The Talmud spends quite a number of pages discussing dreams. Taking their cue from the Bible itself…
Brachot 50: Gratitude
“From the blessings of man, we see if he is a scholar or not”. How, and more…
Tax Evasion
No one likes to pay taxes. Yet taxes are the lifeblood of our society, paying for our security,…
Yom Kippur: The Month After
“For the sin we committed by wronging a neighbour, for the sin we committed by bribery, for the sin…
Brachot 47b: We Are All Am Ha'aratzim
The term am ha'aretz has come to mean an ignorant Jew, and is generally used in a pejorative…
Brachot 43b: A Shameful Smell
A common feature of Talmudic editing is to group together a series of statements made by the same…
Brachot 43: Love of Zion
We human beings are naturally biased. Products of our environment, we are influenced by our…
Rosh Hashanah: Time to Remember
David, Karen, and Beca Bookman wish their parents, families, friends, and the Or Chaim Minyan a…
Brachot 40: Getting It Wrong!
A striking feature of Talmud study is how it seamlessly moves from subject to subject; and how,…
Brachot 39: Eat First, Ask Later
Jewish law prescribes not only that we make a blessing on food, but that we do so in the correct…
Brachot 38b: Practice, Practice, Practice!
As the Talmud is, at its core, an oral tradition—with the words before us a summary of…
Brachot 35: No, Thank You!
The opening Mishnah of the sixth chapter of Brachot discusses the various blessings one makes on…
Brachot 34a: Respect for the Congregation
In Talmudic times, the norm was that the chazzan literally prayed on behalf of the congregation.…
Ki Tavo: What a Waste!
Man has an innate desire to see the fruit of his own efforts. When life's blessings are handed…
Brachot 32a: Forcing G-d to Forgive
One of the exciting aspects of Talmud study is the range of ideas presented, and the openness to…
Brachot 31: Where to Pray
The Talmud spends a good deal of time discussing the proper frame of mind for prayer. In a rather…
Brachot 27: Too Close for Comfort?
The Gemara, in discussing the propriety of making an “early Shabbat”, records that Rav…
Dead Foundation Money
Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney recently called on Canadian corporations to start spending the…