How sad when parents do not understand their children, and are unaware of what they’re up to.…
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Shabbat 31b: One-Foot Judaism
One of the most famous Talmudic stories is that of the potential convert who conditioned his…
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Shabbat 31: No Need to Cram
Having the questions of an exam in advance would seem to be a big advantage. Yet often, such…
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The Joy of Mitzvoth: Shabbat 30
Rav Moshe Feinstein noted that one of the tragedies of American Jewish life was the common notion…
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Alive in Our Memories: Shabbat 30
“The rabbis wanted to bury the book of Kohelet, as its words contradict one another” (30b). The…
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Vayera: No Secrets
“And G-d said: Am I going to hide from Abraham that which I will do?” The city of Sedom was a…
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Shabbat 22: Lights Out!
In an age before electricity, having light at night was no simple matter. While various forms of…
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Election Fever
Once again we are in the midst of election fever. The upcoming (recently past when this is read) US…
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To Forget Is Human: Shabbat 12
Human nature is to be forgetful, even in the midst of doing something. This human frailty is what…
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Shabbat 10: In Your Court
While the prelude to the giving of the Torah is the establishment of a court system (see Shemot 18…
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Shabbat 10a: Stop Praying Already
Two of our most fundamental mitzvoth are those of Tefillah, prayer and Talmud Torah…
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Shabbat 6: The Hidden Scrolls
When discussing the transition of torah sheba’al peh from knowledge that was transmitted orally to…
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Shabbat 3: Timely Questions
I had the privilege of learning in Rav Herschel Schachter’s shiur at Yeshiva University for four…
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Breisheet: The Descent of Man
The creation narrative has the world in beautiful harmony. Heaven and earth, sky and water, sun…
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Shabbat 2: Waiting Outside
Much of Masechet Brachot deals with non-legal matters - extolling the importance of prayers and…
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Simchat Torah: Two Days or One?
This week’s d'var Torah is sponsored in honour of the 80th birthday of Bashi (Esther) Burack by her…
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Brachot 61: For a Worthy Cause
The story of the martyrdom of Rabbi Akiva is well known. Defying the orders of the Roman government…
Brachot 59: What a Blessing
One of the most well known blessings is that of dayan haemet, the blessing said upon the…