2017-07-27

“Rabbi Chaninah says: I learned much from my teachers, and from my colleagues more than my teachers, and from my students more than all…

2017-07-25

“Thus said the Lord of hosts: The fast of the fourth [month] (17 Tammuz ), and the fast of the fifth (9 Av), and the fast of the seventh (…

2017-07-24

How much would you be willing to sacrifice for the honour of another? Some money, a little bit of time perhaps. But few are those who would be…

2017-07-23

“Rav Yochanan said: The Holy One, blessed be He, established the covenant with the Jewish people only because of the Oral Law, as it says…

2017-07-21

“Dinei mammonot, monetary law [is adjudicated] with three [judges]; gezeilot vechavalot, theft and assault, with three [judges]” (…

2017-07-19

The opening Mishna of Masechet Sanhedrin explains the workings of a three-tiered court system. One handled monetary law, and consisted of three…

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…