The objective of these self-study shiurim is to allow the reader to learn in the comfort of his home in-depth texts and to make these texts available and friendly to the reader.The Hebrew text is presented and the reader may study them on his own. The main idea of the text has been translated. The reader no longer has to feel like an outsider who just hears what the Rabbi says without learning and exploring on his own. Now, with the references at our fingertips, Torah study is so much easier!?
The two commands are respectively the prohibition against desecrating God’s name, Chillul Hashem, and the positive corollary, Kiddush Hashem, that we are commanded to sanctify God’s name. But in what sense can we sanctify or desecrate God’s name?
The heter mechira came about in the first shmitta year, 5649 (1888), after thousands of years in exile. Some opposing poskim changed their positions when they saw how urgent the situation was. Anti-Zionism caused more opposition.
The mitzvah of Bris Milah has been enhanced by many beautiful customs. We will explain the background of these minhagim in the course of a guide to the honors bestowed during a bris and the steps of a bris procedure.
What drove the Romans against the Jews was the Jews' “dangerous culture” - a culture which had begun to penetrate the Roman Empire. Judaism was educating the masses to behave according to the principle that says “man is created in God's image.”