Rosh Hashanah marked 100 years of Daf Yomi. I have seen surprisingly little written about this important milestone. The thoughts below on this…
Moed Katan 5: That's A Good Question
Isaac Rabi, winner of the 1944 Nobel Prize in physics for his discovery of nuclear magnetic resonance, was asked what inspired him to become a…
Some Opening Thoughts on Moed Katan
This past week, Daf Yomi began learning masechet Moed Katan, “the little holiday.” This signals that our two years’ study of seder Moed, the second…
Megillah 7: I'll Drink to That
One of the most well-known Talmudic passages of masechet Megillah is the teaching of Rava that “one is obligated l’beshumei, to drink, on Purim,…
Megillah 4: Megillah, Take Two
“Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: One is obligated to read the Megillah at night and lishnota, repeat it, during the day” (Megillah 4a). While this may…
From Taanit to Megillah
It would not be overstating the case to claim that the overarching goal of the Torah is creating a society in which G-d’s chosen nation can combine…
Ta'anit 4: Count to Ten
Whether one eats Special K or Rice Krispies (or scrambled eggs) for breakfast matters little. But whether one uses nuclear energy to provide clean…
Ta'anit 2: Rain for the New Year
“Meiemati, from when does one begin mentioning gevurat geshamim, the strength of the rain?” (Ta’anit 2a). The opening Mishna of masechet Ta’anit…
Rosh Hashanah 25: When is Yom Kippur?
In the year 922CE a debate broke out that threatened to irrevocably cause the Jewish people to split apart. Pesach that year was scheduled to begin…
Rosh Hashanah 14: Walking in the Dark
“There are four New Years…on the first of Shevat is the New Year for trees, according to the words of Beit Shammai. Beit Hillel says [it is on] the…
Rosh Hashanah 2: Out of Order
One of the fundamental debates in Biblical interpretation is whether the Torah is written in chronological order. Rashi often employs the notion of …
Beitza 16: Preparing for Shabbat
Debates between Beit Hillel and Beit Shammai are the bread and butter of Mishnaic discourse. There are some 316 debates recorded between these great…
Beitza 6: Nothing New Under the Sun
It is on Sukkot that we read sefer Kohelet. A devar Torah on masechet Beitza is not the place to discuss the reason for this custom. However, as I…
Beitza 5: Two Days of Yom Kippur
The State of California today is voting on whether to recall and remove its governor from office. This recall will be successful even if only 50%…
Beitza 4: Fresh Eggs
As most investors know, there is little that rattles the markets more than uncertainty. Fluctuations of the market are primarily based on future…
Beitza 2: It's Better to Permit
In our last post, we noted the principle milta d’lo schicha lo gazru ba rabbanan, that our Sages do not enact protective measures for rare events, a…
An Introduction to Masechet Beitzah
One of the manifold changes of modernity is manifest in the modern methods of food preparation. No longer must one literally spend pretty much the…
Sukkah 41: Offering Comfort on Sukkot
Those who have sat shiva know that the weeks after shiva can be much harder than the shiva itself. No longer are there people coming to visit, at…