Sefer Devarim is the book of preparation to enter the land of Israel. Moshe Rabbeinu was to be…
Megillah 14: Whipped Into Shape
Often it takes our enemies to whip us into shape. “Rav Abba the son of Kahana said: Greater…
Megillah 6: Try Harder
When one makes a siyum to mark the completion of a tractate of Talmud, we recite the beautiful…
Megillah 4: Active Defence
"Rav Yehoshua ben Levi said, women are obligated in the reading of the Megillah she'…
Megillah 3: What Comes First
"These days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, every family, every…
Megillah 2: Breaking the Walls
The first daf (page) of Masechet Megillah focuses on the distinction between open and…
Some Opening Thoughts on Masechet Megillah
Masechet Ta'anit ends with a description of how, on the 15th of Av and on Yom Kippur, "the…
Balak: Dwelling Amongst the Nations
Perhaps no greater question has vexed the Jewish people as that of our relationship with the…
May G-d Comfort...
For most of the world, the year 1492 marks the anniversary of Christopher Columbus' voyage to…
Taanit 10: To Fast or Not to Fast
Sukkot marks the beginning of the rainy season, and Rabbi Eliezer opines that we should start…
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…
Taanit 7: The Wrong Reason
It is hard enough to do what is right. Our wants, desirers, egos, social pressure, and the like…
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…
Taanit 4: An Iron Fist
One of the most popular images in our tradition is that of a tree. Its many component parts reflect…
Some Opening Thoughts on Masechet Taanit
"Memati mazkirin gevurat geshamim, from when do we begin to mention the power of rain?" (…
Some Concluding Thoughts on Masechet Rosh Hashanah
The last Mishnah in Masechet Rosh Hashanah quotes a debate between the Sages and Rabban Gamliel on…
Rosh Hashanah 29: Crying on Yom Tov
The fourth and last chapter of Masechet Rosh Hashanah focuses on the mitzvah of shofar and the…