Halacha & Hashkafa

The Difficult Choice ‘His Father’s Lost Object And His Rebbe’s Lost Object…’ (Bava Metzia 33a)

What happens if two people are holding on to abandoned property and each claims to have found it first?

The Majority Rule ‘If The Majority Are Israelites…’ (Bava Metzia 24a-b)

The point of the dispute is whether we follow the Torah's terminology, that Shemini Atzeres is independent, or people's common parlance, that Shemini Atzeres is included in Sukkos.

The Physician’s Dilemma ‘It Came Into His Hand While Forbidden’ (Bava Metzia 21b)

Preparing for Yom Kippur, Erev Yom Kippur, Halachot of the Fast, Those who are exempt from fasting, Yom Kippur, End of the Fast

Mr. Krumbein firmly accepted upon himself to return to those he knew he had cheated and also to donate to the local shul and community center.

‘Stop, Thief!’ ‘Are Identifying Marks Biblical Or Rabbinic?’ (Bava Metzia 18b)

The Bergs spent Rosh Hashanah in the apartment and then went on to their relatives.

The ‘False’ Rumor ‘If One Found Notes of Acquisition’ (Bava Metzia 14a)

Looking from mother to father I would wonder: Is Rosh Hashanah a happy day or a sad day?

From this decree on, the two days of Rosh Hashanah – unlike the two days of Pesach, Shavuot, and Sukkot – were no longer celebrated out of doubt but out of certainty.

His Silence Is Deafening ‘One Seized It In Our Presence’ (Bava Metzia 6a)

Tosfos writes [Gittin 47a; Pesachim 57a] that hefker (disowning) rooted in error is not hefker, just as a gift or transaction rooted in error is not valid [C.M. 246:1-3].

The Burdensome Beast ‘He Put His Donkey On The Ferryboat’ (Bava Kamma 117b)

When he reached the bank, he put his hand in his pocket and realized the money was gone.

The Messenger Or The Message? ‘How Do We View This Agent?’ (Bava Kamma 104a)

Asher had Yankel summoned to Rabbi Dayan's beis din. He presented his claim; Yankel denied it.

Even in the Diaspora Jews need some Jewish judicial system for dealing with one another.

Possession Is 100 Percent Of The Law ‘Stolen Chametz Became Forbidden Due To The Intervening Passover’ (Bava Kamma 96b)

The case was complicated. There were disagreements over factual issues with conflicting evidence; the halacha was also subject to a wide-ranging dispute between the authorities.

The Lost Or Relinquished Kesubah ‘A Couple May Not Live Even One Moment Without A Kesubah’ (Bava Kamma 89a)

Hillel felt the counselors and camp administration did not have sufficient authority to deal with Bernie. Reluctantly, he agreed to sell the bat to Bernie for $200.

Where there is no clear practice, the families can withhold the fee until the wedding.

A Dog’s Life ‘Raising Dogs Is Like Raising Pigs’ (Bava Kamma 83a)

Consent, however, is an elastic phrase under Jewish law and can be stretched almost to breaking point.

Unkosher Tefillin From A Kosher Animal ‘Shechitah Does Not Make The Meat Permissible’ (Bava Kamma 76b)

What are the main changes when Tisha B'Av falls on Shabbat or Sunday?

When the fast is postponed to Sunday or when Tisha B’Av occurs on Sunday, the final meal eaten before the beginning of the fast is the seudah shelishit, the third meal of Shabbat.

The Torah holds that the one who created the hazard is liable, even if he does not own it.