2013-04-21

At times, what seems like a very technical debate on some (even no longer relevant) aspect of Jewish law is, in reality, part of much larger and more…

2013-04-21

The Talmud as a whole, and especially the Mishna, is first and foremost a vast corpus of Jewish law. Yet in studying this wide-ranging text, one…

2013-04-10

It is hard to imagine one more dedicated to Torah than Rabbi Akiva. Despite the fact that he did not start learning until the age of forty (or more…

2013-04-07

"G-d wanted to give merit to the Jewish people; therefore, He increased for them Torah and mitzvoth". A Jewish way of life offers so many…

2013-04-05

"Rav Yirmiya ben Elazar said, there are three entrances to Gehenom: one in the desert, one in the sea, and one in Jerusalem" (Eiruvin 19a…

2013-03-31

"Four obligations were nullified in a [military] camp" (Eiruvin 17a). The Torah goes to great lengths to ensure that the Jewish army…

2013-03-29

It is well known that the halacha, with rare exceptions, follows the opinion of Beit Hillel over that of Beit Shammai. What is less well known…

2013-03-28

"When I [Rav Meir] came to Rabbi Yishmael, he said to me, 'My son, what is your occupation?' I told him, 'I am a scribe', and he…

2013-03-25

Traditionally, Jewish law allowed for a good deal of local autonomy in the application of Jewish law. While questions of national import were to be…

2013-03-21

The halachic system, like most other disciplines, has both a theoretical framework and a practical application--and the two do not always coincide.…

2013-03-20

It is impossible, at least from a Jewish perspective, to understand the Bible without the tools to interpret the text.  It is this "reading…

2013-03-15

"A pot with two cooks is neither hot nor cold" (Eruvin 3a). This popular folk saying is used by the Talmud to explain Rava of Parzkiah'…

2013-03-14

Judaism has long recognized that we need both private and public space. Man is both an individual and a member of a community. At times, the…