On the surface, it is difficult to understand why we celebrate Chanukah, a festival commemorating…
Chanukah: Turkey and Latkes
Chanukah is a most popular holiday, even amongst “secular” Jews. For those living in…
Let's Make Jewish High School Free
The recently released Pew report on American Jewry has generated anguished discussion on the future…
Yoma 18: Look Who Saved Torah From Oblivion
Sometimes the choices we make turn out to be better than we could have imagined in our wildest…
Yoma 13: When the Competition Gets Tough...
“And he shall atone for himself and for his household” (Vayikra 16:6). The Rabbis…
Yoma 12: Messianic Laws
The opening Mishnah of Yoma teaches that a backup kohen gadol was to be prepared lest…
Rabbi Dr. Yehudah Mirsky to Serve as Scholar in Residence at Or Chaim Minyan
Rabbi Dr. Yehudah Mirsky will be a scholar in residence at the Or Chaim Minyan on Shabbat of …
Vayeshev: The President and the Viceroy
One of the messages I try to hammer home to my students is that everything in the Torah can be…
Yoma 10: Home Sweet Home
“And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house” (Devarim 6:9). The mitzvah of…
Yoma 9: Sinning in Secret
Although it is mashechet Gittin (55b-57b) that records the stories relating to the destruction of…
Yoma 8: Dying for Glory
About twenty-five years ago, a series of studies[1] found that upwards of 50% of elite athletes…
Yoma 3: To Work or Study
"Abba Chanan said, in the name of Rav Elazar: One verse says, 'make for you an ark of…
Yoma: Some Opening Thoughts
Seder Moed, the order of Mishnah dealing with our festivals, begins with Shabbat and includes such…
Pesachim Comes to a Close
Mashechet Pesachim details the events of the busiest day of the year, beginning with the search for…
Pesachim 120: What's On the Menu?
With the destruction of the Temple, the focus of the seder menu shifted from the eating of the…
Toldot: And He Grew Up
"Vayigdal Haish, and the man grew up and grew more and more, until he became very big…
Pesachim 117: King of the Poets
Great poetry resonates across generations and even cultures, with all finding different layers of…
Pesachim 113: The Chicken, the Prostitute, and the Rabbi
The Netziv, in his commentary on Chumash, explains that the first verse of the priestly blessing…