“When Adar enters, we increase our joy” (Taanit 29a). Presumably, the increased joy is due to the upcoming Purim festivities, the most joyous of…
"It was contemptible in his eyes to harm Mordechai alone; for they identified for him the people of Mordechai; Haman sought to destroy all the Jews…
One of the "new" approaches to Tanach study today is the use of literary tools and analysis to help us better understand the Torah itself…
After 90 double-sided pages, Masechet Gittin is coming to a close. We have discussed in great detail the intricacies of the laws of Gittin;…
We as a society identify people by their last name (or sadly, even if understandably, by a number). Such was not always the case. When life…
Imagine if every few years the Gregorian calendar had two Decembers. When would people shop? We of course are faced with a similar dilemma seven…
There are certain rabbinic debates where one can only say thank G-d that we do not follow a certain view. Such would be the case in the debate…
How important is intent in the performance of mitzvoth? Is it enough to mechanically perform the mitzvah, or is the intent to fulfill one’s…
As a teacher one of my favorite parts of my work is parent teacher meetings. I (usually) find it most interesting talking to parents in general and…
“Why should Egypt be able to say that You took them out with evil intentions, to kill them in the mountains and wipe them from the face of the…
"These are the things that are said mipnei darchei shalom." (Gittin 59) After listing a series of rabbinic enactments …
Perhaps the most famous Talmudic story is that of the convert who wants to learn the entire Torah while standing on one foot. For good…
“Vekatav lah sefer krietoot”, and he shall write for her a book of separation (Devarim 25:1). A get must be in…
The story is told that when the students of Rav Yisrael Salanter were preparing to bake matzah, they asked Rav Yisrael what they should be most…
In the first row of the remarkably preserved Jewish cemetery in Worms (one we will please G-d visit on this summer's Journey…
"Sticks and stones may break my bones but names will never hurt me". This popular aphorism reflects the notion that it is physical harm to…
One of the marks of a great person is the ability to change one’s mind. While such may end the career of a politician[1] it demonstrates…
What kind of book is the Torah and who is it meant for? Rashi begins his commentary to the Torah, with the supposition that the…
One of the most famous rabbinic enactments is that of the pruzbul, enacted by the great sage Hillel, which allowed a loan to be…
When Moshe and Aharon first approached the Jewish people in Egypt, “the people believed; they accepted that G-d remembered the Jewish people…
Two of the groups of people to whom we must show the greatest consideration are the widow and the orphan. It is these two who come in…
"Initially one would establish a court in another place and nullify [the get]. Rabban Gamliel the Elder decreed that one may not…
The devar Torah is sponsored by Caron and Steven Gelles and Family in memory of their Grandparents Sylvia and Sam Gelles and Martha and Louis Silver…
The commandment to love and care for others, perhaps the most important in the entire Torah, while applicable to all is phrased in the context of one…
One of the primary requirements of a get is that it be written lishma, with the husband's intent of divorcing the…
As Canada begins welcoming 25,000 Syrian refugees, it behooves us to think of the flourishing Jewish community that once existed in Syria. The Jewish…
Timing is everything. Not only is picking the right time to do something crucial but recording that time can be equally important. This is especially…
In a well-known Midrash our Sages assert that one of the factors that prevented the total assimilation of the Jews in Egypt thereby…
I imagine most of us have experienced being in a noisy room focusing on the conversation we are engaged in, oblivious to the chatter around us -…
How does one measure greatness in Torah learning? We can glean an important insight from the Talmudic discussion regarding the status of …
“On that day Jacob blessed them saying by you shall bless [the people of] Israel saying, 'may G-d make you like Ephraim and Menashe (48:20).'”…
We live in a generation in which many seek chumrot, religious stringency. This can be most positive, hamachmir tavo…
One would not expect the laws of divorce to be affected by one's location. Thus it comes as a bit of a surprise to open masechet Gittin…
After detailing the laws of the suspected adulteress the Mishna moves to masechet Gittin. While the law of the Sotah is no longer applicable the laws…
Part of the purpose of the harsh treatment of the Sotah is convincing the suspected adulteress to admit her infidelity. By doing so she is…
Of all our holidays, only that of Chanukah begins in the second half of the month. Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Shavuot occur towards the beginning…
In our last post we discussed the Talmudic tendency to group together sayings of one particular sage quoting another. In…
Originally meant as an oral “text” the Talmud features a number of mnemonic devices to aid in recall and memorization. Thus…
Why was it that Abraham and Yitzchak had only one child who would remain within the Jewish people while Yaakov merited that all his children would be…
It is an amazing aspect of the human condition that two people can see the same thing yet see it most differently. That is likely why the…
One of most bitter and divisive (Jewish) fights of the 19th century was that regarding the use of the vernacular in the synagogue -…
In our last post we discussed how a rasha arum, a cunning evildoer, is amongst the mevali olam, those who are destroyers of…
Most Canadians in turning 71 get a monetary windfall as they begin to cash in the savings that have accumulated in their RRSP. Having had…
“He [Rabbi Yehoshua] used to say: a pious fool, a cunning evildoer, an ascetic woman and the wounds of the ascetics destroy the world…
In our last post we discussed the view of Rabbi Eliezer that one who teaches his daughter Torah is as if he has taught her tiflut, frivolity. To…
A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. It is this notion that lay at the heart of one of the most important disputes of the Talmud (though many are…
For most people carpool is a scheduling nuisance, one of those necessary but unwanted jobs of parenting. Helping with homework is not much better.…
One could hardly find fault with the claim that sibling rivalry is the major theme of Sefer Breisheet. Beginning with the first set of brothers, Cain…
Just this week an Ontario Court ruled that a 19 year old convicted of first degree murder of a police officer would be spared jail time (he was 15 at…
What a Beginning!: Sotah 14 “Rav Simlai expounded: The Torah begins with an act of chesed, benevolence, and ends…