The word damim in biblical Hebrew means both blood and money. Lo ta’amod al dam reacha (Vayikra19:16) means not only may we not stand idly by…
Teaching in a community school, I often hear from many of my students that they are “not religious.” After all, they don’t observe…
One of most difficult laws to comprehend, both technically and philosophically, is the Torah prohibition against charging interest – the…
“If an oven is cut into rings, and sand is placed between the rings, Rabbi Eliezer says it is pure. But the sages say it is susceptible to…
One of the most famous, powerful and tragic stories in all of Talmudic literature is that of the excommunication of Rabbi Eliezer ben Hyrcanus, known…
“Just as there is ona’ah, oppression, regarding commerce, so too there is ona’ah, oppression, regarding words. One should not say…
There is not too much one can do with a penny; so little, in fact, that the Canadian government removed them from circulation in 2013 with purchases…
“Ona’ah is four silver maot in twenty-four…1/6th of the price” (Bava Metzia 49b). The laws of ona’ah, price fraud,…
The Ramban, in perhaps his most famous biblical comment, notes that one can observe every law in the Torah and yet be no better than a dead carcass (…
In our last post we discussed the responsibilities of a shomer entrusted to guard produce. The Mishnayot continue with a discussion of one’s…
“Milveh lhotzah nitna”, money is loaned to be spent (Kiddushin 47a). When one loans money it is with the understanding that the borrower…
It is a beautiful character trait to be trusting of others. It is also, all too often, foolhardy. The underlying theme of much of Bava Metzia, and…
The difference between a smart businessperson and an ethically challenged one can be fine indeed - so fine that many will disagree on where to draw…
One of the beautiful things about studying Gemara is delighting in how it seamlessly flows from one idea to another; how it blends legal rulings,…
There are few mitzvoth of greater importance than kibud av veim. This is so well-known and obvious that it hardly needs elaboration. So much so that…
“G-d is good to all and His mercy is upon all His creations” (Tehillim 145:9). If G-d has mercy on all His creations so too must man,…
The Torah demands we do much to help others. However, while we may have to love others like ourselves, there is no requirement to love them more than…
“Until when must he declare the lost object? Until his neighbours know about it, these are the words of Rav Meir.” (Bava Metzia 28a) One…
I, probably like many of you began my formal study of Talmud learning Eilu Metziot, the second chapter of masechet Bava Metzia. “These are the…
“Two people are holding onto a tallit. This one says…‘it is all mine’ and this one says ‘it is all mine’…
"Crime doesn’t pay" is a nice moral message but not a very practical one. Most criminals, especially those who commit petty crime,…
“Two people are holding on to a tallit. This one says ‘I found it’ and this one says ‘I found it’; this one says…
Dina demalchuta dina, the law of the land is the law, is one of the most famous, far-reaching and even revolutionary laws of the Talmud. At its most…
The distinction between a ganav and a gazlan is fairly well known. The former in trying to hide his crime pays double the amount stolen whereas the…