Shabbat and Yom Tov are gifts to the Jewish people, and the Jewish people only. As such, we are…
Emor: The Joys of a Kohen
Being a kohen today is not what it used to be. While one may receive more aliyot and lead …
Beitza 20: The Path of Hillel
There is arguably no greater figure in Talmudic literature than that of Hillel the Elder. He…
Beitza 17b: To the Showers...
Often, when studying Gemara, we fail to appreciate how different day-to-day life was for our…
Kedoshim: One is Holy
One of the features of the scientific world is classification of different species into their…
Beitza 17: Open Sinning
All of us are sinners. To be human means that we make mistakes, both inadvertent and intentional.…
Beitza 11: Beyond the Beginning
Our Sages defined a chacham as one who is roeh et hanolad, who foresees the results of his actions…
Fiscal Responsibility
What is it about leaders that so many of them seem to be embroiled in ethical controversy? We in…
Pesach: A Long Short Story
“And it was at the end of four hundred and thirty years, in the middle of that very day, that the…
The Four Questions of Jewish Education
I write these words just days before Pesach, the holiday that, more than any other, focuses on…
Acharei Mot: Celebrating Pesach on Yom Kippur
It is quite rare to read parshat Acharei Mot on Shabbat Hagadol. In non-leap years, it is generally…
Beitza 5: The Wrong Note
It is doubtful the Jewish life would exist as we know it if not for the leadership of Rav Yochanan…
Beitza 4b: The Second Day of Yom Tov
I have a confession to make. I really like Yom Tov and look forward to having an extra…
Beitza 4: Take Your Time
The very first teaching in all of rabbinic literature[1] is the saying of the Men of the Great…
Beitza 2: Protecting the Neglected
The Rambam, in discussing the prohibition of ba’al toseef (Devarim 4:2), the prohibition of…
Some Opening Thoughts on Masechet Beitza
“An egg that was laid on Yom Tov: Beit Shammai says it may be eaten, and Beit Hillel says it…
Rabbi David Stav to Speak on Thursday, May 15
Rabbi David Stav will speak on Thursday, May 15, on the topic "The Struggle for Jewish…