"Whoever mourns for Jerusalem will merit seeing its joy" (Ta'anit 30b). Our…
Megillah 14: The Songs of Israel
Pesach is the foundational holiday of the Jewish people, and the Exodus is the defining moment of…
Devarim: Justice Comes First
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?" (…