Since the time of Yosef, infighting has been the Achilles heel of the Jewish people, causing untold pain, suffering and national calamity. So much of…
It would not be overstating the case to claim that the overarching goal of the Torah is creating a society in which G-d’s chosen nation can combine…
Everybody likes a good story. This obvious truism explains why most of us find the book of Breisheet more interesting than the book of Vayikra, with…
Ma’aseh avot siman lebanim, the actions of our forefathers are a sign to the children. Unfortunately, we have applied this famous principle not only…
"Yaakov was very frightened and distressed" (Breisheet 32:8). Hearing that his brother was approaching with an army of 400 men, Yaakov was…
Whether one eats Special K or Rice Krispies (or scrambled eggs) for breakfast matters little. But whether one uses nuclear energy to provide clean…
“Meiemati, from when does one begin mentioning gevurat geshamim, the strength of the rain?” (Ta’anit 2a). The opening Mishna of masechet Ta’anit…
The Torah is a most complex work, and nowhere more so than in sefer Breisheet. Story after story lends itself to multiple and contradictory…
In the year 922CE a debate broke out that threatened to irrevocably cause the Jewish people to split apart. Pesach that year was scheduled to begin…
When discussing the themes of Sefer Beresheit one would not necessarily place food high on the list. Yet it could be argued that many of the major…
The Torah devotes sixty-seven verses to the story of finding the proper mate for Yitzchak. There is no more important decision in life than…
“There are four New Years…on the first of Shevat is the New Year for trees, according to the words of Beit Shammai. Beit Hillel says [it is on] the…
Our tradition teaches that the founder of the Jewish people, Avraham, is the one who introduced the notion of daily prayer to the world. “And Avraham…
One of the fundamental debates in Biblical interpretation is whether the Torah is written in chronological order. Rashi often employs the notion of …
“And G-d said to Abram, ‘Go forth from your land, your birthplace and the land of your fathers’” (Breisheet 12:1). With nary a word, Abram picks…
As we move through the different stages of life, the challenges we face tend to change, with the concerns of yesteryear giving way to the crisis of…
"And G-d saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. It was evening and it was morning, the sixth day" (Breisheet 1:31). While the…
Unlike our other holidays, the holiday of Sukkot does not celebrate a particular historical event at a particular moment in time. Rather it…
Debates between Beit Hillel and Beit Shammai are the bread and butter of Mishnaic discourse. There are some 316 debates recorded between these great…
It is hard to imagine a more impactful ritual than that of our weekly Torah reading. While its origins date to Moshe Rabbeinu—acting in his capacity…
It is on Sukkot that we read sefer Kohelet. A devar Torah on masechet Beitza is not the place to discuss the reason for this custom. However, as I…
"On the first day, you must take for yourself a fruit of the citron tree, an opened palm frond, myrtle branches, and willows of the brook, and you…
Despite our long and frequently miraculous past, the actual study of Jewish history is an oft-neglected field. It is perceived by many, to a large…
“With the approval of Hamakom, the Omnipresent, and with the approval of the congregation, in the convocation of the court above, and in the…
The State of California today is voting on whether to recall and remove its governor from office. This recall will be successful even if only 50%…
As most investors know, there is little that rattles the markets more than uncertainty. Fluctuations of the market are primarily based on future…
Rare is the person who measures his success by looking only at themselves, trying to determine how they can build on their strengths and improve on…
"And G-d said, 'My spirit shall not continue to judge him forever; he is nothing but flesh, and his days will be 120 years'" (Breisheet 6:3). Man had…
In our last post, we noted the principle milta d’lo schicha lo gazru ba rabbanan, that our Sages do not enact protective measures for rare events, a…
The blowing of the shofar is a most enigmatic mitzvah. The reasons we eat matzah, sit in the Sukkah or take the lulav are readily apparent; they…
One of the manifold changes of modernity is manifest in the modern methods of food preparation. No longer must one literally spend pretty much the…
Those who have sat shiva know that the weeks after shiva can be much harder than the shiva itself. No longer are there people coming to visit, at…
It was not long ago that it was hard to find a minyan of people with a lulav and etrog in shul. Following on the heels of the High Holidays, Sukkot…
Observance of religious precepts is not an all-or-nothing proposition. Just because one is neglectful in one area of practice, Shabbat for example,…
One of the unique laws of the arba minim, the four species, is that one can only fulfil the Biblical mitzvah with a set that one personally owns (…
One of the beautiful aspects of the Torah is its setting of high, perhaps even unattainable, standards and goals. It takes much work to ensure we do…
Rabbi Yochanan ben HaChoranit must have been a great Sage. I imagine that many reading this devar Torah have never heard of him and there is in fact…
“Do not sacrifice to G-d, your Lord, an ox or sheep that has a blemish; any bad thing, it is an abomination to the Lord, your G-d” (Devarim 17:1).…
To state that Rav Yochanan ben Zakai is one of the most important leaders in all of Jewish history is nothing short of an understatement. Without his…
One of the requirements of a sukkah is that it be a dirat arai, a temporary dwelling. A permanent structure would be a bayit, a home, rather than a…
"For the sin that we have sinned before You through hardness of the heart." With the month of Elul approaching, our thoughts turn to…
Psychologists have long known that two people can—and often do—see the exact same thing, and yet offer very different accounts of what they have…
Had things gone according to plan, the chumash would be a much shorter book. If not for the sin of the golden calf, there would have been no need for…
“Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel said: There were no days more joyous than the 15th of Av (Tu B'Av) and Yom Kippur, for on those days the daughters of…
"Shamor v’Zachor b’dibur echad". This phrase, sung every Friday night, notes the most famous difference between the recording of the aseret hadibrot …
Judaism places great emphasis on the proper greeting of people. The Talmudic term for a greeting, a sheilat shalom, invokes a reference to G-d, peace…
"Eleh Hadevarim, these are the words that Moshe spoke to all of Israel" (Devarim 1:1). In Biblical Hebrew, the word eleh comes to differentiate and…
“A sukkah that is taller than 20 amot, cubits (approximately 30 feet), is invalid; and Rabbi Yehuda validates it” (Sukkah 2a). This rather technical…
The Torah is full of repetition. Whether it is law or narrative, much of the Torah seems to deal with recurring themes. Our Sages have focused on…
One of the fundamental mitzvot of the Torah, one we acknowledge at least twice a day, is the command to love G-d. “And you shall love the Lord your G…