21 Sep THE HALACHOS OF SHUSHING IN SHUL
I. Talking Destroys Shuls Talking in shul has been a problem since time immemorial. People who talk about idle matters during the prayer service not only show disrespect for the sanctity...
14 Sep CAN MASHIACH COME ON ROSH HASHANAH?
We believe, with complete faith, that Mashiach will come and we wait daily for his arrival. Does that mean that he can come any day? On the one hand, this...
06 Sep COULD ACHER RETURN?
I. Acher’s Sins Repentance, teshuvah, is an ability to repair the past and create a better future. Everyone sins. Teshuvah allows you to get past that, to learn from your mistakes...
30 Aug CALL ME RABBI
Aside from its obvious effect on those who became ill, Covid caused many secondary effects in society. Among them is clergy exit. Clergy of all religions faced unusual strain during...
24 Aug DREAM INTERPRETATIONS
Our dreams intrigue us and sometimes haunt us. Often, they challenge us to try to understand their meaning. Granted, not all dreams contain a divine message. As we discussed earlier,...
17 Aug LAST NAMES IN HALACHAH
I. What’s In a Surname? Last names serve to identify an individual with greater specificity. There may be many men named Yosef ben Ya’akov in the marketplace but Yosef ben Ya’akov Schwartz...
09 Aug VAESCHANAN: WHAT TECHNOLOGY IS GOOD FOR
The internet and related technology offer us unprecedented connections across the world. As with any tool, how we use it makes all the difference. Therefore, because of the great stakes,...
02 Aug DEVARIM: CALL OUT CULTURE
I. The Call-Out One of the features of social media behavior, one of the ways it allows people to protest injustice, is through something named a “call out.” I would like...
26 Jul DISINTERMENT FOR AN AGUNAH (KESUBOS DAF 22)
The Sages instituted many leniencies to permit the classical agunah, a woman whose husband has disappeared and cannot remarry without proof of death. How far would they go? In Kesubos...
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:...