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…
Chulin 105: Time for a Field Trip
It is an often-cited truism that the Orthodox community, most ironically, tends to place much…
Shmini: Tragic Lessons
When tragedy strikes there is a tendency to search for some rational explanation as we subsequently…
Chulin 105: Can We Drink Milk Yet?
“Mar Ukva said: I am, with regard to this matter, like vinegar, son of wine, with…
Shmini: Seek the Middle
“Moshe then inquired, darosh darash, about the goat of the sin offering, and it had been…
Tzav: Time to Change?
Excitement and consistency: We tend to view these terms as contradictory. Man gets excited over…
Purim: Ignoring G-d!
Purim celebrates the eternity of the Jewish people. Despite exile and dispersion, genocidal enemies…
Chulin 100: Torah at Sinai
“Because of this the children of Israel, to this day, do not eat the thigh muscle that is on…
Chulin 97: It Tastes Great
Rabbinic debates are not for the faint-hearted. They can be most intense, and sadly, can lead to…
Chulin 94: Let's Have Some Wine
In our last post, we spoke about geneivat da’at, generating false goodwill, in the…
Vayakhel: Building the Shabbat
“The laws of Shabbat…are like a mountain being held up by a thread” (Chagigah…
Chulin 94: What a Nerve!
One would not normally associate the prohibition to eat the gid hanashe, the sciatic nerve,…