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Isaac Rabi, winner of the 1944 Nobel Prize in physics for his discovery of nuclear magnetic resonance, was asked what inspired him to become a…
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This past week, Daf Yomi began learning masechet Moed Katan, “the little holiday.” This signals that our two years’ study of seder Moed, the second…
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One of the most well-known Talmudic passages of masechet Megillah is the teaching of Rava that “one is obligated l’beshumei, to drink, on Purim,…
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“Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: One is obligated to read the Megillah at night and lishnota, repeat it, during the day” (Megillah 4a). While this may…
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It would not be overstating the case to claim that the overarching goal of the Torah is creating a society in which G-d’s chosen nation can combine…
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Whether one eats Special K or Rice Krispies (or scrambled eggs) for breakfast matters little. But whether one uses nuclear energy to provide clean…
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“Meiemati, from when does one begin mentioning gevurat geshamim, the strength of the rain?” (Ta’anit 2a). The opening Mishna of masechet Ta’anit…
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In the year 922CE a debate broke out that threatened to irrevocably cause the Jewish people to split apart. Pesach that year was scheduled to begin…
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“There are four New Years…on the first of Shevat is the New Year for trees, according to the words of Beit Shammai. Beit Hillel says [it is on] the…
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One of the fundamental debates in Biblical interpretation is whether the Torah is written in chronological order. Rashi often employs the notion of …
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Debates between Beit Hillel and Beit Shammai are the bread and butter of Mishnaic discourse. There are some 316 debates recorded between these great…
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It is on Sukkot that we read sefer Kohelet. A devar Torah on masechet Beitza is not the place to discuss the reason for this custom. However, as I…
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The State of California today is voting on whether to recall and remove its governor from office. This recall will be successful even if only 50%…
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As most investors know, there is little that rattles the markets more than uncertainty. Fluctuations of the market are primarily based on future…
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In our last post, we noted the principle milta d’lo schicha lo gazru ba rabbanan, that our Sages do not enact protective measures for rare events, a…
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One of the manifold changes of modernity is manifest in the modern methods of food preparation. No longer must one literally spend pretty much the…
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Those who have sat shiva know that the weeks after shiva can be much harder than the shiva itself. No longer are there people coming to visit, at…
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It was not long ago that it was hard to find a minyan of people with a lulav and etrog in shul. Following on the heels of the High Holidays, Sukkot…
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One of the unique laws of the arba minim, the four species, is that one can only fulfil the Biblical mitzvah with a set that one personally owns (…
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Rabbi Yochanan ben HaChoranit must have been a great Sage. I imagine that many reading this devar Torah have never heard of him and there is in fact…
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To state that Rav Yochanan ben Zakai is one of the most important leaders in all of Jewish history is nothing short of an understatement. Without his…
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One of the requirements of a sukkah is that it be a dirat arai, a temporary dwelling. A permanent structure would be a bayit, a home, rather than a…
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Psychologists have long known that two people can—and often do—see the exact same thing, and yet offer very different accounts of what they have…
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“A sukkah that is taller than 20 amot, cubits (approximately 30 feet), is invalid; and Rabbi Yehuda validates it” (Sukkah 2a). This rather technical…