“Rabbi Chelbo said in the name of Rav Huna: All who have yira’at shamayim,…
Brachot 7: What Does G-d Pray For?
What should one pray for? If we were to take a survey of the typical shul-goer, or even one who is…
Vayechi: Time for a Kiss
People often mistakenly think that truly righteous people are somehow different, perhaps not…
Brachot 3: Where to Pray?
In our post discussing the last lines of the Talmud Bavli, we wondered why the Gemara ends with a…
Brachot 2: Who's on First
“From when may one recite the kriat shema in the evening? From the time the kohanim…
Brachot: A New Cycle Begins
Rashi begins his commentary to Chumash asking why the Torah begins with the story of creation…
Nidah 73: The Last Word
“Tanna devei Eliyahu, the school of Eliyahu, taught: Kol hashoneh, all who study (and…
Vayigash: A Pilot Trip
"And he [Yaakov] sent Judah ahead of him l'horot, to make preparations, in Goshen (Breisheet 46:28…
Daf Yomi, Football and New Year's
There is something surreal about 92,000 people gathering at a football stadium on New Year’s…
Chanukah: Timing the Market
Before there were clocks and standard time, time was determined in relation to the position of the…
Mikeitz: Home Sweet Home
That one has a natural love for one's place of birth is a truism long recognized by our…
Chanukah: An Eternal Message
One of the painful realties of Jewish life is that the Jewish people are often judged by a double…
VaYeshev: The Successful Man
Our Sages attach the appellation Tzadik, righteous one, to Yosef, presumably because of his ability…
Nidah 30: The Lord is Against Me
“And it does not leave the womb before it is made to take an oath…and what is the oath…
VaYishlach: The Unsung Hero
How common it is for people to return from a funeral and realize how little they knew about the…
Nidah 30: In Utero
Being pregnant with one’s first child is the best of times. One imagines a talmid…
VaYetze: From Yaakov to Yisrael
“And Yaakov was a pure man, dwelling in the tents” (Breisheet 25:27). Like his father…
