The Beginning Of Time
Before there was physicality, there was nothing to measure, so there was no system to measure height.
Benevolent Justice
That would be cheating the rightful party and an injustice. Some authorities write that doing so would be considered a taus b'dvar mishna, a mistrial, and the compromise is null and void.
Daf Yomi
The Difficult Choice
‘His Father’s Lost Object And His Rebbe’s Lost Object…’
(Bava Metzia 33a)
Q & A: Replacing A Monument
Question: Is there anything in Jewish law that prohibits replacing an old, existing matzeivah (tombstone) with a new, better one? I would greatly appreciate your response to this question.
A Reader
Tucson, AZ
Who Owns The Baseball?
What happens if two people are holding on to abandoned property and each claims to have found it first?
Merigolda’s Miracle
To not keep Shabbos and not honor her parents seemed too much of a price to pay for a job she didn’t really like.
The Prayer For Fish
With nothing pressing on their duty roster, Rabbi Avi was convinced by the boys to try to catch fish at the river nearby.
Redeeming Relevance: Parshat Bereshit: Why Can’t a Man be More Like a Woman?
Though a woman helps her partner and remains his equal, she nurtures and thereby becomes a man's superior. Paradoxically, therefore, woman may be just a bit closer to the image of God than man.
The Deliberately Flawed Divine Torah: The Theology of the Halachic Loophole
I believe that the Torah is often morally, deeply, and deliberately flawed, and that furthermore, God Himself intentionally made it flawed. It is the latter issue that I will discuss in this essay.
Simchat Torah: The Rush and the Stagnation
The possibility of chidushm - looking into the same text with new eyes - is crucial. The call for new interpretations, not just repeating what has been said, is fundamental to genuine Torah learning
Daf Yomi
The Majority Rule
‘If The Majority Are Israelites…’
(Bava Metzia 24a-b)
Special Delivery
Despite our age difference and the fact that they were newly married and we were expecting our fourth child, the newcomers and us hit it off well.
Q & A: Folding A Tallit On Shabbat
Question: I notice that in some synagogues I visit on Shabbat, some people do not fold their tallitot but rather leave them in their place unfolded. Others do fold them. I asked one person why he doesn’t fold his tallit, and he responded that doing so is not permitted. Is that true?
I. Hager
Brooklyn, NY
Redeeming Relevance: Zot HaBeraKha: A Grave Apart
It was not enough for Moshe to die by himself, however; his separation from family and nation had to be total, even after his death. And so his burial spot would need to be hidden from all.
Just One Step
Sukkot is the most universalistic of all festivals. At the same time, however, it is the most particularist of festivals. When we sit in the sukkah, we recall Jewish history
The Universality Of Sukkot
Sukkot is the most universalistic of all festivals. At the same time, however, it is the most particularist of festivals. When we sit in the sukkah, we recall Jewish history
We Can Make A Difference
How many of our promises are still throbbing in our hearts and how many have been put away with our Yom Kippur machzorim until next year? Commit to making this year COUNT!
The Remarkable Paradox of Sukkot
The Sukkah represents our life span on earth. For what is a Sukkah but a frail structure which we need to dwell in for 7 days and these 7 days represent man’s average life span of about seventy years
King David’s Diaries
On Shabbos, says Rav Cohen, we exist in a world of mei’ein Olam Habah, a microcosm of the next world, a taste of Gan Eden.
Sukkos Rental
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.
Daf Yomi
The Physician’s Dilemma
‘It Came Into His Hand While Forbidden’
(Bava Metzia 21b)
Q & A: HaGomel And Air Travel (Part XIII)
Question: I am very appreciative and, if I might add, flattered that you answer and publish many of my questions. Due to your superior knowledge, I am always confident when I send in a question that I will receive a proper response. I wonder if you could address whether one should say Birkat HaGomel after flying even though flying is statistically safer than driving. Also, do women say HaGomel as well or only men?
Menachem
The Mitzvah To Be Happy
Being happy isn’t an emotion we can turn on and off like a light switch. And how can we relate the effect of doing a mitzvah joyfully to the case of Reuven?