Twice a year, before Shavuot and Rosh Hashana, we read the tochecha, the list of dire consequences…
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Bechorot 29: May I Have a Raise
How much should we pay teachers? As we discussed in our last post, the Gemara has a clear and…
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Bechorot 29: Free Legal Services
In our last post, we discussed the need to have an expert examine a bechor in order to…
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Behar: Working for G-d
The Torah was wary of the employer-employee relationship. Almost by definition, an employee is not…
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Bechorot 28: Donkeys for Sale
A rabbi, dayan, shochet, doctor, and matir bechorot—these are some of the …
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Bechorot 25: Bad Politician: Great Teacher
Sometimes the most obscure of arguments can teach the greatest of lessons. That Rabbi Eliezer…
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Bechorot 13: All Mitzvot Are Not Created Equal
It is not uncommon to hear people define a mitzvah as a “good deed”. And there is…
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Yom Haatzmaut: Thoughts at Seventy-One
The period of sefirat haomer has undergone great transformation over the ages. In the…
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Acharei-Mot, Or Is It Kedoshim?
For those who write divrei Torah, the next few months will be a bit challenging and will…
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Acharei-Mot: A Word Apart
“Speak to the people of Israel, and say to them, ‘I am the Lord your G-d: Do not follow…
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Bechorot 2: All Are Welcome
Amongst the many wonderful opportunities and challenges wrought by the return of the Jewish people…
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An Introduction to Masechet Bechorot
The privileges and obligations of the firstborn are a major theme of Pesach. Most famously, the…
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Last Day(s) of Pesach: Reach for the Top
As we all know too well, there is often a gap between the ideal and reality. In trying to implement…
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Chulin 142: Do You See What I See
It is an amazing but all too common phenomenon that two people can witness the same event and yet…
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Pesach: Have You Left Egypt?
“In each and every generation, one must see oneself as if they had left Egypt”. …
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Chulin 139: Where is Moshe?
“Where is Moshe [mentioned] in the Torah?” It is hard to imagine a more—let's…
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Chulin 109: Can I Have Some Udder Please
When I ask ba’alei teshuva what the hardest thing for them to give up is, the…
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Tazria and Hachodesh: Home Building
The first of Nissan and the first of Tishrei mark the beginnings of the Jewish year. The solar…