Halacha & Hashkafa

As We Come Closer And Closer ‘… Like The Face Of A Dog’ (Sanhedrin 97a)

It is true that having been sued by Shimon, Levi had no choice but to pay off the whole loan.

If both sets of witnesses have withstood the rigor of the court’s cross examination, why, one might ask, does the beit din believe the evidence of the second set of witnesses more than the first?

The halacha is that the lender may proceed to collect the entire amount of the loan from one of the guarantors.

The Torah commands us to sit in the sukkah for seven days. Should we sit in the sukkah on a day that may be the eighth day when we are not commanded to sit in the sukkah at all?

There were always some organizations, though, that would not come to collect the money until after Yom Kippur. Mr. Sender was careful to place each tzedakah plate neatly under the bimah.

The Greatest Reward Of Public Service ‘…[He] Who Leads The Public Gently …’ (Sanhedrin 92a)

Accordingly, the lender must first try to enforce the primary obligation against each borrower before he may sue the other borrower in his capacity as guarantor.

Watch What You Pray For ‘Acts Befitting Your People’ (Sanhedrin 85a)

I don't know whether I can use ma'aser money to purchase a mitzvah, said Aharon.

When Yom Tov begins on Wednesday night, the eruv tavshilin ceremony is performed on Wednesday and when Yom Tov begins on Thursday night it is performed on Thursday, in each case by the head of the household.

How do we know the pledge was in error, though? asked the gabbai. Perhaps Mr. Hoffman intended to donate $10,000 regardless!

As if to emphasize the point, the Torah uses the phrase “be’etzem hayom hazeh” – “on this very day” – both in connection with fasting on Yom Kippur and with brit milah.

One’s Life Partner ‘The Only Poor In Israel Is The Subtly Wicked’ (Sanhedrin 76a)

If, however, both borrowers have assets, all the laws of a guarantor apply and the lender may not collect the entire loan from the guarantor but must collect half from borrower.

Withholding The Rod ‘A Rebellious Son Never Existed And Never Will’ (Sanhedrin 71a)

He should have anticipated that the plaintiffs themselves might later forget who gave what.

When the employer stipulates clearly that the work must be done by a certain time, failure to complete it on time is a breach of contract, replied Rabbi Dayan.

On the night immediately following the 29th day of Elul and on the 30th day of Elul itself, people hedged their bets. They ceased work, went to the synagogue, recited the Rosh Hashanah prayers and blew the shofar, all in a tentative state of mind.

Start Of The Yeshiva Semester ‘Today Is Propitious…’ (Sanhedrin 65b – 66a)

There was no basis for him to assume that the two plaintiffs trusted each other and that one of them would not claim the repayment of a loan he never lent.

Today, few people fast during the Days of Selichot, but the custom is to rise early to recite Selichot.

The store was a rather expensive one. Furthermore, the mark-up in the clothing industry is usually about 100 percent.

Global Shabbos – Everywhere Simultaneously Departing After Shabbos, Arriving On Shabbos (Sanhedrin 58b)

From the violator’s perspective, the prospect of death at the Hand of God may seem as dim as a cloudy star.

I jumped into the water to save someone's life and my cell phone got ruined, he said. Is the man liable for the ruined phone?

On that Yom Kippur, the shattered pieces of God’s faith in the Jews were restored and the twin tablets of their eternal relationship renewed

They did not want the borrower to assume they trusted each other. Their purpose in telling him who lent what was so the borrower should take note of it.

A Future Investment ‘ A Halacha For The Days Of Moshiach’ (Sanhedrin 51b)

A Wedding Dance ‘ It Should Be Said While Standing…’ (Sanhedrin 42a)