Masechet Ta'anit ends with a description of how, on the 15th of Av and on Yom Kippur, "the…
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Balak: Dwelling Amongst the Nations
Perhaps no greater question has vexed the Jewish people as that of our relationship with the…
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May G-d Comfort...
For most of the world, the year 1492 marks the anniversary of Christopher Columbus' voyage to…
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Taanit 10: To Fast or Not to Fast
Sukkot marks the beginning of the rainy season, and Rabbi Eliezer opines that we should start…
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Taanit 9: Give So You Can Get
"If not for my covenant, day and night, the laws of heaven and earth, I would not have created…
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Taanit 7: The Wrong Reason
It is hard enough to do what is right. Our wants, desirers, egos, social pressure, and the like…
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Taanit 7: Rain, Rain, Don't Go Away
Living in Canada, it is hard to get excited about rain. Often it puts a damper on nice summer plans…
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Taanit 4: An Iron Fist
One of the most popular images in our tradition is that of a tree. Its many component parts reflect…
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Some Opening Thoughts on Masechet Taanit
"Memati mazkirin gevurat geshamim, from when do we begin to mention the power of rain?" (…
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Some Concluding Thoughts on Masechet Rosh Hashanah
The last Mishnah in Masechet Rosh Hashanah quotes a debate between the Sages and Rabban Gamliel on…
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Rosh Hashanah 29: Crying on Yom Tov
The fourth and last chapter of Masechet Rosh Hashanah focuses on the mitzvah of shofar and the…
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Rosh Hashanah 29: A Split Personality
"Kol Yisrael areivim zeh bazeh, all Jews are co-signers [responsible] for one another" (…
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Rosh Hashanah 25: A Saving Kiss
G-d is known as kel mistater, a hidden G-d (Yishayahu 46:15). Being created in His image, man, too…
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Rosh Hashanah 23: A Sweet Smell
There is a widespread custom to decorate our shuls with flowers in honour of Shavuot. This…
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Shavuot: Why Were We Chosen?
"It was taught in the name of Rabbi Meir: Why was the Torah given to the Jewish people?" (Beitzah…
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Rosh Hashanah 18: Changing G-d's Mind
In the last couple of posts, we discussed the fact that many of our prayers are likely to have…
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Rosh Hashanah 16b: Better Not Pray Too Much
We are familiar with the term iyun tefillah from our daily davening, where iyun…
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Rosh Hashanah 16: Why Bother to Pray?
"At four times the world is judged: On Pesach for produce; on Shavuot for the fruit of the…