יום חמישי, ו׳ תשרי תשפ״זThursday, September 17, 2026
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If witnesses subsequently testify in court that the defendant indeed borrowed money but repaid it, the defendant has to pay if the plaintiff claims otherwise. Why?
So strictly speaking, you don’t need to buy toothpaste or lipstick that has a kasher l’Pesach hechser, but if you can get one with it, why not?
Avoiding A Catastrophe ‘A Ger And A Gentile Inherited…’ (Avoda Zara 64a)
The following day, Mr. Metzger called Mr. Rubin. "I appreciate your honesty," he said. "However, I reviewed the records, and I'm certain there's no outstanding balance."
As for the debtor’s statement that he never borrowed money from the plaintiff, it has been undermined by the two witnesses who testified that he did.
"Whoever came in contact with a corpse or was in a cemetery must also be sprinkled on twice beforehand with water that has ashes of the parah adumah, the red cow, mixed in."
If chametz became mixed with non-chametz on Pesach, the mixture is prohibited on Pesach even if the ratio of the permitted non‑chametz to the forbidden chametz is 1,000 to 1.
Who’s The Boss? ‘One Hired A Laborer To Assist Him In Yayin Nesech’ (Avodah Zarah 62a)
By denying the existence of the loan, the debtor, by implication, also admits that he did not repay it.
"My son dressed up as a lion last year," exclaimed Mrs. Kahn. "We bought this great costume. It was so realistic!"
May a person who wants to eat chametz that everybody else finds inedible do so?
Our Turn ‘A Gentile Nullifies His Idolatrous Relic’ (Avodah Zarah 52b)
Yaakov looked at the will again. "Why do you say that?" he asked. "The will does not say to give $10,000 to each grandchild. It says that $10,000 is granted to the grandchildren as a group. Divide the sum among you!"
An Idolatrous Eruv ‘Wood From An Asheirah Tree’ (Avodah Zarah 49b)
The prohibition of bishul akum does not cover foods which have been prepared for eating by a process of salting or pickling rather than cooking and neither does it apply to smoked foods.
Yet, notwithstanding all of these arguments, cheese manufactured by non-Jews remains prohibited today by the halacha. Why?
A week went by. Aryeh began finding the work lonely. "The work is lonely now that the other worker is not here," he told Mr. Farber. "I don't know if I can continue."
When Is Chalav Akum Allowed? ‘When Milked By A Gentile…’ (Avodah Zarah 39b)
The borrower claimed he repaid the debt and took back the promissory note from the lender and then lost it.
The heirs in the present situation are permitted to bring witnesses who testify to the fact that they saw the debtor repay the loan, before the maturity date, when he was still live.
According to Tosafot, the rabbis were concerned that if one would be allowed to benefit from non-Jewish wine at all, it might lead to participation in these idolatrous practices.
An Essential Agent ‘Set In The Skin Of The Rennet Of Nevelah’ (Avoda Zara 35a)
Usually the parties reach a settlement agreement in the end or the dayanim rule a compromise.
The Rambam describes the history of idolatry as beginning with the adulation of God’s creation and culminating in the erection of monuments to celebrate the heavenly hosts.
Mr. Berger called home to see if he left his wallet there by mistake. "I'll check right away," said his wife. She called back two minutes later that the wallet was on his desk.
Exchanging Land? ‘Nor Shall You Show Them Favor’ (Avodah Zarah 20a)
Any defendant who denies a claim in its entirety must take the Shevuat Heiset oath of denial.
What happens if a Diaspora Jew refuses to appear before a Jewish court of law or refuses to honor its judgment?
To Have Or To Hold ‘Renting Is Not Owning’ (Avodah Zara 15a)
Such a defense can only be raised at the end of the day because it is based on a migo. The migo is that if the borrower were lying, he could have come up with a better defense.
"It won't be easy to buy another one," said Mrs. Lieber. "It was an odd sale item I found in an antique store. It's not right to give away what I got special for them."
Someone dialed the police. It was too late, though. The thief had already fled the hall and disappeared into the street.
As we have seen, a debtor is not believed if he says he repaid the loan prior to the maturity date.
One cannot expect the defendant to bring negative proof – that is, proof he does not owe what he denies, because how do you prove what does not exist?
Don’t Tread On Me ‘If One Consulted A Sage, He May Not Consult Another’ (Avodah Zarah 7a)
The justification for this is that a third-party purchaser has the ability to find out whether the land he is buying is encumbered by a lien.
There is nothing more stultifying to the presentation of one’s case than a judge who allows one party to talk as long as he or she likes and cuts the other party off after a few words.
Was She Really Married? ‘One Said Two… The Other Said Three…’ (Shevuos 48a)
When they finished talking, David said: I acknowledge that I was wrong, but Rabbi Bloch still had no right to break my phone. He owes me for the repair.
A Talmidah Chachamah ‘If He Is A Scholar, He Is Not Sworn’ (Shevuos 41a)
As a result of a shevuah or a neder, things the person had no obligation to perform must now be performed and things that would otherwise have been permitted now become prohibited.
The three came before Rabbi Dayan. Avraham described the situation and asked: "How should we divide payment of the rent and various bills?"
There are a number of conditions that must be met for a false oath to fall into the category of Shevuat Ha’eidut.
"You're kidding!" exclaimed Mr. Meyer. "That's my missing coat! Someone exchanged coats with me last year in shul. Funny that it wound up in your hands!"
The First And The Final ‘Aleph Lamed Chol, Yud Keh Kodesh’ (Shavuos 35b)
Generally speaking there is a rule that a debt cannot be enforced against minor heirs because they have no ability to defend themselves.
Mr. Weiss rushed into his study. To his dismay, Mr. Miller’s envelope with the money also was gone. He immediately notified the police.
Posthaste ‘And He Simply Said: Bread’ (Shavuos 26b)
If the debtor claims to have repaid the loan so early that day, the only possible scenario is that he actually paid it yesterday, the day prior to the maturity date.
Why was King David denied the eternal honor of building the Beit HaMikdash? Did God not command him to fight wars?
Although Shimon’s right of collection against Reuven’s estate preceded Levi’s, Levi did not violate Shimon’s prior right to the assets of Reuven’s estate.
K’vod Ha’brios ‘Excluding Where He Was Preoccupied’ (Shavuos 18b-19a)
While in Israel, Dov purchased two large portraits. With the frames, the total price came to 1,200 NIS.
The Talmud tells us that a lamp is lit over the head of each unborn child in its mother’s womb, enabling it to perceive all the ways of God throughout the world.
The woman’s defense to the husband’s claim for reimbursement that she merely co-signed the note at his request but did not, in fact, receive any of the borrowed money, will be rejected unless she has a migo.
Mr. Muller spoke with some of the senior employees, who traveled often. He heard from them different approaches regarding travel expenses.
Siddurim On A Bimah ‘The Heart Of Beis Din Provides For It’ (Shavuos 11a)
Once inside the ir miklat, the law prohibited the goel hadam from avenging the deceased’s blood.
Leprosy? ‘Any Kohen Who Is Not An Expert…’ (Shavuos 6a)
You are only required to pay what she charged in the past, answered Rabbi Dayan. However, I would recommend reaching a compromise with her.
In addressing the question of which devices may be used to remove one’s beard without violating the Torah prohibition, halachic literature focuses on the extent to which these devices function like a razor blade.
A Threat To Life And Limb ‘How Many Lashes Are Given Him?’ (Makkos 22a-b)
The reason the defendant is entitled to refuse to repay the loan or to return the deposit to only one of its owners is that he accepted the money or the deposit from both.
In the case of eidei hachashah, however, the second pair of witnesses testifies that the crime never occurred.
When Shraga was ready to go back, Ari looked in the closet, but the shirt was missing.
The underlying loan survives as the obligation of the borrower even after the release of the first guarantor.
There are, however, times when the concern of Chillul Hashem is so paramount that one must choose to die rather than violate any prohibition in public.
Entitlements ‘Not Returned To His Former Prominence’ (Makkos 12a)
But I bought the gem from you and gave you the money, reasoned Mr. Silver. You owe me the money; you go deal with the seller!
The lender who sued must hold half of what he collected on trust for the other lender.
The authority to incarcerate a person and deny freedom in certain situations is part of halacha le Moshe Mi’Sinai, the Oral Law conveyed by God to Moshe and by Moshe to the people of Israel.
But I borrowed the phone, so your liability is to me, responded Avi. Who cares what went on between me and Yitzi?
The Red Sea’s Argument ‘Relatives Of A Guarantor’ (Makos 7a)
The borrower who paid the entire loan would, of course, have a claim for reimbursement against the co-borrower for the amount he repaid on his behalf.
Without Warning ‘But You Were With Us…’ (Makkos 2a)
"I didn't knowingly damage," pointed out Mrs. Neuman. "I didn't intend to upset the table."
A judge must open the proceedings by urging the litigants to settle the dispute by way of compromise.
Is Silence Golden ? ‘Iyov, Who Was Silent …’ (Sanhedrin 106a)
For example, someone who sold seeds that turned out defective does not have to pay the customer for the incurred labor costs in planting them. When the damage was unintentional, as here, there isn't even a moral obligation.
The forgoing also applies to a plaintiff who sued two borrowers based upon a promissory note for the aggregate amount of the loan advanced to both of them and signed by them jointly.
In dinei nefashot – capital cases – the beit din will accept post verdict evidence to acquit but not to convict.
Must I give the produce itself or can I just give equivalent money to tzedakah instead?
As We Come Closer And Closer ‘… Like The Face Of A Dog’ (Sanhedrin 97a)
It is true that having been sued by Shimon, Levi had no choice but to pay off the whole loan.
If both sets of witnesses have withstood the rigor of the court’s cross examination, why, one might ask, does the beit din believe the evidence of the second set of witnesses more than the first?
The halacha is that the lender may proceed to collect the entire amount of the loan from one of the guarantors.
The Torah commands us to sit in the sukkah for seven days. Should we sit in the sukkah on a day that may be the eighth day when we are not commanded to sit in the sukkah at all?
There were always some organizations, though, that would not come to collect the money until after Yom Kippur. Mr. Sender was careful to place each tzedakah plate neatly under the bimah.
The Greatest Reward Of Public Service ‘…[He] Who Leads The Public Gently …’ (Sanhedrin 92a)
Accordingly, the lender must first try to enforce the primary obligation against each borrower before he may sue the other borrower in his capacity as guarantor.
Watch What You Pray For ‘Acts Befitting Your People’ (Sanhedrin 85a)
I don't know whether I can use ma'aser money to purchase a mitzvah, said Aharon.
When Yom Tov begins on Wednesday night, the eruv tavshilin ceremony is performed on Wednesday and when Yom Tov begins on Thursday night it is performed on Thursday, in each case by the head of the household.
How do we know the pledge was in error, though? asked the gabbai. Perhaps Mr. Hoffman intended to donate $10,000 regardless!
As if to emphasize the point, the Torah uses the phrase “be’etzem hayom hazeh” – “on this very day” – both in connection with fasting on Yom Kippur and with brit milah.
One’s Life Partner ‘The Only Poor In Israel Is The Subtly Wicked’ (Sanhedrin 76a)
If, however, both borrowers have assets, all the laws of a guarantor apply and the lender may not collect the entire loan from the guarantor but must collect half from borrower.
Withholding The Rod ‘A Rebellious Son Never Existed And Never Will’ (Sanhedrin 71a)
He should have anticipated that the plaintiffs themselves might later forget who gave what.
When the employer stipulates clearly that the work must be done by a certain time, failure to complete it on time is a breach of contract, replied Rabbi Dayan.
September 18, 2026 
