08 Apr WHO OWNS THE MATZAH?
When you eat matzah at the Pesach Seder, you have to eat matzah that you own. How much do you have to own it? The Gemara (Pesachim 38a) equates the mitzvos of eating matzah and of taking challah...
01 Apr IS A BEDIKAS CHAMETZ ROBOT KOSHER?
The night before Pesach, we search for chametz on our property (bedikas chametz). By rabbinic decree, it is not enough to nullify our chametz but we must also search for, and destroy, our chametz, as well. The Roomba, a robotic...
25 Mar HOW MUCH HOLIDAY PREPARATION?
I. Thirty Days Before A Holiday Holidays are much like other things in life in the sense that the more you put into it, the more you get out of it. We are instructed to study the laws...
18 Mar A MOURNER LEADING DAVENING ON PURIM
Is a mourner, within a year for a parent or thirty days for another close relative, allowed to lead synagogue prayers on Purim? A man who is in mourning is expected to lead weekday prayers in the synagogue. Of...
11 Mar WHO IS YOUR FRIEND FOR MISHLO’ACH MANOS?
One of the mitzvos of Purim is giving food to a friend. The verse says that Purim is a day of “u-mishlo’ach manos ish le- re’ehu, sending food a man to his friend” (Esther 9:22). The Sages see...
04 Mar RABBI TEITZ: AN ONLINE PERSPECTIVE Remarks by R. Gil Student at Rabbi Elazar M. Teitz’s Sheloshim
You have heard from others how Rav Elazar Mayer Teitz was a respected community rabbi and accomplished educator who impacted the lives of thousands in his community. I am here to talk about a completely different aspect of his life....
25 Feb CAN AI DO YOUR HOMEWORK?
I. Artificial Intelligence and School Work Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) has made great progress over recent years. The trickle that began in late 2022 has now become a torrent of AI tools that offer assistance in common creative tasks including writing....
18 Feb OFFICIATING AT AN INTERMARRIAGE
Is a rabbi allowed to officiate at an intermarriage, a wedding between a Jew and a gentile? Nearly all halachically observant Jews will instinctively answer no. Despite that, I would like to explore some of the issues involved...
11 Feb IS ANGER GOOD?
I. Anger Is Bad Anger is a destructive force. It does not just cloud judgment, which would imply reliance on instinct. Anger overwhelms judgment, taking you in directions to which your rational mind and your other, less powerful,...
04 Feb WAKING A PARENT
In illustrating both the importance of honoring our parents and the extent to which we must go to honor them, the Gemara tells a story that seems difficult to comprehend. It is so extreme that the choice it...