David, Karen, and Beca Bookman dedicate the Devar Torah in honour of our parents Leon & Ethel Bookman, Howard Libman, and in memory of Karen…
David, Karen, and Beca Bookman dedicate the Devar Torah in honour of our parents Leon & Ethel Bookman, Howard Libman, and in memory of Karen…
One of the underlying pillars of democratic thought is confidence in the people to make the right choices, and in leaders to respect those choices.…
While Korbanot tzibbur, public offerings, were sacrificed on Shabbat and Yom Tov--and serve as the basis for our davening mussaf on…
“Lest there be a man or a women or a family or tribe...when they hear this curse, they will bless themselves, saying peace will be to me, and I will…
Akavya ben Mehalelel is best known for the teaching, “Focus on three things, and you will not come to the hands of sin: know from where you…
"Rav Simlai came in front of Rav Yochanan and asked him to teach him Sefer Yuchsin, the Book of Lineage. He [Rav Yochanan] asked him where he…
Some of the most fundamental mitzvoth of the Torah are stated in the vaguest of terms, with few clear guidelines as to how they are to be fulfilled.…
The greatest blessing one can have is that of good health. And aside from the three cardinal sins of adultery, idolatry, and murder, no law is as…
The central aspect of the Pesach seder is the mitzvah of sippur yetziat mitzraim, retelling and reliving the Exodus experience. The Rabbis chose, as…
Man, unique amongst all creations, was blessed by G-d with a soul. We are not just physical creations, doomed to death in due course, but spiritual…
Our tradition has long taught that it is a great mitzvah to do the right thing, even if for the wrong reason. “A person should, leolam, always…
This Daf Yomi Thought is dedicated in honour of the upcoming wedding of Yonah Dorfman to Laurel Dayan. May they have many years of good health…
It is often hard for us to realize that concepts we take for granted are foreign to others. That helps explain why so many in the Western world are…
To produce excellence, a certain degree of elitism is required. We are influenced by those around us; and if those who surround us are average, then…
Getting married is a very big deal, and a mitzvah that supersedes almost all else. And like all mitzvoth, this is something we should do at the…
The Yomim Tovim celebrate monumental events in Jewish history. The focus of these days is on bringing Jews together as a people and as friends.…
Dr. Bryna J. Levy will be scholar in residence at the Or Chaim Minyan on Shabbat, Parshat Shoftim, August 10, 2013. Her topic is Saving the…
Almost always, wrongdoing requires that people work together to perpetrate such. As has been accepted in the legal systems of Western countries, it…
Having just returned from the Torah in Motion African Safari, I would like to share some impressions of the Jewish community in South Africa. While…
Matzah is the most basic of foods. Mix some grain with water and bake ASAP, and presto! We have the most important course for the most important meal…
Dr. Bryna J. Levy returns with another fascinating text-based study of the relationship between Joseph and his brothers. This program is cosponsored…
This week's d'var Torah is dedicated in honour of David Polisuk by Richard Polisuk and family: Mazel Tov, David, on your Tefillah award and your…
I imagine I am not the only one who has dozed off during a lecture. While I might manage to pick up a point or two, surely such dozing limits my…
Soon after the editing of the Mishna in the land of Israel, Jewish life and learning started slowly shifting towards Bavel. This was set into motion…
Effort vs. result. The relative value of these two concepts is a fundamental dispute between our western worldview and Jewish teachings. The secular…
On the first page of the laws of Shabbat, the Mishnah Berurah discusses the problem of price gouging by fishmongers. Knowing the desire of observant…
“Shimon Ha'amsoni—and some say, Nechemia Ha'amsoni—used to derive [laws] from all the etim (plural of et) in the Torah.…
Life is so unfair. While we believe that ultimately (and ultimately can take an eternity!) justice must and will prevail—to believe otherwise…
“Everything is dependent on mazal, even the sefer Torah in the ark”. Certain mitzvoth just luck out, being widely observed across the…
“Everything is dependent on mazal, even the sefer Torah in the ark”. Certain mitzvoth just luck out, being widely observed across the…
The halachic legal system is much more than a set of abstract principles or technical details. It incorporates factors such as human…
"Two verses that contradict each other, until a third verse is found and reconciles between them". This 13th and last of the interpretive…
“And Elazar the priest said: This is the law of the Torah, which the Lord commanded Moshe” (Bamidbar 31:21). The Torah goes on to…
Rav Yisrael Salanter, the 19th century founder of the mussar movement, was asked by his students what the most important concern is when baking…
"And Moshe did as G-d had commanded and he took Joshua and stood him before Elazar Hakohen and before the people" (27:22). Moshe's role as leader is…
Landlord-tenant disputes are the bread and butter of many a lawyer. No law can account for any eventuality, and the inherent conflict of interest…
Great leaders are great strategists. The Talmud (Pesachim 3b) relates that a certain non-Jew was bragging of how he used to travel to…
"To tell of Your loving-kindness in the morning and Your faithfulness at night" (Tehilim 92:3). Night and day, from a Jewish…
"On the night of the 14th [of Nissan], one [begins the] search for chametz". So begins mashechet Pesachim, the tractate dealing with…
This week's d'var Torah is sponsored by Golda Brown in honour of the yahrzeit of her son, Moshe Chanoch Brown…
In Talmudic times, it was common for one to wear tefillin all day long. As the Torah does not limit its observance in any way, there would seem to be…
As more and more of our economy runs on credit, as we increasingly pay for purchases with debit cards or even smartphones, the necessity—or…
For thousands of years, a meal was defined by the eating of bread. Not only as did bread serve as an appetizer, the main course itself was consumed…
The survival of the Jewish people in the desert was a direct result and only possible because of Divine intervention: the splitting of the sea; water…
I dedicate the thought below to the memory of my mother, Rachel bat Chaim (Ruth Kelman) z”l, whose yahrzeit we observe today. May we celebrate…
The concept behind an eiruv is that the people making it join together as one large household. Each household contributes some food, which is put in…
Sefer Bamidbar describes not only the physical locale of the Jewish people, but their spiritual state. Wandering in the desert, they could not be…
One of the key components of the legal discussions of the Talmud is the bringing of proof texts to support a given position. At times, the proof…
One of the methods used to help people remember those whom they meet is the mnemonic device of associating the person with some easy-to-remember…