"The Holy One blessed be He looked into Torah and created the world" (Breisheet Rabba 1:2). Our Sages viewed the Torah as the architectural…
Rabbi Moshe Taragin will be scholar in residence at Or Chaim Minyan on the Shabbat of December 7, 2013. Yeshivat Or Chaim, 159 Almore Ave., Toronto.…
"And Joseph could not restrain himself" (45:1). After 22 years, Joseph and his brothers were to be reunited. In probably the most emotional…
One of the fundamental teachings of Judaism is that nothing is inherently good or bad--it all depends on how it is used. Even the evil inclination…
The kohen gadol had a hard day of work on Yom Kippur. The avodah, the special Yom Kippur Temple service, was intricate and difficult, and…
On the surface, it is difficult to understand why we celebrate Chanukah, a festival commemorating the rededication of the Temple and Jewish…
On the surface, it is difficult to understand why we celebrate Chanukah, a festival commemorating the rededication of the Temple and Jewish…
Chanukah is a most popular holiday, even amongst “secular” Jews. For those living in Israel, the vastly outnumbered Maccabees defeating…
Chanukah is a most popular holiday, even amongst “secular” Jews. For those living in Israel, the vastly outnumbered Maccabees defeating…
The recently released Pew report on American Jewry has generated anguished discussion on the future of American Jewry. Some of its key findings…
The recently released Pew report on American Jewry has generated anguished discussion on the future of American Jewry. Some of its key findings…
Sometimes the choices we make turn out to be better than we could have imagined in our wildest dreams. The baseball player drafted in the 11th round…
“And he shall atone for himself and for his household” (Vayikra 16:6). The Rabbis derive from this verse that the kohen gadol, in order…
The opening Mishnah of Yoma teaches that a backup kohen gadol was to be prepared lest the kohen gadol become tameh,…
Rabbi Dr. Yehudah Mirsky will be a scholar in residence at the Or Chaim Minyan on Shabbat of November 23, 2013. Yeshivat Or Chaim, 159 Almore…
One of the messages I try to hammer home to my students is that everything in the Torah can be understood as editorial comments on current events.…
“And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house” (Devarim 6:9). The mitzvah of mezuzah is a most beloved and popular one—…
Although it is mashechet Gittin (55b-57b) that records the stories relating to the destruction of the Temple[1], the famous Talmudic passage stating…
About twenty-five years ago, a series of studies[1] found that upwards of 50% of elite athletes would take a drug that would guarantee overwhelming…
"Abba Chanan said, in the name of Rav Elazar: One verse says, 'make for you an ark of acacia wood' and one verse says and 'they (not…
Seder Moed, the order of Mishnah dealing with our festivals, begins with Shabbat and includes such tractates as Pesachim, Rosh Hashanah, Sukkah and…
Mashechet Pesachim details the events of the busiest day of the year, beginning with the search for chametz the night before the seder, the…
With the destruction of the Temple, the focus of the seder menu shifted from the eating of the korban pesach to the eating of matza. The importance…
"Vayigdal Haish, and the man grew up and grew more and more, until he became very big" (Breisheet 26:13). At first glance, this is…
Great poetry resonates across generations and even cultures, with all finding different layers of meaning that speak to them. Yet at the same time,…
The Netziv, in his commentary on Chumash, explains that the first verse of the priestly blessing "May G-d guard you and protect you"…
“And Yitzchak brought her to the tent of his mother; and he took Rivka, and she was for him a wife, and he loved her; and Yitzchak was consoled…
In our last Daf Yomi Thought we spoke of the three people whom G-d loves. However, there are those whose actions are such that G-d actually hates…
G-d's greatest gift to man is that He created us in His image. As heretical as it sounds, man and G-d are, in effect, opposite sides of the…
It is a truism that two people can look at the same thing, yet see something quite different. One person might see a beautiful piece of art, whereas…
Our Sages have long recognized that the desires for money, honour, and sexual gratification are most powerful. Avoiding sin in these areas, something…
Today's daf is sponsored by Arthur Little in observance of the Yahrzeit of his father, Areyeh Ben Avraham Yitzhak z"l,…
Perhaps the major social issue facing the Orthodox community today is defining the proper role for women within the observant community. While the…
The Talmud is the written record of the Oral Law. With the destruction of the Temple and subsequent exile of the Jewish people, it was no longer…
One of the basic ways we express gratitude is simply to say thank you. One way in which observant Jews do such is by reciting abracha before…
The highly successful MaTaN Mother and Daughter Bat Mitzvah Program will restart on October 9, for a ten-week series of text-based classes and…
Considering the myriad of opinions on almost every aspect of Jewish law, it is not surprising that many pious Jews would try to act in a way that…
"In the midst of the day, b'etzem, Noach came, and Cham and Yefet, the children of Noach, and the wife of Noach, and three wives of his…
Jewish law is most strict when it comes to accepting charity. "Make your Shabbat like a weekday"--eating less quantitatively and…
One of the unusual laws regarding the korban pesach is that it can only be eaten leminuyav, by those who were specifically intended to…
“And Moshe was one hundred and twenty years when he died” (Devarim 34:7). It is a beautiful, if somewhat unrealistic, custom to offer…
It is amazing how a slight change in perspective can make a huge difference. "R. Hiyya taught: What is meant by the verse, 'G-d understands…
We generally tend to view exile from the land of Israel as punishment for our sins, an apparent truism reinforced during the Yom Tov mussaf that…
The Talmud classifies sukkah as a mitzvah kalla, a light and easy mitzvah. Where one must be almost deathly ill before one is permitted to eat…
The Talmud classifies sukkah as a mitzvah kalla, a light and easy mitzvah. Where one must be almost deathly ill before one is permitted to eat…
In trying to develop the potential of man, the Mussar movement[1] developed two different approaches to the sinning of man. One school of…
In trying to develop the potential of man, the Mussar movement[1] developed two different approaches to the sinning of man. One school of…
The Gemara (Pesachim 68b) records a debate as to the proper way to celebrate Yom Tov. Rabbi Eliezer says that one must make a choice; we must either…
The korban pesach entailed many steps, both before and after its slaughter; and the Mishnah lists those activities that may, or may not, be carried…
David, Karen, and Beca Bookman dedicate the Devar Torah in honour of our parents Leon & Ethel Bookman, Howard Libman, and in memory of Karen…