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…
The Mishna Berura - the most widely used halachic code of the 20th century - in his introduction to the laws of Shabbat explains the crucial…
Imagine if instead of twenty-four books the Tanach consisted of only six. Strange as it sounds that was the original plan. "Rav Adda…
The 1960's sitcom Get Smart[1] had as one of its heroes Hymie the robot. Lacking full human intelligence, he understood language only…
In the siddurim commonly in use today, on the Shabbat before Rosh Chodesh, we pray that we should be blessed to have "chaim she'…
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…
In our second to last post of Masechet Ketubot we discussed the decision of Rabbi Yehudah Hanassi to put the Oral Law into writing.…
“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…
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…
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…
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…
No contract can cover all eventualities, and only through goodwill and compromise can disputes be avoided when the inevitable happens, and something…
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…
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…
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…
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.…