Daf Yomi Zevachim Daf 31

Daf Yomi Avodah Zarah Daf 18

Daf Yomi Shevuot Daf 21

Spirituality is Reality!

Tolerance but Not at All Costs

Ayn Aya Shabbat v, 73

Rav Kook innovatively explains how did King Solomon even consider building alters for the idolatry of his wives?! He deals with the 2 ways of Kiruv: having the non-religious go "Cold-Turkey" to the extreme, totally severing all ties with their past; or alternatively: showing tolerance and gradually convincing them to see the good in their present life-style but to leave the bad and advance gradually. Rav Kook, although usually seeing the good in everything, & taking the gradual more tolerant approach, here shows the other side of the coin, & differentiates why regarding certain "red-lines" like idolatry, there is "zero tolerance".

Mercy, Mercy!

Dreams of Royalty

What Requires Protest? – #279

Igrot Hare’aya – Letters of Rav Kook Date and Place: 15 Adar I 5670 (1910), Yafo

Igrot Hare’aya – Letters of Rav Kook Date and Place: 15 Adar I 5670 (1910), Yafo

Involving Baron Rothschild in Religious Efforts – #278

Igrot Hare’aya – Letters of Rav Kook Date and Place: 14 Adar 5670 (1910), Yafo

Igrot Hare’aya – Letters of Rav Kook Date and Place: 14 Adar 5670 (1910), Yafo

Parshat Pinchas & Chukat: A New & Innovative Look at Moshe's Sin (easy Hebrew)

12 different commentaries differ with Rashi regarding Moshe Rabbenu's sin, that it's not simply that he struck, rather than speak to the rock to bring out water. This class deals with why it's so unclear and what is the "secret" explanation of the Shadal which is the only commentary which answers all of the difficulties and questions here

An Eiruv for Nascent Tel Aviv

Igrot Hare’aya – Letters of Rav Kook: – #242

Date and Place: 9 Kislev 5670 (1909), Yafo

Mutual Repairs Agreement – part I

(based on ruling 82031 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)

(based on ruling 82031 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts)

What Makes Jerusalem Special

פרק ט משניות ח-ט

Carrying on Shabbos

What’s in a jewish name?

The Third Player in the Contest Between Good and Evil

Why Did Isaac Love Esau?

.

The Various Meanings of Merei’im

Shabbat Parashat Nitzavim Vayeilech 5783

Shabbat Parashat Nitzavim Vayeilech 5783

Daily Mishna- Rosh Hashana ב, ז-ח

The Eyes Have It

Does Hashem really need a grammar lesson in Dikduk - grammar?!

Rav Kook on the Importance of the Flag

A Tale of Two Fathers

After his first Shabbos ends with an unspeakable tragedy, Shimon Ilan’s resilience & faith paves the way for an unexpected friendship and inspires Yaakov Shwekey’s latest hit song Ein Davar Ra.

Daily Mishna - Demai 5, 9-10

In a Heartbeat

Mordechai Sultan woke up with chest pains. Hatzolah was at his door in less than 30 seconds. How did they get there so fast at 3:30 in the morning? And why were they carrying the specialized equipment that saved his life?

The Spit into R' Levi Yitzchak's Face

Chassidic Tales with Rav Shlomo Katz

The powerful story of the time when Reb Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev was walking down the street with his chassidim and a masnagid was walking by and spat in his face! When the Rebbe did not even react, the chassidim could not believe it and asked him, so he gave them a lesson on happiness that they were not expecting.

The Hatred of Those Who Did Not Get a Potential Gift

condensed from Ein Ayah, Shabbat 9:121

condensed from Ein Ayah, Shabbat 9:121

Necessary Opposition to the Torah

condensed from Ein Ayah, Shabbat 9:107

condensed from Ein Ayah, Shabbat 9:107

Starting from the Top - Natural Spiritual Simplicity

Condensed from Ein Ayah, Shabbat 9:77-78

Condensed from Ein Ayah, Shabbat 9:77-78

The Religious Significance of Israel

Answering Amen to Hamakom Yenachem

Should a mourner (or others present) answer Amen to the words of consolation, “Hamakom yenachem etchem b’toch she’ar aveili Tzion v’Yerushalayim”?

The Right Objective and Subjective Time

Condensed from Ein Ayah, Shabbat 9:19-20

[We saw the disagreement as to whether the Torah was given on the sixth or seventh of Sivan.] Everyone agrees that the Torah was given on Shabbat. It says [in the Ten Commandments], “Remember the day of Shabbat to sanctify it” (Shemot 20:7), and it says [at the time of the Exodus] “Remember this day on which you left Egypt” (ibid. 13:3). Just like there (at the Exodus), it took place on the very day described, so too here it took place on the very day [to which it applies – Shabbat]. What do they disagree about? About the day that was set as the beginning of the month.

Was the song "Ma'oz Tzur" written for Chanukah?

Combining the Two Inclinations

That which it says in the pasuk (Kohelet 11:9), “Be happy, young man, in your childhood and let your heart make you feel good while you are single, and follow the paths of your heart and that which your eyes see…– until this point the pasuk is referring to the words of the yetzer hara (evil inclination). “… and know that Hashem will bring you to justice for all of these” From this point on are the words of the yetzer hatov (inclination toward good).

A FAVOR LIVES FOREVER

Purim Mishaps

In honor of Parshas Zochor, we will be discussing Purim Mishaps.

Numbers That Count

[In the previous story, involving R. Elazar ben Azarya’s cow, the implication is that he owned only one cow.] Didn’t Rav say that R. Elazar ben Azarya’s tithed from his flocks 12,000 calves every year?

Zera Yisrael

We have been dealing, over the last few weeks, with ideas to help integrate olim from the Former Soviet Union into Israeli society as full Jews. A group with a real obstacle is children of Jewish fathers and non-Jewish mothers. They are, of course, not Jewish unless they undergo conversion. Yet, it is our opinion that we should not look at them as if they have, in the meantime, no connection to the Jewish People. The great majority were treated as Jews in the Soviet Union, where a citizen’s nationality is determined by his father, not his mother. As a result, they suffered from anti-Semitism. How shocked were many, upon arriving in Israel, to find out that halacha does not view them as Jewish and that they cannot get married here?

Non-Edible Oils for Lighting the Menorah

Early Reading of Megillat Esther

I am working on a Megilla reading program to attract families with children (not consistent shul-goers) for Purim evening (the children attend public school in the morning). Due to daylight savings time and our geographic position, tzeit hakochavim will not be until around 8 PM, a time that would discourage families from coming. May we read the Megilla from plag hamincha (11/4 hours before sunset)?

Preserving, Widening, and Perpetuating Goodness

Ein Aya Shabbat Chapter B Paragraph 162-3

At the moment that they make a man enter his judgment [after his death], they ask him: “Did you do your dealings with honesty? Did you set time for Torah study? Did you involve yourself in procreation? Did you look forward to salvation? Did you delve into wisdom? Did you understand one thing from another?”

Daf Yomi- gittin37

Respect Hashem’s Least Expected Partners

“[Hashem] commanded [Moshe and Aharon] to Bnei Yisrael and to Paroh, King of Egypt” (Shemot 6:13). Rashi provides two explanations of what was supposed to be done in relation to Paroh. The second had to do with the various actions Hashem had spelled out. The first one is actually to treat Paroh with respect.

Why do we need a ‘house’ on Chanukah?

“For Me, G-d” – in Eretz Yisrael

The Meeting

Daf Yomi- nazir45

The Meaning of Shmini Atzeret

Why is there an extra holiday added on to the Sukkot holiday.

Obtaining Arba’ah Minim for the Sukkot after Shemitta

Between Yishtabach and Borchu

Rabbi Kook: Halakha and the Rabbinate

The iconic first Ashkenazic Chief Rabbi of Israel had a unique way of approaching the Rabbinate and halakhic determinations.

Changing the Law to be What They Want it to be

The Attorney General should be fired for attempting to render meaningless the Law against Fraud in kashrut.

The End of The Seder

Chapter Sixteen-Part Ten

Chapter Sixteen-Part Ten

The Main Message of the Hagada

Chapter Fifteen-Part Two

Chapter Fifteen-Part Two

Hagala in Practice

Chapter Ten-Part Four

Chapter Ten-Part Four

The Principles of Hagalat Kelim

Chapter Ten-Part One

Chapter Ten-Part One

This is the way we wash our hands

Parsha Summary: Sh’lach-lecha

The Time to Recite Keriat Shema and Ma'ariv

Chapter Twenty Five-Part Two

Chapter Twenty Five-Part Two

Days on Which Tachanun Is Not Recited

Chapter Twenty One-Part Three

Chapter Twenty One-Part Three

After Amidah

Chapter Seventeen-Part Five

Chapter Seventeen-Part Five

Kedushat Yotzer and Responding to Matters of Sanctity in Birkot Keriat Shema

Chapter Sixteen-Part Two

Chapter Sixteen-Part Two

Birkot Keriat Shema

Chapter Sixteen-Part One

Chapter Sixteen-Part One

Before the Shacharit Prayer-part two

Chapter twelve-part two

Chapter twelve-part two

The Times of Birkot HaShachar

Chapter nine-part two

Chapter nine-part two

Birkot HaShachar – The Morning Blessings

Chapter nine-part one

Chapter nine-part one

Preparations for Prayer

Chapter five-part one

Chapter five-part one

The Meaning of the Holiday

Chapter One-Part One

Chapter One-Part One

Ego & Elections

The House of Preparation

Joining Pieces of Dough for Obligation of Hafrashat Challa

Cover Your Eyes To See Clearly

Daf Yomi- Yevamot 68

Rav Yehudah Hachassid and his Shidduchin II

In a previous article we discussed the writings of Rav Yehudah Hachassid, who prohibited or advised against many potential marriages that are otherwise perfectly acceptable according to halachah. But first some background on the chassidei Ashkenaz.

Daf Yomi- Yevamot 44

Undoing Mistaken Early Acceptance of Shabbat

CHAYEI SARAH

A Return To The Sabbath

Yonah ben Amitai

KI TETZEI

Keeping Kosher - Eating Out

Disqualifying the Sale of Public Property

Chukat

Counting Sefira with a Beracha

The Israeli Flag

Mizmor Lesodah and Pesach

Why is Mizmor Lesodah not recited on specific occasions? Must we stand while reciting it? Some background and halachos regarding Psalm 100.

Shmini

Hasagat G’vul Regarding with the Government

Four Stages of Liberation

Daf Yomi - Yoma 38

Appreciating Tashlich

A deep understanding of Tashlich and the connection to the 13 Attributes of G-d.

How To Make a Revolution and How Not To…

Ein Aya Shabat Chapter A Paragraph 32

The laws of human society are very complex. We should be very careful before changing existing laws and trying to replace them with something better.

When to be Angry?

Anger According to the Rambam

The Rambam explains that Moshe Rabenu's sin in the waters of dispute [Mei Meribah] was anger. A person should stay completely away from anger, but there is a place behavior like anger.

Hunting for Kosher Meat

The Return of Equipment

part I

part I

Delay Between Birkat Kohanim

Firing a Teacher Over Pedagogical Disagreement

Leader's Mistakes

The Wisdom of Rabbi Moshe Feinstein (15) - Vayikra

The Wisdom of Rabbi Moshe Feinstein (15) - Vayikra

The Importance of the State of Israel in the Writings of Rabbi A.I. Kook

part I

Why did G-d create Am Yisrael as a nation and not just a religion? Why, in addition to the mitzvot between individual Jews, and between man and G-d, does the Torah call for a framework of a national land, army, political system, and even coin?

The meaning of Yetziat Mitzraim

The Wisdom of Rabbi Moshe Feinstein (5) - Shmot

The Wisdom of Rabbi Moshe Feinstein (5) - Shmot

Concern for Whom?

A Layman's Guide to some Halachic Aspects

What do I need to bring to a wedding? Who escorts the bride and groom down the isle? Finally, a short step by step birds eye view of the Jewish wedding.

Behind the Present Vision

Chaim in the Garden(6)

Chaim in the Garden(6)

Vayikra

Must I Immerse a Candy Dish?

"I have a gift business in which I sell glass candy bowls filled with candies, fruits, and nuts. Must I toivel these dishes before I fill them?"

Parashat Miketz - Questions

Parsha and Rashi Q & A for the Shabbos Table.

The procedure for lighting Hanukkah candles

The order of lighting the Chanukah Candles, with the blessings, "Hanerot Halalu" and "Maoz Tzur".

The Greek Connection

It Is Not Going To Go Away

What Bracha Do I Make Before Smelling the Shavuos Flowers?

My husband brought me beautiful roses for Shavuos. Should I make a bracha before smelling them? I have noticed that sometimes there is no noticeable fragrance.

Shofar Sounds

Sharing Rent

Why Parshas Naso Sometimes Introduces Shavuos

Understand the science behind the Parsha of the week and its place in a ever versatile calendar

B’chukotai

Behar and Shemittah

A clear in-depth summary of the laws of Shmita and how they influence the food that enters our stores (and stomachs)

Pesach Thoughts

Holocaust Memorial

Why Must I be Religious to be a Moral Person? - Part II

Rav Kookm, Musar Hakodesh

Additional reasons why secular morality isn't enough.

Daf Yomi - Zvachim 13

The whats and whys of Chodosh?

Daf Yomi - Horyos 7

Performing a Proper Hesped

The Halachot of a 'Eulogy'

The Torah’s Instructions to Non-Jews—The Laws of Bnei Noach

The 7 Noahide Laws, Non-Jews and everything in between.

Validity of a Get When a Father’s Name Was Incorrect

Parashat Eikev After the War of Independence

The Way to Relate to One’s Followers

Daf Yomi - Maccos 10

Hamotzi - For all Times

Daf Yomi - Sanedrin 56

Precedence in the Payment of Multiple Debts

part I

part I

Daf Yomi - Yevamot 53

Who is Obliged, and Who is Exempt from Chanukah Candles

Fulfilling the Mitzvah in the following cases, according to the Sephardic and Ashkenazi customs: lighting in the Synagogue, travelers, women, single and married children living at home and away from home, Yeshiva students, soldiers, roommates, mourners, and blind persons.

Judgement and Accountability

Ki Tavo

Daf Yomi - Baba Metzia (18)

The Main Purpose

Daf Yomi - Baba Kama(112)

Vayakhel – Pekudel

Firing During the Year

Daf Yomi - Baba Kama(61)

Some Light Chanukah Questions

Some Light Chanukah Questions. Eating in one house ans sleeping in another, when is the optimal time to kandle the Menora? Lighting candles in a Hotel, Where does a Yeshiva Bachur light? and more....

Practical Halachos of Civil Litigation

Can I go to a civil or secular court? What about with a non-Jew or non-Jewish court? What if I am sued? An essential article about going to Jewish court of law.

Flying High - A Traveler’s Guide to Channukah

What does one do about Channukah candles in a hotel, while traveling and in other complicated circumstances?

Shabbat Preparations

Even a person who has many servants should try to prepare personally something for the Sabbath. R' Chisda would mince vegetables; Rabbah and R' Yosef would chop wood. Every person should make them his example, for honoring the Sabbath is a privilege.

The Laws Relating to Converts

The laws relating to Jewish converts are most astounding. Despite the criticism directed at the Jewish people on the grounds that Judaism is racist, the Torah teaches us that any non-Jew who earnestly seeks to join the Jewish people may do so.

Drought in the Days of Ahab

Most of us are familiar with the episode of Naboth's Vineyard or Elijah's dispute with the prophets of Baal. What is less known, however, is the background to the dramatic occasion in which Elijah decreed the stoppage of rain in the days of Ahab.

Parasha Summary - Vayishlach

An Overview of the Torah Portion

An Overview of the Torah Portion

Parasha Summary - Vayera

An Overview of the Torah Portion

An Overview of the Torah Portion

49. True Faith Brings Trust in God

True and complete faith in God causes one to believe that whatever He does is for the best. This provides a most sturdy defense against hardships and suffering. One who has faith in God is not broken by hardships, but actually receives them lovingly.

Inclusiveness vs. Exclusiveness

Parashat Pekudei

Parashat Pekudei

Tu Bishvat – Planting the Jewish People in Their Land

Israel's wilderness stage is necessary preperation for entering the land, but cognition of the fact that the wilderness is not an end in itself constitutes affliction. The Jewish People were created with the purpose of living in the land of Israel.

17. According to Divine Guidance

One of the pillars of Jewish faith is the acknowledgment that the only way to serve God is by following His guidelines - for His plan is beyond man's comprehension. No individual is capable of arriving at God's desire through sheer contemplation.

The Lesson of Chanukah

Chanukah is a time of praise and thanksgiving to God for the miracles and wonders that He performed on behalf of our ancestors “in those days at this time.” It is also a time to reflect upon and learn from the great events which happened in those days.

"Motzie Shem Rah" - A Dissertation on Slander

The opening Mishna of tractate Sanhedrin states: A slanderer [is judged] by three - these are the words of R. Meir; the Sages say, a slanderer [is judged] by twenty-three, because such [an offense] involves capital punishment.

The Four Exiles

Parashat Vayeshev

Parashat Vayeshev

Eisav and Shalom

Parashat Toldot

Parashat Toldot

Destruction and Redemption

Why did R' Akiva alone laugh? Certainly he was not the only one of the sages to believe in the future redemption. What's more, when the Temple sits in ruins one must mourn the situation even if something good is bound to come out of it in the future.

Conflicting Objectives?

Parashat Masei

Parashat Masei

The Minor Fasts and Their Laws

Did Jews fast over the destruction of the First Temple when the Second Temple stood? Must pregnant and nursing women abstain from eating and drinking on minor fasts? Rabbi Eliezer Melamed addresses these and other important questions.

A Contemporary Model of the Geulah Process

Parashat Beha'alotcha

The Gemara states that there is no former and latter in the Torah. The Ramban in a number of places says that we invoke this rule only where there is a real necessity to do so.

The Levi’im - An Exalted Tribe or a Banished One?

Parashat Bemidbar

Parashat Bemidbar

Shmita

Parashat Behar

Parashat Behar

Israel Independence Day

Yom Ha’Atzmaut

Yom Ha’Atzmaut

Perceiving

Parashat Miketz

Parashat Miketz

Hitler and Eisav

Parashat Vayishlach

No one can destroy the Jewish nation; How does the Jewish nation survive?; Two reasons for buying a piece of land in Erets Yisrael.

The War of the Kings and its Significance

Parashat Lech Lecha

This week’s Torah portion describes at great length the war between the four and five kings, detailing their names and lands. Yet, what is so important about this particular battle that caused the Torah to describe it in such detail?

A Just War…Just for Avram

Parashat Lech Lacha

In the eyes of Chazal, Avram’s activities in this battle receive mixed reviews; Avram’s concern for his relatively righteous and innocent relative was legitimate and even laudable; Before the student soldiers were recruited, they are called chanichav (his disciples). During the battle they are called “avadav” (his slaves).

The Holiday of Double Joy

The Laws of Torah Study

Part 3

How many hours a day should a person study? What is the goal in studying Torah, understanding or remembering? What does it take to become a Torah scholar? Rabbi Eliezer Melamed provides answers to these and other interesting questions.

We Will Ascend

Parashat Korach

Parashat Korach

The Divine Shechina and the levels of Kedusha

Parashat Teruma

Parashat Teruma

The Mitzvah of Mezuzah for Renters

Two Views, Avnei Nezer's Proof, How a Renter Today is an "Owner”, Another Angle, The Ohr Samayach-Shach "Right of Usage”, A House with No Door, Summary

Parshat Noah

The Flood and the Tower

The Sin of the Generation of the Flood symbolizes the world's drive to satisfy its base physical desires, while that of the Generation of the Tower of Babel represents spiritual rebellion and denial of God's rule in the world.