“One who writes his property for others [in his will] and leaves his children [with nothing]…
Behalotcha: Running Away
"The Israelites marched for a three day journey “mei'har Hashem”, from G-d…
Bava Batra 133: Oops! My Mistake
One of the differences one notices in teaching adults, as opposed to children, is that the former…
Time To Act: Birthright Education
First it was Leo Baeck, then it was TanenbaumCHAT and now it is Associated Hebrew Schools. Three…
Naso: To Be or Not to Be!
A fundamental question that has been debated since the beginning of Jewish history regards the…
Bava Batra 115: Younger and Wiser
One of the primary lessons of sefer Breisheet is that birth order matters little. Yitzchak, Yaakov…
Shavuot: Messianic Origins
“And these are the generations of Peretz…. Shalmon begot Boaz…and Yishai begot David" (Rut 4:18-22…
Bamidbar: Natural Life
Sefer Bamidbar can be viewed as a book of missed opportunities. A small group of Jewish slaves—the …
Bechukotai: Living Together
The Jewish people have never been a large nation. Our strength lies in quality, not quantity.…
Emor: The Right Balance
Judaism measures greatness by spiritual achievements. It should come as no surprise that many of…
Bava Batra 91: Avraham Avinu and Mother's Day
Here is a great trivia question to try on a friend. Who was Noach’s wife? What was Abraham…
Bava Batra 88: Sorry, No Teshuva Allowed
In our last post, we discussed the Gemara’s claim that the punishment for false weights is…
Bava Batra 88: Watch your Weight
All too often, we equate being a religious Jew with the observance of Shabbat, kashrut and …
Bava Batra 75: Reason to Believe
We live in an age of great skepticism—often for good reason. In a time where science-with its…
Pesach: Hope for the Best
Pesach is the Jewish holiday of hope. It marks the beginning of the Jewish (lunar) year – and new…
Pesach: Now that is Slavery!
Our images of Egyptian slavery are those of forced labor and murder by a ruthless tyrant and his…
Thank You for this Gift
Thank you! The Toronto Jewish community owes a tremendous collective thank you to the Jesin-…
Pesach: A Seder in Sedom
"He made a feast for them and baked matzah and they ate" (Breisheet 19:3). The…