"If you want something done right do it yourself" is a nice idea in theory but one with limited applications. It is not possible for any…
We are creatures of habit. We tend to do what we have done in the past, which is why it is so important to get things right the first time. Learn it…
There is no more tragic figure in Talmudic literature than that of Acher, the Other. Destined for greatness, the teacher, colleague and friend of…
In our last post we discussed the extraordinary efforts to which Dama ben Netinah went to honour his father including his willingness to…
There are few mitzvoth more important than that of kivud av veim, honouring parents. “Our Rabbis taught: There are three partners…
Our evil inclination is most powerful and capable of causing so much harm. So much so that when G-d saw “that the inclination of man is bad…
Practice what you preach is always sound advice, especially if one hopes to have any influence on others. This axiom is more than a moral…
"More than the calf wants to suck, the cow wants to give milk.” (Pesachim 112a) So said Rabbi Akiva to…
One of the best-known "facts" about the Torah is that it contains 613 mitzvoth. Even Jews who are not very learned tend to…
"From here it was said: Whoever acquires a Hebrew slave is as if they acquired a master for themselves." (Kiddushin 20a) "…
One of the sacred and most enjoyable aspects of the rabbinate is being amesader kiddushin, joining two people together in marriage. Yet for many…
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…
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…
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…
"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…
In the first row of the remarkably preserved Jewish cemetery in Worms (one we will please G-d visit on this summer's Journey…
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…
One of the most famous rabbinic enactments is that of the pruzbul, enacted by the great sage Hillel, which allowed a loan to be…
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…