The fact that the Bible allows – perhaps at times even encourages – the death penalty for violating its most serious transgressions is…
One often hears the lament that it is difficult to be a Jew. There are seemingly endless demands from morning to evening, 365 days a year, year in…
"They would cross-examine him with seven questions: in which year of the jubilee, in which year of the shmitta cycle, in which month,…
There is nothing more precious than human life. As we discussed in our last post, it is due to the crucial importance of one individual life that man…
"And now, behold, I have brought the first fruits of the land which You have given me" (Devarim 26:10). The Israeli farmer was to…
One of the most famous and beautiful teachings of Judaism is, “whoever preserves one life, it is as if he has preserved an entire world…
With thousands going back to school today (myself included), parents, teachers and students are looking forward (well, maybe not all are looking…
The conflict between truth and peace dates back at least as far as the creation of the world, with “truth” arguing that being that man is…
A legal brief and a good story are two very different forms of writing. We have even coined a term, legalese, to describe the distinct writing…
“Based on the words of two or three witnesses shall the matter be established” (Devarim 19:15). While absent cause, we have little…
Over the last few posts (see here and here) we have been discussing those who are disqualified from giving testimony or sitting as a judge…
“Rav Nachman said: Those who eat davar acher, the other, are pasul, invalid to give testimony” (Sanhedrin 26b). As is often the…
Innocent until proven guilty is a fundamental tenet of the our secular legal system. It finds an antecedent in the rabbinic notion of a …
"And G-d blessed them and G-d said unto them: Be fruitful and multiply and fill the land and conquer it” (Breisheet 1:28). These are…
We are all products of—and greatly influenced by—our environments, which is why our Sages put so much emphasis on ensuring that we live…
The land of Israel is a special, holy land and thus, all produce grown on it has properties of holiness. This is the underpinning of such laws of…
Malcolm Gladwell, in his best-selling book Outliers, delineates how much of one's success in life is dependent on when one is born. Thus,…
I have long thought that far and away the best introduction to and overview of Judaism is the Sefer haChinuch, the great 13th century…
One of the areas of law that even otherwise non-observant Jews tend to observe are those relating to mourning[1]. Perhaps this phenomenon is based on…
Marshall McLuhan, the insightful Canadian philosopher, noted that with the rapid advances in technology and communications, we citizens of earth were…
Perhaps the fundamental difference between the Written Law and the Oral Law is that the former is “spoken” from a Divine perspective,…
One of the fiercest debates in medieval Jewish history was engendered by the attempt to reinstate full-blown semicha, rabbinic ordination, by…
It is in times of crisis that strong leadership is most needed. And up to that point in Jewish history, there was no greater crisis than that faced…
When things go well all are ready to take credit, even if they had little or no role to play in the success of the project at hand. At the same time…
“At that time I pleaded with G-d, saying, ‘O G-d, Lord…please let me cross the Jordan. Let me see the good land across the Jordan…
Up until this point in Masechet Sanhedrin, we have been discussing the role of the court in resolving monetary disputes. But there is much more for…
Moshe Rabbeinu was about to die. Like many before him, he wanted to bless his “children” – the nation of Israel[1]. Yet before we…
The narrative portion of the Torah has come to an end. The last book of the Chumash, that of Devarim, concentrates on the charge that…
“Rabbi Chaninah says: I learned much from my teachers, and from my colleagues more than my teachers, and from my students more than all…
“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 (…
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…
“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…
“And the Egyptians were burying all their first born, who had been killed by G-d” (Bamidbar 33:4). Occupied with grief and…
“Dinei mammonot, monetary law [is adjudicated] with three [judges]; gezeilot vechavalot, theft and assault, with three [judges]” (…
The opening Mishna of Masechet Sanhedrin explains the workings of a three-tiered court system. One handled monetary law, and consisted of three…
In his 17th century collection of responsa (#93), the Chacham Tzvi, Rav Tzvi Ashkenazi, discusses whether a golem, perhaps best translated as an…
"And they called the people to their religious sacrifices, and the people ate and worshipped the Moabite gods" (Bamidbar 25:2). How…
“The brothers who were groomsmen, shoshbanim, during the lifetime of their father—when the wedding gifts are reciprocated they…
On Tuesday, June 20, the Toronto Jewish community joined together in a wonderful display of Jewish unity. Nine Jewish schools, each with its own…
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…
It is truly astounding how people can actually believe the most ludicrous of claims. “And Moshe divested Aharon of his vestments, and…
There is something very special about being pregnant with one’s first child. One has grandiose dreams (hopefully) of carrying a great Torah…
One of the great disparities between the modern Western mode of thought and traditional Jewish thought is the concept of egalitarianism. Modern…
“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…
"The Israelites marched for a three day journey “mei'har Hashem”, from G-d's mountain (Bamidbar 10:33). The Torah has been…
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…
First it was Leo Baeck, then it was TanenbaumCHAT and now it is Associated Hebrew Schools. Three Jewish day schools with a combined enrollment of…
A fundamental question that has been debated since the beginning of Jewish history regards the degree of contact and integration one should have with…
One of the primary lessons of sefer Breisheet is that birth order matters little. Yitzchak, Yaakov and Yosef were all younger brothers, in Yosef…
“And these are the generations of Peretz…. Shalmon begot Boaz…and Yishai begot David" (Rut 4:18-22). So ends the Book of Rut, read on Shavuot,…