13 Jul HEARING PROFANITY (KESUBOS DAF 5)
I. Close Your Ears The Gemara in Kesubos (5a-b) says, “What does it mean: ‘And you shall have a shovel among your weapons (azenekha)’ (Deut. 23:14)? Do not read it as:...
13 Jul DAVENING FOR THE NEGLIGENT SICK
I. Taking Risks The Torah requires us to take care of our health but few people do this vigilantly. Most people take small risks, eat moderately unhealthy foods frequently, exercise too...
21 Jun DO I HAVE TO LISTEN TO A RABBI?
When you ask a rabbi a question, you are committing yourself to following his answer. But what if you didn’t ask? Do you still have to follow his ruling? Put...
14 Jun THE CONTESTED CHIEF RABBI AND MATAN TORAH
I. The Contested Chief Rabbi of France The source of the obligation to observe the Torah’s commandments connects to an obscure medieval debate over the chief rabbinate of France. In 1385,...
07 Jun SHABBOS SHOES
I. Shabbos Clothes We greet Shabbos and spend the entire day clean and proper, dressed in fine clothes. Do we also need to wear fine shoes that we have designated for...
31 May CONVERSION ANNULMENTS
Shavus is a good time to think about our attitudes to converts. Are we fulfilling properly the specific command to love the convert? Over the past few years we have...
24 May DREAMS, SOCIAL MEDIA AND JEWISH LAW
Dreams are a common part of daily life to which the Talmudic Sages attribute great importance. However, on a more careful look, we find conflicting thoughts about dreams in the...
17 May THE HERETIC’S SEFER
The Gemara (Gittin 45b) says that we must burn a Torah scroll written by a heretic. In contrast, if a gentile wrote a Torah, then we either bury it (put...
10 May THE FINER THINGS IN LIFE
Is it proper to enjoy good food or should we avoid worldly pleasures and focus on spiritual success? The Talmud contains a plethora of seemingly contradictory indications on whether it...
03 May WEALTHY NO MORE
A charitable pledge constitutes a vow that must be fulfilled. However, like many vows, it can be nullified if proper regret is presented to a religious court, if it is...