“Rav Yehuda said in the name of Rav: When Moses ascended on high, he found the Holy One,…
Haazinu: Action Reaction
Jewish thought teaches that the physical and spiritual worlds are meant to function harmoniously.…
Yom Kippur: Welcoming the Evil Inclination
“For the sin that we sinned before you with the evil inclination”. The double…
Menachot 29: The Death of Rabbi Akiva
One of the most moving parts of the Yom Kippur davening is the recital of the asara…
Let's Listen To Some Lashon Hara
“Rav Yehuda said in the name of Rav: the majority [of people sin] regarding theft, a minority…
Menachot 18: Loving Torah
“Blessed are Torah scholars for whom the words of Torah are very dear to them” (…
Nitzavim: Near and Dear
One of the most vexing issues in Biblical interpretation is the relationship between pshat, loosely…
Menachot 12: Time over Space
There is no area of Jewish law as regimented as that of sacrifices. There are strict rules as to…
Ki Tavo: The Presence of G-d
In the secular world in which we live it can be—and often is—hard to feel the presence…
Ki Teitzei: Demanding More
When studying Torah we must study not only its content, but also its form; not just what the…
Menachot 6: Benefitting Sinners
In 1977, the New York State Legislature passed the “Son of Sam law”. Named for serial…
Shoftim: Enabling Evil
Evil does not exist in a vacuum. A culture is needed for evil to be nurtured, in which it…
Menachot 2: The Power of Logic
There is seemingly no better proof for a Talmudic viewpoint than support from a biblical verse…
An Introduction to Masechet Menachot
“Now it came to pass after many days, that Cain brought of the fruit of the soil an offering…
Re'eh: Springtime
“Guard the month of the spring, and make Pesach to the Lord your G-d, because it was in the month…
Zevachim 88: Clothes Make the Man - and Woman
The fashion industry is a one that employs millions of people worldwide and both reflects and molds…
Zevachim 88: Back-to-Back
One of the frequent questions Rashi asks in his commentary to the Chumash is lamah nismicha,…
Goodbye Greece
As I sit on the plane, having just spent ten glorious days in Greece, let me share some final…