Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: A person should never express a crude matter, as the formulation of a verse was distorted by the addition of eight letters rather than have it express a crude matter, as it is stated: “From the pure animals and from the animals that are not pure [asher einena tehora]” (Genesis 7:8). To avoid using the Hebrew term for impure [teme’a], which is four letters: Tet, mem, alef, heh, the verse repla …
The Gemara quotes a verse in Iyov 24:14 as follows:
לָא֡וֹר יָ֘ק֤וּם רוֹצֵ֗חַ יִֽקְטָל־עָנִ֥י וְאֶבְי֑וֹן וּ֝בַלַּ֗יְלָה יְהִ֣י כַגַּנָּֽב׃
The murderer arises in the evening To kill the poor and needy, And at night he acts the thief.
This verse raises an important flag about zealotry. Whenever we find ourselves to excited about something we believe to be …
A Broken Heart is More Whole
A dilemma was raised before the Sages: If one priest is ritually impure and another has a blemish, which of them should enter to perform repairs? Rav Ḥiyya bar Ashi said that Rav said: The impure one should enter, as he is permitted to participate in communal service. If the entire community is ritually impure, even impure priests may perform the service, whereas blemished priests may not serve under any circ …
Pumpkin Spice and Parts Work
My friend *Shani shows up at my door with a bowl of piping hot chicken soup. I have not been feeling well lately and she knows that a fragrant and nutrient rich bowl of her famous liquid gold will help me feel better. It’s incredible when a friend gets you that intimately. She knows just what I need.
I realize immediately that something is not ok with her. Perhaps in the back of her mind she needs something from …
One may draw up wine from a barrel with a siphon [diyofei], and one may drip water from a vessel that releases water in drops [miarak], for an ill person on Shabbat.
מַעֲלִין בִּדְיוֹפִי וּמַטִּיפִין מֵיאֶרֶק לַחוֹלֶה בַּשַּׁבָּת.
Essentially the Gemara is discussing generating white noise to allow an ill person to fall asleep or stay asleep. This is an excellent technique for insomnia, li …
This Gemara discuses a well known principle of אין שבות במקדש there are no rabbinic restrictions within the Temple. The basic understanding of why this is true, is because the Cohanim are zealous and thus would be unlikely to make a mistake (רבנו יהונתן ערובין קב א). In Other words, the priest, especially in the Holy Temple site, do not require extra strength and cease to protect them from inadvertent vi …
