In Parashas Vayigash we find Yosef telling his brothers, who are about to return to their father, “Do not become agitated on the way” (Bereishis 45:24). Ibn Ezra explains… Read more »

Lighting Chanukah candles is a mitzvah of the home. In the words of the Gemara, the mitzvah is defined as ner ish uveiso—“a candle for each man and his household.”… Read more »

  Perhaps the most famous kidnapping in history is that of Yosef by his brothers, as told in Parashas Vayeishev. Yosef was subsequently sold to an Egypt-bound group of Ishmaelites,… Read more »

Parshas Vayishlach opens by describing how Yaakov Avinu sent agents to his brother Esav. Opinions differ as to whether these were human envoys, or whether the agents he sent were… Read more »

Parashas Toldos includes the famous portion in which Yaakov Avinu takes the brachos, which Yitzchak had intended for Esav, for himself. In obtaining the brachos for Yaakov, Rikva covers Yaakov’s… Read more »

As Rivka took leave of her family, joining Eliezer on the journey to Yitzchak, the Torah describes how her family blessed her: “They blessed Rivka and told her: Our sister,… Read more »

After last week’s installment about the principal obligation to have children—the mitzvah of peru urvu—this week we turn to the question of going beyond the basic obligation. As we saw,… Read more »

  The Mishnah (Yoma 8:9) teaches that there is a fundamental difference between the forgiveness of sins that are “between man and G-d” and those that are “between man and… Read more »

  The Torah tells us that Rosh Hashanah is a day of sounding the Shofar: “And in the seventh month, on the first day of the month… a day of… Read more »

  At the beginning of Parashas Ki Savo we are reminded, as part of the declaration of Bikkurim (bringing the first fruit to Jeruaslem) of the obligation to recite blessings… Read more »

  The mitzvah of shiluach haken, sending away the mother-bird before taking her chicks or eggs, is a mitzvah that has a special status in the popular mind. Although it… Read more »

  The Torah instructs us, concerning the laws of  kings: “But he shall not have too many horses for himself, so that he will not return the people to Egypt… Read more »

  Parashas Re’eh opens with blessings and with curses: Hashem places before the nation of Israel a blessing if they uphold the Torah, and a curse if they fail to… Read more »

  The current vacation season, coupled with Pasuk in Parashas Va’eschanan which mentions that the Jewish People “saw no image” (of Hashem), provides us with an opportunity to discuss a… Read more »

  This year, the ninth day of Av falls on Shabbos, so that the fasting of Tisha Be’Av is deferred to Sunday. This is in accordance with the Mishnah (Megillah… Read more »

    The Torah source for requiring the koshering of pots and utensils that were used by non-Jews (for non-kosher foods) is found in Parshas Mattos (Bamidbar 31: 21-23). Following the war… Read more »

  Dwelling on the heroic, and patently dangerous, deed of Pinchas, the Keli Yekar asks the following question: How was it permitted for Pinchas to place himself in danger? We… Read more »

  The Gemara (Sanhedrin 105b) teaches that from the blessings of Bilam we know the curses he wished to inflict upon the Jewish people. One of his aims was that… Read more »

  The principal claim of Korach and his assembly, as told in Parashas Korach, was dissatisfaction with their Levite status. They desired to serve as Kohanim; their status as Levi’im… Read more »

  The mitzvah of separating challah has been popularized in recent times. Challah parties for women, at which separating challah is the highlight, are often held on special occasions. Sometimes,… Read more »

  The Maharil writes that a woman who forgot to light Shabbos candles “must be careful all of her days to add an extra candle, one more than the amount… Read more »

    In this week’s parsha we read about the mitzvah of Birkas Kohanim. Sefer Chareidim has an important opinion about the mitzvah of the priestly blessing—Birkas Kohanim. Although the… Read more »

  When Yom Tov follows Shabbos, as will occur in the upcoming Shavuos festival, the halachic issue of preparing from Shabbos for weekdays becomes especially pertinent. The Yom Tov meal… Read more »

  Commenting on the first words of Parashas Bechukosai—”If you will follow My statutes”—Rashi cites the explanation of Chazal: “That you shall toil in Torah study.” As Shavuos approaches, we… Read more »

  The prohibition of ona’a, monetary fraud, is laid out in the instruction of the Pasuk: “When you sell something to your fellow, or buy from your fellow, do not… Read more »

  The mitzvah of chinuch, educating our children in general, and specifically initiating them into keeping mitzvos, is among the central elements of the Jewish people. In one of the… Read more »

  The Gemara (Sotah 14a) teaches that we are should follow the ways of Hashem—to emulate His traits (midos) as taught to us by the Torah. One of His traits… Read more »

As we count the Omer, many of us will encounter some of the doubts typical of the Omer count. This week we wish to discuss these doubts. There is no… Read more »

  The Torah prohibits keeping any edible chametz item in one’s house or possession over Pesach. Even an item containing only a small mixture of chametz is prohibited (see Rema,… Read more »

  With the festival of Pesach coming up, many of us will be thinking of which siyum to make on Erev Pesach. The reason for this is that while there… Read more »

  Parashas Hachodesh marks the beginning of the Pesach season, when we celebrate our redemption from Egypt. The Shabbos reading contains the first mitzvah that was given nationally to the… Read more »

  As part of the pre-Pesach preparations, many organize special sales of Pesach-related goods. These include regular goods such as meat and groceries, as well as special Pesach products such… Read more »

  An often discussed halachic element of Purim is the question of damages caused in the course of celebration, drunken or otherwise. Purim damages can be a simple case of… Read more »

  Purim is one of the festive days of the year on which there is no prohibition against work. Like Chanukah, Chazal did not decree that one may not work… Read more »

  The annual reading of Parashas Zachor fulfills the obligation of remembering the deed of Amalek as the Children of Israel traversed from Egypt. The memory of Amalek is a… Read more »

A halachic question raised with some frequency how to handle cases that involve disputed payments. This can arise in cases of claim that money is counterfeit, or when a miscount… Read more »

  One of the most striking features of Torah tort law is the concept of indirect damage. In contrast to modern law systems, Torah law includes an explicit exemption from… Read more »

The third of the Aseres Ha-Dibros instructs us in the prohibition of taking the Name of Hashem in vain (Shemos 20:6). The Gemara (Berachos 33a) derives from here the prohibition… Read more »

  Parashas Beshalach includes the chapter dealing with the manna—the miraculous food, labelled mon in the Pasuk, which the Jewish People ate upon their leaving Egypt — and the manner… Read more »

  When Pharaoh began to crack under the pressure of the plagues that continued to strike him, and wished to allow the Jewish people to leave Egypt to serve Hashem,… Read more »