Psychologists estimate that the pain of losing money is twice as great as the joy of making money (see here). It is for this reason that Jewish…
While it may sound unromantic, marriage partners are chosen, more often than we might like to admit, for socio-economic reasons. While this need not…
In our last post we discussed the challenge of balancing work and family obligations. The Mishnah that discusses the length of a "…
Finding the proper balance between work and family is a challenge that man has been dealing with since the beginning of time. There never seems to be…
One of the most difficult, yet vital, tasks as we learn, is allotting enough time and effort for review. We all find the new more exciting, and…
The increasing age for marriage coupled with the high cost of housing has led to a situation of more and more children in their 20's and…
Our conception of the family unit has undergone revolutionary changes in the last few years. It should come as no surprise that norms of today often…
"One should be as careful with a light mitzvah as with a heavy mitzvah" (Pirkei Avot 2:1). Not every mitzvah is created equal. While all…
Malcolm Gladwell, in his bestselling book Outliers, demonstrates how so much of our success is a result of factors beyond our control.…
In our last post we discussed the fickleness of memory and how and when one may write down testimony for future use in a court of…
Our memories are notoriously fickle and even untrustworthy. Yet we have little choice but to rely on such. It is likely due to the unreliability of…
It is well known that a Jew must give up his or her life only if asked, or ordered, to violate one of the three cardinal sins of Judaism; idolatry,…
A legal system is much more than a collection of laws. It signifies the values a society holds dear. When one studies halacha, one is…
Money is a great motivator, impacting so many of the decisions we make. The crucial role money plays in our lives can best be seen by the fact that…
In our last post we discussed that a betulah should marry on a Wednesday evening so that if it is discovered that the wife is not…
Planning a wedding is no easy task. One must pick a date, hall, caterer, band, florist, and on and on it goes. For those living in North America (and…
The Ketuba is one of the best known, but least understood, documents in Judaism. Read at every wedding, many mistakenly believe it is a marriage…
"Rabbi Elazar said, in the name of Rabbi Chaninah: Torah scholars increase peace in the world, as it says, 'and all your children shall be…
We have previously referred to the special leniency that allows a woman to remarry on the testimony of one witness. This was a most revolutionary…
Back in the tenth chapter of Yevamot, we discussed the case of a woman who remarried on the basis of the testimony of one witness who declared that…
One of the basic tenets of our legal system is that those who are not of a sound mature mind are not to be held responsible for their…
"Talmud Torah kneged kulam" (Mishnah Peah 1:1). This teaching is generally understood to mean that the study of Torah is equal to all…
One would not think that a discussion about the intricacies of the laws of chalitzah would lead to a discussion regarding…
For those who do not live in Toronto--and perhaps for many who do--you may not be familiar with the Bata Shoe Museum. This unique museum is the place…