“All who take an oath, take an oath and are exempt [from payment]” (Shevuot 45a). Violating an oath ranks amongst the most serious of transgressions…
Shevuot 30: You Go First
In a recent highly publicized murder trial in Toronto, the jury was not told that the accused – who acted as his own lawyer - had recently been…
Shevuot 30: A Woman Dayan
“The oath of testimony applies to men, but not to women” (Shevuot 30a). Beginning with the fourth chapter of masechet Shevuot,…
Shevuot 29: A Flying Camel
“Lo tissa, do not raise[1] the name of the Lord your G-d in vain” (Shemot 20:7). After affirming the existence of the G-d who took us out of Egypt…
Shevuot 15: For the Sake of Heaven
"Whether one does much or one does little, [it matters little] provided one directs their heart towards heaven” (Shevuot 15a). The…
Shevuot 13: Need I Repent!
Rebbe Yehuda Hanasi said:…One should be as careful with a light mitzvah as with a heavy mitzvah (Avot 2:1). While (it is generally assumed…
Shevuot 9: When G-d Sins!
One of the beautiful things about learning Daf Yomi is seeing the enormously wide range of rabbinic thought, something that is often not possible in…
Shevuot 2: Counting Goats!
“New moons You have given to Your people, a time of atonement for all your generations.” It is this phrase that serves as the…
An Introduction to Masechet Shevuot
The story is told that when the Vilna Gaon was a little boy, he wanted to learn masechet Shavuot[1] in the weeks before the holiday of…