Judaism

The ‘Fair Market Value’ Of The Parah Adumah

In Print Rabbi Meir Orlian

Rare items, such as a Parah Adumah, do not have a definable ‘fair market value,’ replied Rabbi Dayan. Therefore, according to many authorities, there is no ona’ah (unfair pricing) claim (Hilchos Mishpat 227:29[28]).

Too Big For One’s Boots

Parsha Raphael Grunfeld

Because one imagines oneself superior to others, one feels entitled to misappropriate their belongings or relationships, to withdraw any assistance from them, to lie under oath when it gives one a leg up, or if all else fails, to push people out of one’s way.

Daf Yomi

In Print Rabbi Yaakov Klass

The Heiress? “Determining The Daughter’s Status ” (Kesubos 68b-69a)

Memory: Our Secret Weapon

Parsha Rabbi Joshua Rapps

The concept of mourning is predicated on the idea that man inevitably forgets over time, diminishing the acute pain associated with the loss, allowing the mourner to move on.

Parshas Shoftim: “How True It Is”

Parsha Rabbi Aba Wagensberg

the Talmud explains that a judge must not take a bribe even if it is in order to acquit the innocent and accuse the guilty. Accepting a bribe is wrong even if the verdict issued is ultimately correct!

Shovel Share

Halacha & Hashkafa Rabbi Meir Orlian

The first winter snow had arrived. Snowflakes drifted down in swirls, covering the ground with a beautiful blanket of white. As the hours passed the snow slowly accumulated, reaching a depth of six inches.

Learning Relationships

In Print Rabbi Dr. Mordechai Schiffman

By honoring our teachers, we learn through the interpersonal social dynamics how to revere G-d as well.

The Hope Of Our Nation

In Print Slovie Jungreis Wolff

As we find ourselves immersed in the agony of a war that has left so many chairs empty at the seder, still shocked from the greatest massacre of our people since the Holocaust, we must also plug into the koach of Rabbi Akiva. The power of resilience. The spirit of our nation.

Havdalah: Looking at the Fingernails

In Print Rabbi Ari Enkin

The primary reason that we gaze at our fingernails as part of the blessing over the fire is to ensure that we benefit somehow from the light of the fire.

Choosing Shabbat Clothes: Black Or White Or Other?

In Print Rabbi Ari Enkin

Ultimately, there is no color requirement for Shabbat clothes, and they may be of any color. The only requirement is that one have specially designated clothing exclusively for Shabbat that are as nice and dignified as one can afford.

More Is Less

In Print Raphael Grunfeld

At each stop the Jews learned another lesson about how to rid themselves of their Egyptian ways.

The Heart Of The Matter

In Print Rabbi Dovid Goldwasser

When one performs gemilus chesed he is really doing chesed for himself. The merit of helping another protects the individual himself as well as his entire family.

The Ultimate (Heartfelt) Improbable Tale

In Print Rabbi Hanoch Teller

According to the information that he was given, his good friend from Auschwitz, Yozo Weiss, was now a taxi driver in Tel Aviv! Lonely Latzi just had to find Yozo.

The Halachic History of the Expanding Kezayis

Features Rabbi Dr. Natan Slifkin

He points out that medieval Ashkenazic authorities never saw an olive. Olives do not grow that far north; they only grow in the Mediterranean region.

Tissues Of Delusion

In Print Ita Yankovich

What chutzpah?! I thought to myself. I felt like a child being punished for taking a cookie out of the cookie jar.

Inherit The Torah

In Print Rabbi Yitzchak Sprung

It is of interest, say the Sages, that Moshe’s request for a new leader immediately follows the inheritance of the daughters of Tzlofchad.

Cutting Through Grief: A Torah Perspective On Self-Harm

In Print Rabbi Simcha Feuerman

We see that cutting oneself out of overwhelming pain is a basic human response, not a new phenomenon. However, in different eras and cultures, mental illness manifests differently based on perceptions, beliefs, and ego defenses.

The Great Treasure Of Pirkei Avos

Parsha Guest Author

It is a shame that many do not open up a Pirkei Avos with a sense of thirst and exhilaration. Perhaps, if we would keep it in a glass case, and charge ten dollars per minute for a peek inside, people would better appreciate its value.

Sefirat Ha’Omer: The Transition From Animal To Human

In Print Avraham Levitt

Through the counting of the Omer, Rav Kook explains, we don’t so much transition from the animal barley to the human bread; rather, we unite these elements in ourselves. We connect Pesach with Shavuot – liberation from bondage followed by receiving the Torah.

Modern Orthodoxy’s Moral Failure

Judaism Ben Shapiro

The fate of our children’s children rests with us – with whether we surrender the legacy of our forefathers for a little temporary convenience, or whether we stand proud and strong in the face of the storms to come.

Q & A: Preparing For Pesach

In Print Rabbi Yaakov Klass

Question: What preparations must one do to have a kosher Pesach amidst this Covid-19 pandemic? Wolf Sender Deerfield Beach, FL

Yearning For Connection: The Secret Of The Mouth

In Print Rabbi Shmuel Reichman

What happens when you don’t eat? You become faint. What happens if you continue without food? You will pass out. And if you still don’t eat, your soul will leave your body and you will die. Eating maintains the connection between your soul and your body; it is what keeps you alive.