“Al pi [1], according to the testimony of two or three shall something be…
Tisha B'Av: Doing Nothing
"Because of Kamtza and Bar Kamtza Jerusalem was destroyed.” (Gitin 55b) So begins the most famous…
Devarim: Nation Building
“Eicha esa, how can I alone carry your contentiousness, your burdens and your quarrels?” (Devarim…
It's Almost Chanukah: Bava Kamma 62b
While there are 613 categories of mitzvoth they are not all created equal. Saving a life is more…
Fire! Bava Kamma 62
One of the greatest causes of damage to public property is that of fire. Forest fires…
Reflections from Frankfurt, Germany
Often when we think of Frankfurt we think of Rabbi Shimshon Raphael Hirsch. And for good…
Pinchas: New Leadership
The illustrious "career" of Moshe Rabbeinu is coming to an end. G-d has told him that he will not…
Reflections from Worms, Germany
Moving along the Rhine from Mainz one arrives in Worms. Along with Mainz and Speyer Worms is one of…
Balak: Animal Rights, Human Wrongs
"The pre-eminence of man over beast is non-existent, for all is vain" (Shacharit). Man has…
Musings from Mainz, Germany
Askenazic Jewry begins as Jews settle along the Rhine river in the middle decades of the…
Reflections from Germany - Part 3
In our last post I discussed our meeting three of the communal rabbis of…
Some More Reflections from Berlin Germany
Of the approximately 520,000 Jews living in Germany in 1933 over 300,000 emigrated before the war.…
No Reciprocity: Bava Kamma 37
“The ox of a Jew who gores the ox belonging to the Temple or the ox of the Temple…
Reflections from Berlin
On May 12, 2015 Reuven Rivlin, President of the State of Israel, addressed the German…
A Shabbat Ox: Bava Kamma 37
Correlation does not imply causation - though it may be just that. It is not always easy…
Tying Tuition to Income!
The current model of day school funding where tuition is charged for each and every student is…
Bava Kamma 32: Running Late on Friday
Slow down. Such would be good advice for those trying to navigate a busy street. Running down the…
Bava Kamma 27: Watch Your Step
In our previous posts we discussed the difference between an ox classified as a tam, a…