I, probably like many of you began my formal study of Talmud learning Eilu Metziot, the second…
Shabbat Chol HaMoed: Let's Skip This Year
"Keep the harvest festival as the year changes" (Shemot 34:22). This (half) verse is the…
Sukkot: Fear and Joy
The Jewish year begins with the aseret yemei teshuva, the ten days of repentance. They begin with…
Yom Kippur: Play Ball!
“There are those who acquire their world in one moment” (Avodah Zara 18a). One action…
Yom Kippur: Where Are You?
“On Rosh Hashanah it is written and on Yom Kippur it is sealed.” No two holidays are as…
What's a Little Lie?: Bava Metzia 5
“Two people are holding onto a tallit. This one says…‘it is all mine’ and…
Vayelech: 1…613
“Today I [Moshe] am 120 years old, and I can no longer come and go." (Devarim 31:2).…
Crime Pays: Bava Metzia 5
"Crime doesn’t pay" is a nice moral message but not a very practical one. Most…
Rosh Hashanah: A Redemptive Moment
One of the strengths of the Jewish people is our ability to focus on the future. What we do…
Introducing Bava Metzia
“Two people are holding on to a tallit. This one says ‘I found it’ and this one…
The Law of the Land: Bava Kamma 113
Dina demalchuta dina, the law of the land is the law, is one of the most famous, far-reaching and…
Travelling for Teshuva: Bava Kamma 103
The distinction between a ganav and a gazlan is fairly well known. The former in trying to hide his…
Keep the Money: Bava Kamma 94
Doing teshuva is hard work. Sinning can be fun, easy to do, financially beneficial and habit…
The Wisdom of the Common Man: Bava Kamma 92
One of the revolutions of Judaism was its democratization. No person is inherently superior to…
Please Forgive Me: Bava Kamma 92
“Even though he repays him he is not forgiven until he asks him.” (Bava Kamma 92a) In…
Shoftim: Church and State
Judaism has long understood that politics and religion are a dangerous mix. Political office was…
The First Day of School - on Nehama's Birthday
For thousands of children, not to mention parents, the day after Labour Day marks the unofficial…
Let's Have a Party!: Bava Kamma 87
In our last post we discussed Rabbi Yehuda’s (rejected) view that the blind are exempt from…