Judaism has long insisted that we give people the benefit of the doubt: one is innocent until…
Shavuot: An Evolving Torah
“Rav Yossi said: It would have been appropriate had the Torah been given through Ezra, but…
Shabbat 69: What Time is It?
That we are living in unprecedented times hardly needs to be stated. It is hard to believe that…
Yom Yerushalayim: Natural and Supernatural
The Jewish nation waited for close to 1,900 years to regain sovereignty over G-d’s chosen…
Bechukotai: A Proper Ending
A mark of a good book is a clear and coherent structure. The opening chapters set the tone, themes…
Shabbat 63: I Did Not Know
One of the changes accompanying the creation of the State of Israel is the flourishing of the study…
Shabbat 33: Silence is Golden
When our Sages entered the vineyard in Yavne, Rabbi Yehuda, and Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Yossi,…
Emor: A Second Yom-Tov
“You shall count seven complete weeks from the day following the Shabbat from the day…
Shabbat 32: The Uneducated Jew
“Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel says: The laws of hekdesh, consecrated items; …
Shabbat 31: Farming and Faith
The Torah is full of mitzvot relating to farmers. Whether one is plowing, planting, or…
Yom Haatzmaut: Thoughts at Seventy-two
“Shimon ben Azzai said: I have received a tradition from the seventy-two elders on the…
Shabbat 31: Awe and Fear
“And now, O Israel, what does the Lord your G-d demand of you but l’yirah, to …
Pesach: Good and Comfortable
Seemingly, one of the more depressing debates in rabbinic literature is one that the houses of…
Pesach: The Simple Wise Son
Much ink has been spilled and much discussion ensued in trying to analyze the difference between…
Shabbat 25: Who is Wealthy
“Who is wealthy? One who is happy with his lot!” (Avot 4:1). This teaching of Ben Zoma…
Tzav: The Place of Sin
"This is the law of the sin offering, chatat: at the place where the elevation offering, olah…
Shabbat 17: Murder in the Beit Midrash
The Talmud quotes some 316 debates between Beit Hillel and Beit Shammai.
Shabbat 17: Murder in the Beit Midrash
The Talmud quotes some 316 debates between Beit Hillel and Beit Shammai.