2017-07-18

In his 17th century collection of responsa (#93), the Chacham Tzvi, Rav Tzvi Ashkenazi, discusses whether a golem, perhaps best translated as an…

2017-07-11

“The brothers who were groomsmen, shoshbanim, during the lifetime of their father—when the wedding gifts are reciprocated they…

2017-07-05

Two of most central pillars of Jewish faith, G-d’s foreknowledge of all that will occur and free choice granted to man, seemingly—and…

2017-06-28

There is something very special about being pregnant with one’s first child. One has grandiose dreams (hopefully) of carrying a great Torah…

2017-06-15

One of the great disparities between the modern Western mode of thought and traditional Jewish thought is the concept of egalitarianism. Modern…

2017-06-12

“One who writes his property for others [in his will] and leaves his children [with nothing]—what is done is done, but the spirit of our…

2017-06-08

One of the differences one notices in teaching adults, as opposed to children, is that the former are generally less inclined to respond to questions…

2017-06-01

One of the primary lessons of sefer Breisheet is that birth order matters little. Yitzchak, Yaakov and Yosef were all younger brothers, in Yosef…

2017-05-11

Here is a great trivia question to try on a friend. Who was Noach’s wife? What was Abraham’s mother’s name? Don’t feel bad if…

2017-05-04

In our last post, we discussed the Gemara’s claim that the punishment for false weights is greater than that for sexual immorality. As the…

2017-05-02

All too often, we equate being a religious Jew with the observance of Shabbat, kashrut and taharat hamishpacha. Without at all minimizing these…

2017-04-24

We live in an age of great skepticism—often for good reason. In a time where science-with its demand for rigorous proofs, detailed…

2017-04-08

The third chapter of Bava Batra is some 30 pages long, making it one of the longest in the Talmud. It is focused on the rules of acquisition of…

2017-04-05

It was at the well that Abraham’s servant met Rivka, Yaakov met Rachel and Moshe met Tzippora. It is hard for us--who, when thirsty,…

2017-03-19

If you are going to pick a fight with someone, it’s best to know who your adversary is. There are certain people with whom it just doesn’…

2017-03-16

Canadian law requires one to keep tax records for six years, after which time they can be destroyed and government audits are no longer possible.…

2017-03-05

Malcolm Gladwell, in his book Outliers, posits that it takes 10,000 hours of practice for people to become expert in any field, be they NHL hockey…

2017-02-28

It is unlikely that Yehoshua ben Gamla would make very many listings of the five or even ten most important Sages of Talmudic times – let alone…

2017-02-23

It is hard to imagine what the Jewish world would be like without Rashi. Well, maybe not so hard. Without Rashi our understanding of Chumash would be…

2017-02-20

Every once in a while one comes across a Talmudic story that makes one shake one’s head in disbelief. As we discussed in our last post, the…

2017-02-15

The opening Mishna of Bava Batra teaches that in the interest of privacy, one neighbour can force the other to build a wall dividing their common…

2017-02-12

Visiting Yeshiva Chachmei Lublin as Torah in Motion “Journeyed through Jewish History”, sitting in the beautifully rebuilt, but…

2017-02-07

The Ramah in his glosses to the Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh Deah 249:1) rules that the mitzva of tzedakah can only be fulfilled by giving to the poor. This…

2017-02-05

“We force him [the resident of a courtyard] to contribute to the building of the guard’s gate” (Bava Batra 7b). When we think of a…