Root or Route? Finding Holiness in Foreign Words
What does it mean to see G-d’s back? In Hilchos Yesodei HaTorah (1:10), Rambam explains that even when one does not see a person’s face, one can still recognize them by seeing their back, provided one knows them well.
One and a Million
There are many lessons and reflections to be gleaned from the surreal events that have taken hold of the world during the Coronavirus pandemic. One of those lessons is a reminder about the effect and influence of every single individual.
Multiple Commitments
The wedding was beautiful, baruch Hashem, and the pictures came out nicely. Still, when the dust settled, the added expense lingered in Mr. Simcha’s mind.
Daf Yomi
A Sefer Torah That Fell
“As Though Bitten by a Snake”
(Menachos 32b)
The Daf and the Search for Remains of Last Hostage
The massive armada of vehicles and people to personally search for the remains of the last Israeli hostage – police officer Ran Gvili – will be forever etched into the minds and hearts not just of Jews but of people of good will throughout the world.
What’s a Father For?
Fathers must consider that beyond their financial inheritance, there is a spiritual yerusha that is their true inheritance. A life occupied with hours spent in the office or making deals but at the cost of family life is not a yerusha after all.
Smoke Signals from Sodom
I will add a comparison between the altar and this stone. The altar represented service to G-d. In serving G-d, one goes gradually up and ascends a ramp. There can be no rush-jobs in approaching G-d – at least from our side of the relationship.
Staum’s Brother
I have noted in this column that it’s a beautiful feeling to have nachas from one’s parents. I should add that the same is true about having nachas from one’s siblings.
Recognizable Hat
If I saw the hat, I could probably identify it, suggested David Baruch. I’m able to recognize it on the coatrack even though there are many similar hats.
Daf Yomi
Apples and Oranges
“Two Menachos Were Mixed but the Handfuls Were Not Taken”
(Menachos 23a)
The Joy of Forgiveness
Much of our reality is constructed by our personal beliefs. If we believe in forgiveness, we can be forgiving of others as well as ourselves.
Beyond Roots
Rabbi Moshe Weinberger notes that although to the uneducated person it seems that a tree’s entire growth is dependent on the nourishment it receives from its roots in the ground, that is actually not the case.
Cash in the Box
His chavrusa considered this carefully. A pledge to tzedakah is binding, he said. The question is whether placing money in the shul’s box is considered delivery to the shul – or if it’s still your responsibility until the shul’s treasurer actually receives it.
What Difference Does It Make as Long as You Get There?
Tum’ah, representing death and the vacuum of G-d’s life-force, brings impurity. But humans have free will, and when it comes to our loss of connection to G-d, we must also reach out and cannot receive blanket dispensation.
Driver in Need
Providing a needy person with employment is considered the highest form of tzedakah because it preserves his self-dignity (Y.D. 249:6; Shach 249:7), replied Rabbi Dayan.
Daf Yomi
Double Trouble?
“Two Handfuls”
(Menachos 11b)
Common Threads
When someone invests in any project, there is a sense of ownership and pride that creates a stronger bond. This is an important principle in chinuch as well, especially in our times where discipline is much less about punishment and more about motivation via “chains of love” (the famous words of the Chazon Ish, Y.D. 2:28).
The Candy Man Can
It’s not exactly the advice you might have expected from a leading Torah personality. But the truth is that one immersed in Torah wisdom has a keen and deep understanding of human personality and motivation.
The Snapped Hammock
Shimon spoke up. The hammock was fine when we were on it until Dovid joined, he said. He pushed it over the limit – it’s his fault.
Daf Yomi
Intrinsic, Danger, or Dilution?
“From That Allowed to Jews”
(Menachos 5a)
Similar Crises, Different Results
The reima is described in the Talmud as an animal so large that it was of mythic dimensions, and even its cub was described as too large to fit onto Noach’s ark, but it survived the flood by clinging onto the boat, according to Rabbi Yochanan, with only its head within the boat.
G-d’s Laughter
One of the most famous and oft-quoted Yiddishisms is der mentsch tracht un Gut lacht – Man plans and G-d laughs. Its clear message is that we have no guarantees or assurances that we will be able to follow through on anything.
Fallen Angels and Elevated Humans
Apparently, the angel miraculously ascended along with the flames, indicating acceptance of Manoach’s offering. This is not a typical encounter with an angel; other Biblical figures encountered angels without such a dramatic departure. What is the meaning of this?
Making It Through This Dark Galus
Who could envision the massacre on a serene beach in Australia while lighting the Chanukah menorah? Who could contemplate the vicious mobs shouting to ‘globalize the intifada’, taking over shopping malls, college campuses and city sights? All this while jihadists in suits call out ‘there is only one solution’, for the extermination of our land and people.
Riding the Market
The Torah (Vayikra 27:8) states that if a person pledges his erech (age-based value) to the Temple treasury but it is beyond his financial means, the Kohen evaluates how much he can pay, and the person pays only that sum, replied Rabbi Dayan.
Daf Yomi
A Light Unto the Nations
“The Sound Thereof Traveled from One End…To the Other…”
(Zevachim 116a)
Trials of a Nation, Faith of a People
Just as the country began to heal, the unthinkable arrived. October 7, 2023. A day that will be remembered as one of the darkest in Jewish history.
The Firstborn Opportunity Cost
We see that in the end, by hook or by crook, so to speak, Og got his merit. Noach might have sensed this potential via Ruach HaKodesh and wanted to avoid it. By the way, this merit came even though, according to the aggadah, Og had an ulterior motive: He was hoping Avraham would die in battle and he could possess Sarah as a wife.
Eternal Royalty
Every pasuk, every Mishna and every line of Gemara; every mitzvah, every chesed, and every word of tefillah – make us part of the royal family.
Carpool Companion
If partners need to divide property, and A can benefit by receiving a specific half whereas to B there is no difference, must he allow A to take the beneficial half?