38 Lessons
Korach Can We Identify the Techeiles?
When we are commanded about wearing tzitzis, the Torah includes two mitzvos. In addition to the mitzvah of wearing tzitzis threads on the corners of the garment, there is an additional mitzvah that some of the tzitzis threads should be dyed with a special dye called techeiles. (There is a dispute among the Rishonim how many of the tzitzis threads are to be dyed techeiles.) This dye must be made from a species called chilazon (Tosefta Menachos 9:6).
Balak Tarshish, Canals and Divrei Hayamim
We will soon discover that attempting to identify “Tarshish,” mentioned numerous times in Tanach, will lead us to a fascinating search! Let us start with the most basic of questions: Was Tarshish a person, place, or thing?
Pinchas Kerias HaTorah
Since Parshas Pinchas includes all the maftir readings of the holidays, and also the reading of Rosh Chodesh…
Naso Red white and green
In Parshas Naso, the Torah requires the banishing of a metzora from the camp. Chazal understand this to mean that he is not permitted to be within any city that was walled from the time of Yehoshua (Keilim 1:7).
Matot My Vows I Shall Fulfill
Can performing a mitzvah become a liability? What does it mean that I am doing something “bli neder”? “My friend Billy Nader says bli neder on almost everything. Is this being too frum?”
Shlach Lecha How Not to Desecrate Shabbos
The story of the mekosheish, the man caught gathering wood on Shabbos, in Parshas Shelach, contains a host of conflicting and unusual midrashim. The story also serves as a springboard for many halachic and hashkafic issues.
Chukat The Tumah of Utensils
How are slingshots like Tefillin? What is the difference between a sack and a sock? How is an earthenware oven different from other earthenware utensils?
Shlach Lecha The Holey Donut
What brocha should I recite before eating a donut? Does it make a difference whether it is an American-style, hole-in-the-middle donut or an Israeli-style jelly donut? Must I separate challah from the donuts I am frying for Chanukah? I just purchased a donut shop that is quite distant from any Jewish community. Must I make sure that challah is taken?
Beha'alotcha Reciting Korbanos Daily
Between the recital of morning berachos and Boruch She’amar, which begins pesukei dezimra, is a section of the davening colloquially referred to as “korbanos,” since it includes many references to the various offerings brought in the Beis Hamikdash. The goal of this article is to provide an overview and some details about this part of the davening.
Naso Birkas Kohanim
Why is the bracha for duchening so different from all the other brochos we recite before we perform mitzvos? If a kohein is suffering from laryngitis, how does he fulfill the mitzvah of Birkas Kohanim? If the chazzan is a kohein, may he duchen?