2016-09-28

Dina demalchuta dina, the law of the land is the law, is one of the most famous, far-reaching and even revolutionary laws of the Talmud. At its most…

2016-09-25

The distinction between a ganav and a gazlan is fairly well known. The former in trying to hide his crime pays double the amount stolen whereas the…

2016-09-20

Doing teshuva is hard work. Sinning can be fun, easy to do, financially beneficial and habit forming. Change is hard. It requires hard work,…

2016-09-16

One of the revolutions of Judaism was its democratization. No person is inherently superior to another--all are created in the same Divine image. One…

2016-09-12

“Even though he repays him he is not forgiven until he asks him.” (Bava Kamma 92a) In our last couple of postings we have discussed the…

2016-09-05

In our last post we discussed Rabbi Yehuda’s (rejected) view that the blind are exempt from mitzvoth. This exemption actually brought great joy…

2016-09-04

Rav Yaakov Ettlinger in his collection of responsa (Binyan Tzion #172) discusses the powerful and scary question of whether one has to give up one…

2016-09-01

Masechet Bava Kamma begins by describing one’s responsibility to pay for damages caused by one’s animals. It then discusses damages one…

2016-08-30

“Rav Yossi said: It would have been proper for the Torah to be given by Ezra had Moshe not preceded him.” (Sanhedrin 21b) It was Moshe…

2016-08-26

When opportunity knocks, answer – you may not get a second chance. Or to quote the language of our Sages “a closed door does not easily […

2016-08-23

One of the beautiful features of the Land of Israel is its wide-ranging topography. The lowest point on earth some 1,300 feet below sea level is…

2016-08-21

  “The disciples of Rav Yochanan ben Zakkai asked him ‘why was the Torah stricter regarding a ganav, thief than a gazlan…

2016-08-17

  “Al pi [1], according to the testimony of two or three shall something be established.” (Devarim 19:15) With so much power…

2016-08-10

While there are 613 categories of mitzvoth they are not all created equal. Saving a life is more important than observing Shabbat, Shabbat is more…

2016-08-09

  One of the greatest causes of damage to public property is that of fire. Forest fires cause damage to millions of acres of every year and we…

2016-07-18

  “The ox of a Jew who gores the ox belonging to the Temple or the ox of the Temple that gores the ox of the Jew they are exempt from…

2016-07-11

  Correlation does not imply causation - though it may be just that. It is not always easy to distinguish between two events that, while…

2016-07-08

Slow down. Such would be good advice for those trying to navigate a busy street. Running down the street in any major urban area is not recommended…

2016-07-05

  In our previous posts we discussed the difference between an ox classified as a tam, a domesticated animal who is not at risk of…

2016-07-03

“The victim and the perpetrator share in the [payment] of damages.” (Bava Kamma 14b) Being a victim of an accident is never pleasant…

2016-06-27

One would not expect to connect Miriam’s speaking negatively against Moshe, read (at least in the Diaspora) this past Shabbat, with the laws…

2016-06-26

One of the basic differences between the religious and civil laws of the Torah is while the former are mandatory the latter are not necessarily so…

2016-06-09

  Arba avot nezikin, there are four primary categories of damages, the ox, the pit, the man and fire." (Bava Kamman 2a) As …

2016-06-04

   "There are four primary categories of damages - the ox, the pit, the man and the fire...the common denominator of them is that…