Our Gemara records a machlokes between Rabbi Meir and the Rabbanan regarding the words and order of the viduy confession. Rabbi Meir follows the order of the verse used by Moshe, Avon, Pesha and Chata’a. The Rabbis cannot accept that because logically, the confession should go in order of severity: Chet (unintentional), Avon (intentional) and Pesha (Rebellious). If so, why indeed did Moshe use a different order? It was to …
Our Gemara on Amud Beis uses the story of Yosef’s resisting the seduction by Potiphar’s wife as a role model and proof for moral behavior:
They said about Joseph the righteous: Each and every day, the wife of Potiphar seduced him with words. In addition, the clothes that she wore to entice him in the morning, she did not wear to entice him in the evening. The clothes that she wore to entice him in the evening, she did not wea …
Our Gemara on Amud Beis references the famous machlokes of Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Shimon regarding an unintentional act. If one performs an activity whose primary intent is permitted but along with it may come a forbidden act, according to Rabbi Yehuda it is forbidden and according to Rabbi Shimon it is permitted.
Our Gemara discussed the case of a hot iron bar placed in the Mikvah to warm it for the Cohen Godol. The primary intention is si …
Maybe?
The Mishnah in Pirkei Avos (4:1) records the following:
Ben Zoma says… Who is the one we attribute honor to? He who honors his fellow human beings as it is said: “For I honor those that honor Me, but those who spurn Me shall be dishonored” (I Samuel 2:30).
Covid-19 forced us to challenge our daily routines for the sake of a greater cause. There were those who resisted, but for the most part the entire world changed …
Our Gemara mentions the halakhic principle of We Do Not Pass Over a Mitzvah אין מעביריו על המצוות. That is, once we are engaged in one mitzvah or even get in touch with the process, we are not allowed to pass it over and go to another mitzvah.
There is a Beautiful chassidish peshat in this articulated by the Tiferes Shlomo (See Shemini, and Vaeschanan, Shabbos Shuva). The word “to pass over“ in Hebrew מעביר Bear …
Our Gemara quotes a verse in Yirmiyahu 46:20 as a prooftext that the word קרץ means to kill.
עֶגְלָ֥ה יְפֵֽה־פִיָּ֖ה מִצְרָ֑יִם קֶ֥רֶץ מִצָּפ֖וֹן בָּ֥א בָֽא׃
Egypt is a handsome heifer— A killer from the north is coming, coming!
The basic meaning of the verse is that though the Kingdom of Egypt was successful and secure as a fat calf, it will meet its match in a deadly enemy fr …
