Army Service as the Antidote to the Mourning of the Omer
The light of togetherness, commitment and Torah in action will help us move toward the receiving of the Torah that Jews commemorate on Shavuot.
Positive Words, Positive Worlds
The front of the car where the engine was had burnt to a crisp, and all the windows were shattered.
Consumer Price Index
I don’t see why this should be ribbis. I’m not gaining anything; I’m just recouping my loss...
Daf Yomi
K’vod HaBriyos – Human Dignity
‘… Excluding Where He Was Preoccupied’
(Shavuos 18b-19a)
Lag B’Omer: A Time of Joy, Resilience and Hope for the Future
Have an enjoyable Lag B’Omer, beautiful Shabbat and a joyous and safe Chag Shavuot.
Q & A: A Sefirah Dilemma – Conclusion
Question: Were these individuals allowed to lead the congregation in counting sefirah? I also wonder, in general, if everyone may be trusted to lead the counting. What if someone forgot to count on one of the previous nights but does not inform anyone of this?
Name withheld
Via E-mail
Creation Appreciation
One who truly loves Hashem, loves everything He creates. By loving and showing respect to His creations, we, in essence, show respect to Hashem Himself.
To Live Is To Know
As we exist in the world and interact with it, we receive input and understand our surroundings by means of the data we collect, chiefly by way of our senses. But because we also have the ability to communicate with one another, we learn much useful information about the world from each another.
Eretz Yisrael and the Secrets of Torah
The bonfires of Lag B’Omer symbolize the secrets of Torah which Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai revealed.
By Appointment of the King
When Yosef related his dreams to his brothers and to his father, his brothers became jealous of him. Not his father. His father shamar es ha’davar, kept it in mind and looked forward to the time when Yosef’s dreams would come true (Rashi to Bereishis 37:11).
The Logic of Tumah: Eternity in a Mortal World
The holy spaces had to be kept free of conditions that bespoke mortality.
TORAH SHORTS: Parshat Emor: Meat, Wine and Divine Intentions
Joy in Judaism is not hedonic; it is redemptive, cathartic, and spiritual.— Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik
Celebration in the Shadow of Death
Rebbe Akiva. He is the Jewish hero par excellence, which means that, on some level, his life story encapsulates the values and ideals of the Jewish people. And yet, perhaps not coincidentally, he lived in the shadow of death.
Lag B’Omer & Emor
In Pirkei Avot, we find the statement, Schar mitzvah, mitzvah – the reward for doing a mitzvah is the mitzvah itself. Or perhaps it means that the reward for doing a mitzvah is another mitzvah to do.
Street Cleaners
Based on one’s Torah stature in the community [one] must conduct himself beyond the measure of the law.
The Harsh Lesson of the Death of the 24,000 Talmidei Rebbi Akiva
We must know that the mitzvah of kavod haTorah is even greater than learning Torah. As the Gemara in Masechtas Megilla in the first perek states categorically that while learning Torah does not supersede the hearing of the megillah, giving honor to the Torah does.
Kayin And Hevel: Not What You Learned in Cheder
Both Kayin and Hevel are flawed in this narrative. Kayin, consumed by lust and evil, has will and determination. Hevel, free of evil, lacks drive or purpose.
Mother, May I? Maya and Maia
The name Maya ranked as the fifth most popular name for Jewish girls born in Israel in 2023.
Sefiras HaOmer: Achieving The Impossible
How do we, as physical and limited beings, transcend our finite dimensions? How do we relate to the abstract, to the infinite, to the spiritual?
Purim Bread?
One might say that the menorah and the ketoret were temidin, while the lechem hapanim was only switched once a week, on Shabbat. However, although it was only switched once a week, the lechem hapanim was on the shulchan every day, a korban in itself, a repeating miracle that occurred each day anew.
Enduring Flames
The common thread between those who persevere beyond all odds and accomplish incredible things is that they have an unyielding sense of mission and responsibility. They aren’t merely doing what they want to do; they are striving to accomplish what they feel needs to be done. They feel the weight upon their shoulders.
Defective Dress
Shulchan Aruch (C.M. 232:4) rules that when merchandise is defective, the sale can be voided entirely, replied Rabbi Dayan. Even if the depreciation is small and the seller is willing to refund the differential, the buyer can return the item and claim that he wants an intact item.
Daf Yomi
Siddurim On A Bimah
‘The Heart Of Beth Din Provides For It’
(Shavuos 11a)
Q & A: A Sefirah Dilemma (Part II)
Question: On occasion it has happened that a recent bar mitzvah boy was the one to do so. I’ve also had an occasion when a recent ger (convert) led the service. In both those events, how would they be allowed to lead in the counting of the sefirah if they did not start doing so at the outset? No Name Via E-mail
Barriers to Entry
Before the Kohen Gadol could come into G-d’s chamber with the blood of the sacrifice, there was a barrier to entry. That barrier is called lashon hara, slander. G-d cannot abide the presence of slanderers (Arachin 15b).
Torah Without Flour
Flour is the most basic ingredient needed to feed the body, but once it is made into bread, it becomes more associated with physical urges and pleasures and thus potentially detrimental to spiritual growth.
Food For Thought
When we are tired and hungry, we are anxious to revive and sustain ourselves. This anxiety can cause us to lose sight of our life’s bigger picture and purpose, and eat like animals rather than human beings.
Torah Shorts: Jewish Demonology: Parshat Acharei Mot – Kedoshim
I don’t believe in ghosts. But I’m afraid of them.— Edith Wharton
Positive Reinforcement
The Talmud states that when a tzaddik does not pray for another person who needs to do teshuva, then the tzaddik becomes partially responsible for the sinner’s actions and liable for punishment.