“Shimon Ha'amsoni—and some say, Nechemia Ha'amsoni—used to derive [laws]…
VaEtchanan: Time for Comfort
Life is so unfair. While we believe that ultimately (and ultimately can take an eternity!) justice…
Tisha B'Av: Greetings
“Everything is dependent on mazal, even the sefer Torah in the ark”. Certain mitzvoth…
Pesachim 11: Telling Time
The halachic legal system is much more than a set of abstract principles or technical…
Pesachim 9a: When In Doubt...Eat
"Two verses that contradict each other, until a third verse is found and reconciles between…
Mattot-Massei: It's Your Land
“And Elazar the priest said: This is the law of the Torah, which the Lord commanded Moshe…
Pesachim 7a: Who Carries Your Water?
Rav Yisrael Salanter, the 19th century founder of the mussar movement, was asked by his students…
Pinchas: Moving On
"And Moshe did as G-d had commanded and he took Joshua and stood him before Elazar Hakohen and…
Pesachim 4a: The Rent is Too High
Landlord-tenant disputes are the bread and butter of many a lawyer. No law can account for any…
Pesachim 3b: Story of a Bigmouth
Great leaders are great strategists. The Talmud (Pesachim 3b) relates that a certain non-…
Pesachim 2-3: Light Up the Night
"To tell of Your loving-kindness in the morning and Your faithfulness at night" (…
Pesachim: Some Opening Thoughts
"On the night of the 14th [of Nissan], one [begins the] search for chametz". So…
Balak: Religious Wars
This week's d'var Torah is sponsored by Golda Brown in honour of the…
Eiruvin 95b: Tefillin for Women
In Talmudic times, it was common for one to wear tefillin all day long. As the Torah does not limit…
Eiruvin 81b: Cash Cow
As more and more of our economy runs on credit, as we increasingly pay for purchases with debit…
Eiruvin 80b: Fighting Over a Crust of Bread
For thousands of years, a meal was defined by the eating of bread. Not only as did bread serve as…
Korach: Some Are More Holy Than Others
The survival of the Jewish people in the desert was a direct result and only possible because of…
Eiruvin 69b: Following in Parents' Footsteps
I dedicate the thought below to the memory of my mother, Rachel bat Chaim (Ruth Kelman) z”l,…