you but l’yirah, to revere the Lord your G-d, to walk only in His paths,…
Shabbat 25: Who is Wealthy
“Who is wealthy? One who is happy with his lot!” (Avot 4:1). This teaching of Ben Zoma is undoubtedly one of the best known, most…
Shabbat 17: Murder in the Beit Midrash
The Talmud quotes some 316 debates between Beit Hillel and Beit Shammai. “Since both these and those are the words of the living God”,…
Shabbat 13: Fasting or Feasting
When it was still forbidden to write down the Oral Law, one of the very few written texts was that of Megillat Taanit, the scroll of fast days. This…
Shabbat 10: A Special Gift
“Rava bar Machsseya said in the name of Rav Chama bar Gurya in the name of Rav: One who gives a gift to another must inform him” (Shabbat…
Shabbat 4: Praying Alone
One of the hardest mitzvot to properly fulfil is that of rebuke, “hocheiach tocheech et amitecha” (Vayikra 19:17). We are…
Shabbat 2: From Place to Place
“The carrying out on Shabbat are two that are four [for one] inside [a home] and two that are four [for one] outside [the home]” (Shabbat…
Shabbat 157: Some Concluding Thoughts on Masechet Shabbat
Masechet Shabbat deals primarily with the 39 forbidden activities on Shabbat--especially that of carrying. Yet, as is the norm for Talmudic…
Shabbat 151: Waiting for Mashiach?
Since at least the time of the Rambam, Jews have yearned for the coming of the Mashiach. Many Jews went to their deaths asserting the twelfth…