2015-08-08

In our past couple of posts (here and here), we have discussed the notion of a petach, an opening to allow one to annul a vow.…

2015-08-06

  "One may use as an opening [to annul a vow] one's own honour or the honour of one's children" (Nedarim 66a). Our…

2015-08-04

  "If only I would have known.." After many pages delineating the parameters of various vows the Talmud discusses when and how one…

2015-07-31

It is always fascinating how a most technical, even obscure, discussion can reveal and lead to a discussion on fundamental concepts of Judaism…

2015-07-30

It is not uncommon for someone to lose their job due to something stupid they do at an office party. People are much more apt to let their guard…

2015-07-23

Sadly, some people need stimulants--be they (legal) alcohol or (illegal) drugs--to stimulate themselves and put themselves in a good mood. Others,…

2015-07-22

At first glance one would not expect a Talmudic discussion on the mitzva of bikkur cholim in the midst of a discussion of vows. However…

2015-07-20

  In our last post we discussed the renewed interest today in the study of Tanach. Concurrent with that, for the first time in…

2015-07-19

Over the past generation - primarily in Israel but also to a lesser extent in the Diaspora - there has been a renewed focus on the study of Tanach.…

2015-06-30

Dina demalchuta Dina, the law of the land is the law, is one of the most famous teachings of Jewish jurisprudence. While ostensibly a law relating to…

2015-06-29

  The Mishna Berura - the most widely used halachic code of the 20th century - in his introduction to the laws of Shabbat explains the crucial…

2015-06-29

  Imagine if instead of twenty-four books the Tanach consisted of only six. Strange as it sounds that was the original plan. "Rav Adda…

2015-06-23

The 1960's sitcom Get Smart[1] had as one of its heroes Hymie the robot. Lacking full human intelligence, he understood language only…

2015-06-17

In the siddurim commonly in use today, on the Shabbat before Rosh Chodesh, we pray that we should be blessed to have "chaim she'…

2015-06-15

The mitzvah of Talmud Torah has a dual objective. First and foremost, one learns so one will know how to act: "an ignoramus cannot be a…

2015-06-09

In our second to last post of Masechet Ketubot we discussed the decision of Rabbi Yehudah Hanassi to put  the Oral Law into writing.…

2015-05-31

“Better is it that one should not vow, than that one should vow and not pay” (Kohelet 5:4). This truism, enunciated by Shlomo HaMelech…

2015-05-26

One of the major benefits of studying Daf Yomi is that one is exposed to the entire breadth of the (Babylonian) Talmud, something one may not manage…

2015-05-21

The life of Rebbe, Rabbi Yehuda Hanassi, marked a turning point in Jewish history. He was the one who, strange as it may sound, acted in defiance of…

2015-05-20

  It is a sad spectacle when people fight over a dead man's estate. What can make such disputes more intractable is that often, both…

2015-05-18

No contract can cover all eventualities, and only through goodwill and compromise can disputes be avoided when the inevitable happens, and something…

2015-05-17

Many people, upon receiving notice of jury duty, try hard to avoid actually doing such. They have little time, interest, and often cannot afford the…

2015-05-14

One of the differences between the taxation policies of the United States and that of Canada is that in the United States a couple can choose to be…

2015-05-13

The importance of informal education is today a given. A solid education requires both formal and informal learning and often it is the latter that…