Twice a year, before Shavuot and Rosh Hashana, we read the tochecha, the list of dire consequences…
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…
Bechorot 29: Free Legal Services
In our last post, we discussed the need to have an expert examine a bechor in order to…
Behar: Working for G-d
The Torah was wary of the employer-employee relationship. Almost by definition, an employee is not…
Bechorot 28: Donkeys for Sale
A rabbi, dayan, shochet, doctor, and matir bechorot—these are some of the …
Bechorot 25: Bad Politician: Great Teacher
Sometimes the most obscure of arguments can teach the greatest of lessons. That Rabbi Eliezer…
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…
Yom Haatzmaut: Thoughts at Seventy-One
The period of sefirat haomer has undergone great transformation over the ages. In the…
Acharei-Mot, Or Is It Kedoshim?
For those who write divrei Torah, the next few months will be a bit challenging and will…
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…
Bechorot 2: All Are Welcome
Amongst the many wonderful opportunities and challenges wrought by the return of the Jewish people…
An Introduction to Masechet Bechorot
The privileges and obligations of the firstborn are a major theme of Pesach. Most famously, the…
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…
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…
Pesach: Have You Left Egypt?
“In each and every generation, one must see oneself as if they had left Egypt”. …
Chulin 139: Where is Moshe?
“Where is Moshe [mentioned] in the Torah?” It is hard to imagine a more—let's…
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…
Tazria and Hachodesh: Home Building
The first of Nissan and the first of Tishrei mark the beginnings of the Jewish year. The solar…