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…
Bava Batra 60: Please Don't Marry Me
The third chapter of Bava Batra is some 30 pages long, making it one of the longest in the Talmud.…
Tzav: It's All in the Heart
Our tradition seems to have a somewhat ambivalent view regarding sacrifices. The Torah devotes many…
Bava Batra 64: 20/20 Vision
It was at the well that Abraham’s servant met Rivka, Yaakov met Rachel and Moshe met Tzippora…
Vayikra: Eat Quickly
Sefer Vayikra serves as the “central” book of the Chumash; on one side flanked by…
Bava Batra 30: Don't Start With Me
If you are going to pick a fight with someone, it’s best to know who your adversary is. There…
Bava Batra 29: My Friend's Friend
Canadian law requires one to keep tax records for six years, after which time they can be destroyed…
Purim: For the People
What should one do when the needs of the Jewish people conflict with the needs of Judaism? When the…
Bava Batra 22: Talmudic Competition
Malcolm Gladwell, in his book Outliers, posits that it takes 10,000 hours of practice for people to…
Terumah: Returning Home
The prayer for the welfare of the State of Israel recited in many of our congregations assumes that…
Bava Batra 21: The Talmudic Tuition Plan
It is unlikely that Yehoshua ben Gamla would make very many listings of the five or even ten most…