Matmonim: Daf Yomi by Rabbi David Lapin: Recent Episodes
Rabbi David Lapin
Matmonim means "hidden treasures." Each episode of less than 15 minutes highlights one insight from the Daf Yomi Talmud study cycle. Whether you are a seasoned scholar or an uninitiated seeker, this podcast will inspire you with the meaningful and relevant wisdom to be discovered in every page of Talmud. It will give you the skills to deepen your own learning to get greater satisfaction from the effort you are investing. The podcast is given as a live class each morning at the Raanana Kollel in Israel and focuses on the Daf of the day.
Commodities derive value from equivalence and quantity; singular items derive their value from particularity.
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Halacha provides is with various mechanisms by which to navigate the complexities of issur ve’hetter (forbidden foods). These mechanisms are not legal loopholes to be abused, but rather are to be used responsibly.
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There is almost no limit to how far we allow our creative imagination to open avenues of thought for us even in halachik reasoning, provided where we land is stable, secure, authentic and true.
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In the area of issur ve’heter, Halacha, as in many other areas,is not concerned with the scientific data as much as it is with the human experience – actual or potential. The existence of issur (prohibited matter) mixed into permitted food is dependent on its capacity to add flavor, not on its empirical existence in the food. Our existence as human beings should also be evauated from the perspective of our capacity to “add flavor.”
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Hashem communicates with us in a variety of ways. One is through signs;unlikely occurrences that we can notice if we are open and aware. People who are super-connected to Hashem through their absorbtion in Torah and their lives of yirat shamayim, emunah and bitachon, can set these signs up to guide their choices and decisions in moments of dilemma. But how can we know when these signs are authentic and when they are superstitious – the practice of which is a Torah prohibition of darchei ha’emmori?
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Leadership influence stems from two sources: The capacity to persuade by teaching and being, and the authority to enforce.
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Korbanot are the fuel that provides energy to the mizbeach, and therefore – apart from items disqualified for korbanot – there are also things we may not give to the mizbeach to consume, just as strict laws govern the fuel we can consume.
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In our roles as publicizers of Hashem’s greatness, we are to highlight His miracles and the exclusiveness of His power and authority.
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In halachik statistics there is a significant difference between statistical averages and behavioral norms. Statistical averages have a higher level of authority than behavioral norms.
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Sufficiency has both economic and health benefits. But its true value is in the quality of spiritual life it leads to
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The halachik benefit of zerizut in our case is a model for the benefits of avoiding procrastination generally.
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G-d’s Divine attention is applied to each individual human being in the same way it is applied to an entire species of animal.
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We should be open to thee many routes to healing: some physical, some psychological and some spiritual.
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Halachicly, a live animal is defined by whether or not it has been untethered from its source of life (see also Matmonim 27b)
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We encounter further examples of how halachik definition is a world of its own separate from scientific definition.
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There are different types of rabbinic legislation, but all of them are designed to raise our consciousness of Yirat Shamayim.
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Apprenticeship to a great talmid chacham is an irreplaceable connection to source.
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The Torah distinguishes between kosher dead animals and dead animals that are not kosher. Both are called neveillah, both are tamei and cause contamination, but there is a nuanced difference between them.
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On daf 27b we learned that an animal’s source of vitality is the oxygen it enhales and the food it eats. When it is untethered from that source it is no longer a nefesh chaya even if biologically it continues to function. Shechita is the act of untethering an animal from its source of chayut, vitality.
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We must serve both with yir’ah (awe of Hashem) and ahava (love of Hashem). The outer expression is yir’ah; ahava resides more deeply inside of the individual.
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Adventure is dynamic but dangerous. Security is safe but static. The wonder of Torah lies in its balance of security and adventure.
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Although pesak is not decided solely on scientific criteria especially when these contradict chazal in the Talmud, nevertheless the Gemara shows great respect for scientific expertise and at times uses it for the purpose of input into halachik decisions.
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When something is physically repulsive it has elements of spiritual repulsiveness as well.
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Hashem despises cruelty irrespective of what motivates it and of how it manifests.
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Torah is a body of knowledge, not information. What is the distinction between knowledge and information? Knowledge is whole, information is incomplete.
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When two or more people collaborate in a creative act, their creation belongs to neither of them, but to a different entity – the partnership between them.
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The halachik reality of the world in which a Ben-Torah lives is framed by the Torah as handed down to us by chazal, more than by the empirical knowledge we have of the world around us.
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“… Negative Capability … is, when a man is capable of being in uncertainties, mysteries, doubts, without any irritable reaching after fact and reason.”
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Halachik principles is broad and widely applicable. Halachik decisions are made from a tradition or from Halachik reasoning by someone that has both Love and Fear of Hashem.
In matters of Kashrut we tend to zoom in on the object, the food, its contents and components, the way it has been processed, its technology etc. But the Torah’s concern is with the subject, the individual who observes these laws and how it elevates him.
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How the blood of a korban transforms once the required avodah on the mizbeach has been performed with it.
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For an animal or plant, fueling a noble human life has greater “kedusha” than generating new life.
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Jews and Gentiles don’t differ genetically or racially. Their difference is a qualitative one of kedusha. The kedusha of Jewishness is available to any human being. The way a Jew engages with kedusha and with the world through kedusha, is totally unique.
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We are obsessed with robots that act like humans. But what about humans who act like robots? How accountable are they for their actions?
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When a talmid chacham gives advice or expresses an opinion, it is not just his personal view that he is expressing. His personal views infact totally merge with da’at Torah (the view of the Torah according to his understanding of it as taught to him by his rabe’im). His opinions then are halacha. This is especially so when the gemarra itself quotes opinions.
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An animal’s source of vitality is the oxygen it enhales and the food it eats. A fish’s source of vitality is the water in which it lives. Removing a fish from water is like severing an animal’s trachea and oesophagus. A human’s source of vitality is the society in which he lives. What is a Jew’s source of vitality?
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For there to be harmony and integration, there must first be the recognition of disparateness. Disparateness, and the abitlity to discern it, is the condition for beauty, harmony, wholeness and integrity. This is the power of havchannah, discernment. This is the foundation of humanness and is represented in the structure of the letter aleph - א
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In exploring differences between the laws of Shabbat and of Tum’ah, we highlight the differences between a focus on activity and a focus on results.
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Knowing what to answer is information mastery. Knowing how to answer is human mastery.
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The neck houses three vital channels of life: the simanim, the trachea, oesophagus, and the carotid arteries. In Kodshim the focus is on the arteries, in Chullin on the simanim. Severing the simanim is the condition for removing the animal from tumat beveila whereas severing the arteries is the way to prepare the animal to be kosher for consumption by a Jew. In the human neck the trachea also serves as the channel for speech. Speech, רוח ממללא, distinguishes human from animal; for speech is the deepest expression of neshama.
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The quality of the things we do is a function of where our heads are in the moment of action. It is this quality that affects who we become through the things that we do.
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Shechita as the way to prepare chullin meat, was only instituted after the entrance of Benei Yisrael to Eretz Yisrael
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Halachik principle is broad and widely applicable. Halachik decisions are much more specific to individual, time and circumstance. Leaders calibrate their communications to their specific audiences. Interpreters should cautiously identify intended audiences, understand them and apply the halacha responsibly.
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Shabbat observance has a different quality to it than almost any other mitzva. Observing Shabbat is taking a position about Truth. Conversely deliberately profaining the Shabbat is also making a statement about Truth.
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The laws of Issur veHeter (permitted and forbidden foods) are not only about the substance of the food. They are even more about the act of eating and the meaning attached to those actions.
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These few daf contain within them most of the foundational principles we need to navigate the laws of issur ve’heter. Without understanding these foundations and what they teach us, our observance of halacha would become obsessive.
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New technologies expand the powers of civilization but leave us with the souls of spectators. This has been the case for thousands of years.
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The spiritual damage that non-kosher food can cause is more a function of its flavor than its substance. Chulin is less about chemistry than it is about the human experience.
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We tend to consider doing things out of social pressure to be somewhat weak. We learn a different perspective on using social pressure as a tool for Kedusha.
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Torah is a commentary on life, but life is also a commentary on Torah. So much of Torah is understood and extrapolated through its intersection with real life situations.
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Rabbinic Law is not merely behavioral governance, it actually affects the cosmic nature of the universe.
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The line between kodshim and chullin is very fine. In giving, thought and thoughtfulness is primary. In receiving, gratitude is the key. This is the difference between Kodshim and Chullin.
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Bitachon, trust in Hashem, is not a substitute for effort, it is a partner of effort.
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Loss of stature and responsibility is more painful than any material loss and can cause moral deterioration.
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The laws that require of us to give of our best to Hashem are not only to honor Him but also to become our best selves.
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When we use measurement to replace wisdom, we lose an understanding and appreciation of the very essence of things. Metrics are useful as a tool of comparison but not as a tool of knwoledge. The Torah deals in quality, not in quantity (except in Seder Nezikkin (business laws and laws of damages).
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Only when a person hits rock bottom, he is capable of truly sacrificing himself, because he has nothing else to sacrifice.
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Errors apply when knowledge is applied incorrectly. Ignorance of knwoledge is not an error, it is simply ignorance.
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Indebtedness is different from obligation. Even if one is not indebted to another, one might be obligated.
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We are deeply affected by what and with whom we associate. Tum’ah is transferred through proximity. Kedusha is transmitted through support.
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Actions lose their halachik significance when they are committed in ways and with intentions outside the framework of halacha. However an action intended to conform with halacha but does not, does have halachik significance.
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A table expresses our humanity in the most profound way. Like a mizbeach, it is a tool of abundance, blessing and atonement.
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There are two ideas of kavod, honor. One is intrinsic, the other extrinsic. Both have value when applied correctly.
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There are two ideas of kavod, honor. One is intrinsic, the other extrinsic. Both have value when applied correctly.
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Information is ubiquitous. Wisdom is rare. Curiosity is the differentiator.
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We generally seek to differentiate ourselves, our expertise or our products from competitors. One way is to provide our services in places where others do not. The other approach is to meet the competition head on.
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Unlike many other faiths, in the Torah there is no power based buearocracy when it comes to spiritual wellbeing of the individual. Each of us is empowered to grow, make choices and repair mistakes.
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For knowledge one needs a good mind; for wisdom one needs a pure soul. Our actions purify or contaminate our souls. This is the meaning of yir’at cheit – fear of sin.
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Counter intuitively we learn that it is our thoughts that should manifest themselves to others, while our actions should be hidden.
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Forgetting something, being unable to recall it, does not mean the information is eradicated from our minds. But certain distractions can eradicate even profound wisdom from our minds.
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The uniqueness of the relationship between the Jewish People and their G-d lies in the absolute and reciprocal unconditionality of their bond.
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There is a difference between an entrance and a gateway. It is a gate that can be closed that creates a private domain, not an entrance that is always open.
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Our relationship to sefarim is not merely an intellectual one, but a sensual one as well.
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Kedusha – a bi-directional flow of Divine energy between Heaven and Earth.
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What we say springs from deep within us. What we write could be similarly authentic, or it could be palguarized or copied from elsewhere. We need to be clear in our thought and communications whether we are expressing our own, authentic, deepest thoughs or we are communicating the ideas of others. When communicating the ideas of others, perfect accuracy must be insured.
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Awe opens deep spiritual pathways that enable wonder. Familiarity closes these pathways. The moment of entrance is when all the drama happens.
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Giving one’s produce away to someone in need or to a higher purpose is initself an offering of life force just as throwing the blood is in the case of a zevach, an animal offering.
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The Tzitz can effect change in the status of an object, but cannot correct the thoughts of a person.
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When two things (or individuals, or communities) are connected, each retains their own separate identity. Their chommer remains separate but together they create a different tzura. When they are joined rather than connected, both are part of something new and different from each of them. Not only their tzura but even their chomer is changed. One connects through transaction. One joins through investment.
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When a Ben Torah looks at sameness and difference, he views it through the lens of conceptual similarity and difference not an empirical one. Conceptual similarity and difference manifests through how each is treated in Halacha.
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What we do in life is ever-changing and needs to be attuned to circumstance and environment. How we do it is never-changing; it is governed by our covenant with Hashem. The Korban Oleh veYored is a circumstantial korban that is attuned to the socio-economic level of the individual, it is about the person’s product and therefore it is variable. How it is brought is governed by the never-changing Brit represented by the salt – especially in the case of the Mincha.
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The service of G-d is not about self-sacrifice, it is about elevating one’s life to the higher purpose of the service of Hashem (Korban). Self-sacrifice is just a necessary means to being able to offer one’s life to the service of G-d. When elevating our production to Hashem, sacrificing of that production is at the core of the service.
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Demanding higher standards of a person is a compliment for that individual, not a criticism.
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In giving gifts to Hashem our intention is not to change His mind but to transform ours.
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We explore the degree to which units of time – hours, days etc. – are absolute ideas or relative to human experience.
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Taking steps to prevent people from viewing us with unfounded suspicion is a uniquely human quality. It is not about being sensitive to other people’s opinions of us, it is about building and preserving connection.
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There are two ways to view statements that contradict reality. They could be seen as irrelevant and void, or as blatantly false.
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We often say “the thought is what counts.” But this is not always so. Sometimes the action is what counts.
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There is a third space1 between public and personal spaces – the communal space.
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Observing events, no matter how dramatic, does not transform people. Knowing the Torah alone also does not transform. Linking Torah to life events and perpetuating experience through observance has transformational impact on individuals and our nation.
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Silence is not supression. Sometimes we process through expression and sometimes we process through silence. Suffering is best processed in silence.
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Miraclesd are not only about what happens in our lives, they are also about how quickly things can happen in our lives. We should live with openness to the possibility of accelerated timelines for events that are not date-dependent. We should never limit our potential with “realistic” time-frames.
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There are times to work with nature and times to defy it. But defying nature is not about the results we get but about the growth we achieve in the process.
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What is important is not that we sacrifice but what we sacrifice, for who and for what we sacrifice.
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Halacha, especially laws of Tum’ah and Taharah, define very subtle dimensions of relationship between ourselves and the world around us.
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Some halachot are determined by norms and majorities. Some are specific to individual circumstances.
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Some substances that are forbidden or temei’im can transmit their issur (forbidden status) to other substances.
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Miracles don’t just happen to get us out of situations we ourselves created. When difficult situations result from our observance of the Torah, miracles often intervene.
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Holism is the idea that systems possess properties as wholes apart from the properties of their component parts. This is particularly so with respect to humans.
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A mere thought can transform a commodity into a product giving it an entirely different set of halachot. Such a transformation is called tikkun, improvement.
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IN MEMORY OF THE KEDOSHIM OF BONDI BEACH, SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA
When a person, ready to sacrifice his/her blood for Kiddush Hashem, is cut off before their life’s purpose has been lived, their memory carries kedusha for ever.
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Each of us is created with a specific purpose, but how do we discover what it is?
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Sin that is motivated by instinct is wrong but natural, and it’s process of Kappara (atonement) is different from sin that is motivated by flawed intellect and miscalculation.
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Dedicated by David and Ofra Taback לעל"נ ר' סנדר ב"ר אברהםwho made it a point to always be a positive contributor in every part of his life and had a good word for anyone he met. Also for the 34th Yahrzeit of my father מו"ר ר' אברהם חיים ב"ר דוב ז"ל.
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The Torah empowers us to use human logic to extrapolate and apply its laws in life, but just as all the laws of nature have their limits, so do the laws of logic have limits.
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Our thoughts might not change the substance of matter, but they do indelibly impact the relationship between ourselves and that matter.
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Every word of the Torah delivers an imperative of some sort that sets our lives up to fulfil Hashem’s will.
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Why are bird offerings always brought in pairs, and why specifically the species of torrim and benei-yonah? And why is the case of a voluntary korban, can a single bird be brought?
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Sacrifice requires that we extend ourselves beyond the capacities we have as defined by where we are. We can project ourselves into places far beyond our current realities.
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Understanding the difference between Kedusha (sanctity) and kavod (dignity): The former is absolute, the latter relative.
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Tzeniut (privacy) is not an objective “one-size-fits-all”. Tzeniut is a character trait and is relative to situations and to circumstances.
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We have learned how a different place can create a different individual, and different ambience can change a place.
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Contrast provides clarity. The positive is often appreciated only through its negative.
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Connection requires two opposire dynamics: reaching out and withdrawing, giving and receiving, positive and negative mitzvot, male and female - Avodah and Torah.
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The Torah is not an instruction book for mitzvot. The Torah is a source of infinite living energy which we harness and activate when we translate it into physical action, mitzvot. The Torah is the music and the mitzvah the dance.
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Often an objects place does nothing to define the object, but sometimes the place does define the object. In life as well, there are times and places that define who we are at that time or ion that place.
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Reality listens most closely at the beginning. Intent, the silent spark in the genesis of action, whispers to possibility which way to turn. In Kodshim, the silent spark of intent, embedded in the action, becomes reality.
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We are quick to discard leftovers. But in studying the laws of the leftover blood of a korban, we develop new sensitivity to the hidden status of leftovers
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Please use this link to register for the 50 Year Celebration on Oct 30 or to send Rabbi Lapin a message. https://Matmonimcelebration.com
When one views a legal/halachik problem through the lens of empathy and sensitivity to the human problems sometimes caused by halacha, one’s view of the halachik issue can be different from viewing it purely academically. One sees the differences in learning between purely academic Roshei Yeshiva and those who were also active Rabbonim. This perspective might help understand the differences between the worldviews of Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel.
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Please use this link to register for the 50 Year Celebration on Oct 30 or to send Rabbi Lapin a message. https://Matmonimcelebration.com
Life exists when the material body, guf, and the spirit, nefesh, are linked and sutain one another. Human life, adam, like earth, adamah, is designed to produce. When human life ends it can no longer produce. When animal life ends, both its guf and its nefesh can still produce. Its body produces products, its nefesh produces kapparah.
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Please use this link to register for the 50 Year Celebration on Oct 30 or to send Rabbi Lapin a message. https://Matmonimcelebration.com
Infusing a spirit of volunteerism into duty and obligation is the ultimate service.
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Please use this link to register for the 50 Year Celebration on Oct 30 or to send Rabbi Lapin a message. https://Matmonimcelebration.com
We explore different methodologies of the Rishonim in Pesak (Halachik decisions)
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Please use this link to register for the 50 Year Celebration on Oct 30 or to send Rabbi Lapin a message. https://Matmonimcelebration.com
When an item becomes disqualified for use on the Mizbeach, it cannot requalify. However, disqualification must be due to a problem that the person is unable to fix.
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Please use this link to register for the 50 Year Celebration on Oct 30 or to send Rabbi Lapin a message. https://Matmonimcelebration.com
The effectiveness of an action depends on its physical specifications being correct and on the intent with which it is executed. It also depends on the authority of the person doing it. An action committed by one who lacks the authority to do so, is ineffective.
There is a reason why the second Avodah of Korbanot is called Kabbala – receiving. Who is the blood received from, and why?
There is a difference between acting on something or someone and connecting with them. The energy-flow in connection, is bilateral.
The same individual in a seated position is at times a different halachik persona from if he were standing. One is a person in service, the other is one being served
Thought entails energy and as such there are circumstances where, like any energy, the energy of thought can be amplified to have physical impact
Hashem bends the Torah according to the judgement of the Sanhedrin even when they appear to have erred. Yet this does not exonerate a learned individual from playing a part in the evolution of Halachik thought.
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Atonement offers the opportunity to repair a wrong and avoid its consequences. But it goes further. When properly executed it also enables us to restore a fractured relationship with Hashem
An obligation such as indebtedness does not get cancelled by a gift, no matter how generous.
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ntention and thought are both critical dimensions of a korban. They differ in that we can make assumptions about intentions and we can assign intention to action. Not so with respect to thought: We can never make assumptions about people‘s thoughts nor can we assign thoughts to their actions. A wrong thought can irretrievably damage the quality of an action – especially in korbanot
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In doing, our bias should be to action. In judging our bias should be to caution. When it comes to errors in judgement, fear of the full consequences of error is crucial.
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Leadership has a level of responsibility beyond anything of the individual. However, their responsibility doesn’t relieve the individual of his own accountability. We examine the balance between individual and leadership responsibility for error
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We express our true identities not by what we do but by what we refuse to do. What we do not do defines our boundaries, and our boundaries define our identities – as individuals, families, communities, nations and faiths.
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How does the law of bittul - nullification (when something forbidden gets mixed with something permitted, if the quantities are small enough so that there is no felt experience of the forbidden substance, then it is nullified) work? Does the mixture take on the identity of the dominant, permitted substance, or does it retain its identity but may be ignored halachikly because its effect is not experienced?
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Choices that are not motivated by any extrinsic factors are different from those that are made in response to an extrinsic event
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When managing people, it is essential to clarify the degree of their authority, ownership and responsibility
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When a religious person is careful about certain areas of halacha but not about others, it doesn’t necessarily signify hypocrisy, it is more likely simply inconsistency, something we are all somewhat guilty of.
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Sometimes two objects that look identical are defined differently. How does the Torah view these two objects, as similar or different?
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The purpose of debate is not only to persuade others but also to reinforce our own ideas and beliefs
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One who does not keep the Shabbat does not allow the space and the time to explore their soul. They deny its existence, much like the idol worshipper denies the existence of an inner spiritual world.
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Disgust is often an instinctual reaction to something that repels us. But disgust can also be a conscious choice we make that is a reinforcement of our values
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Some prohibitions (especially Rabbinic prohibitions) attach to the action of an individual. Others attach to the object. In the case of Avodah Zarah the object is so contaminated that even Rabbinic Prohibition can attach to the object.
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We have an example of how the great Poskim solve human and social problems within the guardrails of Halacha by fully understanding the context of the circumstance
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Every choice we make entails a cost, a sacrifice. Some choices are made from an inner place of fear, others from a deeper place, from a place of soul, of Emunah. These are the choices that are transformational
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We explore how the differences between hands and feet extend beyond physiology and even halacha, to kabbalistic ideas as well
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Medicine plays a critical role in health care – but there are other factors too, and science goes far beyond what we know in any given age
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Defiling that which is holy, corrupting that which is authentic, is one of the most serious transgressions
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Seeing to the essence of things and discerning the differences between that which appears similar
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The negative force of idolatry contained in an object cannot be transferred but it can contaminate other objects. Destroying the contaminated object can at times destroy the negative force in its entirety
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Parents are obligated to do their best in how they raise their children. But if their children turn out bad, how responsible are they?
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The source of idolatry is neither in the object of service, nor in the subject serving it. The source is in a corrupted value system.
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There is so much sanctity in the words of torah that even thinking about them in inappropriate places is forbidden
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One can be attached to an object or to its commercial value. In the same way one can be attached to an idea embedded in that object. Idolatry is an added layer of value embedded in a worshipped object
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There is a widely held assumption that if one is forbidden to benefit from a certain object, it has no value and therefore is not subject to the laws of ownership. However, probing more deeply we discover ownership is not determined by one’s rights to an object but rather by one’s responsibility for it.
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Unlike other faiths, the Torah does not bifurcate the spiritual and the material, they are fused into one.
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Intimacy is not only about who is in the inner, intimate circle; it is also about who is not. Boundaries create social intimacy
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Truth and reputation are not always loving siblings. There are times when truthfulness can impair reputation thereby reducing an individual’s future effectiveness. But sometimes we have to listen tour reputation and challenge our inner beings and deeper motivations
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Faithfulness to tradition assures authenticity. Innovation avoids rigidity and fundamentalism. How do we balance the two?
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To be a nation of learners, as we are, we need first and foremost to be a nation of teachers. Teaching is not just a means of enabling the next generation with the knowledge and skills they need, teaching is also a form of learning by which the teacher can access higher levels of understanding than he would merely as a scholar.
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Time has a diluting effect both on memories and on the impact of events and even materials.
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Wine is a vehicle both of social connection and of connection to Hashem. Dilution of Jewish society through intermarriage dilutes our relationship to Hashem as well.
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Have we paid too high a price for the release of our hostages or is no price too high?
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In some areas we are expected to master and overcome our natural urges. But there are areas, the areas of basic human character, where virtue is innate – we simply need to nurture and develop it.
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When using Hashem as a strategy to gain trust which is then broken, the transgression is not just monetary, but one of faith as well
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We need to be mindful not only of what we say but also of what our words imply, even if not said
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How much we remember or whether we remember at all, depends on the responsibility we have to remember and the degree to which we are intentional about remembering
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The Torah goes much further than requiring us to not be judgmental. The Torah wants us to make positive assumptions about the actions and intentions of others wherever possible. This is both a law, and a strategy for successful relationships
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Everything we see is a perspective, not the Truth." – Marcus Aurelius. Is this true according to Torah?
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Being human means being conscious and aware not only of what we do but also of the consequences of what we do
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Life is seldom black and white. Even in matters of moral values, there are times we need to prioritize one value over others. In Halacha is also nuanced and at times we must prioritize one halacha over another. How we prioritize values and halacha is a skill we develop through the learning of Gemara.
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A thought that is articulated carries with it a powerful energy that a thought alone lacks. A written thought carries a similar energy, but lacks the communication nuances that the oral word has
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There is a qualitative difference between things we cannot do because they go against our nature or against the laws of nature, and things we can do but may not. However, is this difference in our minds or is it a difference in reality?
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We assume that a clear imperative of the Torah carries the highest moral authority. Yet this may not be so: rational human logic carries an even higher authority and underpins the authority of the Torah
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Forging G-d’s “signature” to authenticate a lie undermines the very essence of Truth
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As in the case of Nedarim, in Shevuot the precise meaning of the language used is critically important. Nevertheless, Abaye teaches us, context can provide a very different interpretation of an individual’s intention
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The stakes in Halacha are high. The consequences of committing an aveira (wrongdoing), even in error, are serious. However, Halacha magnificently builds mechanisms to avoid people developing OCD over the fear of possibly having committed an aveira.
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Education is the process of bringing out the potential an individual already has for a particular talent or characteristic
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This sugiya explores the difference in consciousness between theoretical knowledge and one’s living reality
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By the time we reach Yom Kippur afternoon, our Kapara (Atonement) is complete. The remainder of the day our focus pivots from healing self to healing others and to the universe we might have contaminated with our actions.
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Normally a shogeig (unintentional action) means that at the time of the action we had no knowledge that what we were ding was wrong. In the case of שגגת טומאת מקדש וקדשיו the un intentionality that triggers the obligation to bring a קרבן עולה ויורד, requires a measure of subconscious knowledge that the action was wrong. We explore the nature of subconscious knowledge.
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Halacha is a living process. Poskim (halachik decisors), like all of us, are works in progress. Their decisions at a given time are snapshots of their evolution at that time. Their later opinions, when different from earlier ones, do not invalidate the reasoning of these earlier opinions which remain a part of our halachik canon.
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Universally, oaths are taken seriously as a way of assuring facts in the future and establishing facts in the past. This is because the idea of oaths is a natural law built into the creation
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ר' חנניא בן עקשיא אומר: רצה הקדוש ברוך הוא לזכות את ישראל לפיכך הרבה להם תורה ומצות, שנאמר: ה' חפץ למען צדקו יגדיל תורה ויאדיר
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The value of an object, action or idea is a function of the number and complexity of its individual components. Connoisseurs appreciate this.
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Gender confusion is initiated not only by cross-dressing and make-up, but also by cross-gender behavior
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National prosperity is a blessing from Hashem that is conditional on the sacrifices that individuals make.
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When the Torah names something not as a description of a commodity but as the definition of a specific object’s wholeness, it becomes a “beriah”, something whose identity is complete and cannot be adulterated.
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Doing something by mistake (שוגג) and doing it intentionally (מזיד) are two points on a single spectrum of awareness. Full awareness of what one is doing creates the conditions for a מזיד; anything less than full awareness already moves the dial in the direction of שוגג. The purpose of warning (התראה) is to raise awareness to the maximum level.
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Just as in the Torah, the purpose of Azhara is to educate us in values not to threaten us with punishment, so too hatra’ah (warning) is to educate the person about the consequences of his actions, not to intimidate him with fear.
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How we respond to resistance determines our growth. Growth happens when we resist the forces of nature; and with resistance comes discomfort. Sometimes we choose our areas of resistance and embrace them. At other times resistance is imposed upon us.
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Experts expound on why various things happen. In reality they are explaining how they happen but not why they happen. The why is far too complex for the human mind to grasp.
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Teaching torah to an individual of poor character is high risk – both to Torah and to the teacher.
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Why is common decency not so common at all? Is decency, derech erettz, innate or learned?
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Sometimes, the tradition handed down to us, requires a less literal interpretation of a text. Provided the text can be applied to the traditional interpretation, tradition trumps literalness.
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Even reported facts and established stats can often be unreliable. Judgement is an intuitive balance of facts, statistics and reasonable assumptions.
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Mostly an active transgression of a Torah law entails punishment, but there are times when the transgression can be unwound thereby removing the need for punishment.
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Once evidence is accepted in Beit Din it creates a new reality that cannot be undone except by Hazzama.
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To truly trust what an individual says, he or she need to have “skin in the game”; they must be at risk in the event that their statements are false.
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Never underestimate the power of a single, ordinary individual doing a single “ordinary” action, to have extraordinary impact on masses of people.
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Our physical eye only sees beauty and ugliness on the surface. The eyes of our soul can see beneath the surface.
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Science is simply the discovery of Hashem’s ways, it is part of knowing Hashem. The challenge to faith is not from science but from the secular world view that naturally accompanies it. This secular world view of science and technology originates in the story of the Tower of Babel.
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Our stewardship of nature goes beyond protecting the environment from physical destruction. We are also stewards of the environment’s moral and spiritual quality.
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When contemporary society’s view of aesthetics is different from the Torah’s we need to notice the gap and realign our own sensitivities to the Torah’s. When it comes to beauty, the Torah appreciates context and appropriateness
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The reason to protest in defense of others or of moral principle is not for the impact of the protests, but because of their humanity.
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Although when mitzvot are done for impure motivations, their power is less, this does not apply to one who studies Torah and finds immense pleasure in his learning.
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Should the words of Tanach, which are Kodesh, be used as lyrics for Jewish rock music?
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Managing anxiety requires that we distinguish between the words awe (יראה), fear (פחד) and worry (דאגה). Awe is a mitzva, fear is an instinct and worry is a choice.
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We often assume that something good cannot cause evil, but in the case of the Torah this is not always true. When torah is studied not in accordance with its rules, its results can be disastrous
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Fundamentalism develops when people focus on the details of the Law without understanding its deeper intention, meaning and spirit. The greater people’s understanding of underlying principles the more they can find common ground and respect one another’s opinions.
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When physician treats a patient, s/he is doing a Mitzva and any mistake he makes, even if fatal does not obligate him legally or morally (provided he wasn’t careless).
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When our inner beings, our unique individuality, is on display, we contaminate by making it the public image we want others to recognize; we are selling our inner essence to the public. However, when we are fully secure in our uniqueness, when our identities are secure, we hide from the public this inner being that distinguishes us as individuals. In this state we can work on our inner being, grow it and develop it. We contract our essence, and we use it to see but not to be seen. Fashion is an expression of individuality; uniform expresses our roles in society but reveals nothing of our individuality.
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Humility and self-sufficiency, while challenging at first, leads to a vitality not previously experienced.
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Kavanah means much more than mindfulness and attention. Kavanah means directionality.
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The desecration of Shabbat is the embracing of secularism – a worldview vacuous of Kedusha.
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People experience honor (and disrespect) in different ways. The difference is especially pronounced between genders.
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Causing someone shame is a form of damage for which compensation can be demanded. This is בושת. However, פגם is different. פגם diminishes the value of the individual in the eyes of others.
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Since everything is predetermined, what gives us the right to intervene in the unfolding of Hashem’s plans for justice? If we see someone about to murder another, what gives us the right to intervene by killing the perpetrator?
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Aloofness, a characteristic that smacks of arrogance is different from exaltedness which, as a characteristic of Hashem, is Divine in its essence. How does one avoid their exalted character to become contaminated with aloofness? We will learn how from Hashem Himself.
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Tragically, we often appreciate value only after we have experienced loss. Simulate loss in order to appreciate value – value of things, of people, and even of oneself.
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“Love your neighbor as yourself,” is perhaps the most famous statement in the Torah. But we will learn how misunderstood it is, and what it’s true meaning is.
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Understanding the cycles of life enables faith in the future. It also encourages prayer even when life is good – the most powerful form of prayer for it builds relationship with Hashem.
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The most valuable sacrifices are not the dramatic ones made in public as much as the private struggles of individuals to master their natures.
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As day follows night, so renewal follows despair. By tuning in to the monthly lunar cycles we reaffirm our optimism in the caring ever-presence of Hashem even in our darkest times.
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The requirement to have warned the accused moments before his actions, might not be to determine his intentionality, but rather for the witnesses to have done everything possible, to educate, inspire and restrain the accused before effecting his punishment.
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Bias may not distort the facts for someone who is very self-aware. However, even such a person will be unable to escape the influence of bias when forming opinions and judgements.
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Words are cheap – but so are actions for a conman who has already broken our trust before. How then can the conman ever regain the trust of his community?
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Earning a living without contributing to society is certainly problematic. But how about simply enjoying a leisurely life without working or making a contribution?
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Truth exists in two dimensions: There is a Truth in an absolute sense – meaning it is aligned with Hashem’s will and with the Torah. There is also a need for Truth to be experienced as such by the people it affects. How can this occur in a legal decision that results from a dispute?
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What really happened behind closed doors between King David and Avishag Hashunamit? From which we learn the power of self-mastery and its capacity to generate Kedusha.
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The exclusion of others from a private space creates greater intimacy among those who are included. This very intimacy, when experienced between men and women who may not be married to one another, is at the core of the prohibition of Yichud.
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Only those who themselves are accountable, have the moral authority to hold others accountable.
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In addition to conventional risk mitigation strategies, Jews factor in the righteousness of their cause, the power of their prayer and the direction of Hashem where it is accessible.
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The laws of the Torah are much more than behavioral or societal laws. They are cosmic laws to which nature aligns. Their behavioral impact on us as Law is a consequence of these cosmic laws.
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Individuals are accountable for their choices and actions. However, leaders are accountable for cultures that spawn bad actions.
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We influence one another not only by our actions but also by our moods, thoughts and inner stature.
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In criminal matters the Torah doesn’t allow people to snitch on their relatives, doing so undermines the primacy of family
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Just as we can be contaminated by the negative energy of those we associate with, so can we be inspired and uplifted by their positive energy.
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There is a qualitative different between knowing something from memory and knowing it in the present either through experience or through conversation (which is also experience).
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Diplomacy need not come at the expense of truth. Rather diplomacy should be the coating of truth to help make it palatable, but never to dilute it.
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Words, especially in the Torah, can have multiple meanings – sometimes even contradictory. How do we manage them?
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What is the role of the legal system now that we do not have semicha? Is it just to settle disputes or is it also to deter malice?
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We would have created a legal system even without the Torah’s instructions. The system in the Torah is much more than a bureaucratic legal system. It is a channel of Hashem’s presence into our communities. It judges rather than punishes.
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There are two different disciplines in the study of Talmud: Critical thinking and halachik decision-making.
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Anger one of the worst character traits we are advised to avoid entirely, it has no place in our lives. Yet in our Gemara we find chazal legislating to protect people from their own impulsiveness in moments of anger. Why would we accommodate people’s weakness of character with legislation?
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Intellectual sophistication can contaminate innocence. There is a small window of opportunity to implant innocence into the intellectual process.
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A degree of financial maturity that comes from work, is needed to value long term investment over short term cash-flow.
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We interpret a person’s intentions from the words he chooses not from what he tells us he meant. (Similar to the way we interpret a work of art or literature.) However, context is a valid way to interpret words.
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We tend to value only tangible economic inputs such as capital, labor, efficiency and synergy which create economies of scale. However, birckat Hashem (Hashem’s blessing), which although not always tangible or measurable, is a visible input of prosperity.
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Determining intention is an unreliable art. Interpreting words however, is the science of peshat and diyuk (accurate understanding and detailed analysis)
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Opinions, even minority opinions not adopted by halacha, remain powerful inputs to the ongoing evolution of halachik thought.
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In discussing gender differences it is important to understand the male and female not merely as two persona of opposite genders, but as two energies in the world – the masculine and the feminine, the outer and the inner. Gender relations deal with the relationship between these two energies.
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In the gender conversation we need to distinguish between the physiological construct and the social one.
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Some objects are mere commodities – they represent value and are replaceable. Others have unique purposes and are worth more than their value as a commodity. An etrog during Sukkot is an example.
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Bequeathing is different from gifting. Gifting is a unique capacity of human life. Bequeathing can be done by the dead as well.
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Traditionally we evaluate the severity of an action by the severity of its consequence. Legally this may be valid, but morally action and consequence should be delinked.
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Why consult with a Talmid Chacham on matters of life, health, business etc.?
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When individuals are responsible for others, they receive the wisdom they need when they need it in the ways they need it.
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The power of intuitive recognition can be greater than empirical evidence.
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The Torah trusts the inner knowledge of a father about his paternity even in the absence of proof.
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The laws of the Torah are more than imperatives that need to be obeyed; they are natural laws revealed to us as a kindness. They teach us how the universe is wired and how we should engage with it.
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The Talmud teaches us the method of critical thinking and the importance of the journey of discovery that ultimately leads to clarity and understanding.
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Elitism occurs when certain sectors demand special treatment. Honor is when others give them special treatment without it being demanded of them. Who we honor defines what we honor and what we value.
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Teaching the law is a simple matter of imparting facts. But Halacha is so much more than law. Halacha is the expression of yir’at shamayim. How do you teach that?
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Some people are merely consumers of energy and resources, others generate energy and resources adding net value wherever they are. Being alive is about generating and adding value.
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A judge, unlike a witness, needs to consider the nuances of intention and circumstance. His role depends not only on knowledge and wisdom but also on Divinely inspired intuition.
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Only 7% of communication of feelings and emotions is verbal. Does evidence in a Beit Din need to be only verbal, or can evidence ever be presented non-verbally?
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A husband ad wife are not just soulmates, they become “bodymates” even though they are not blood relations. There is a oneness of being in the marital relationship that exceeds the oneness of any other relationship.
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The law of inheritance that applies to a father and son is different from all other inheritance laws, and exemplifies this unique relationship.
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We explore how the tradition of Talmudic interpretation evolves from the Geonic period taught by Rabeinu Gershom to the Rishonim period taught by Rashi and the Tosfot approach introduced by his grandson, the Rashbam.
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The written word is authoritative and reliable but it is rigid. It is through the oral transmission of Torah that its continuous development and relevance is assured.
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The word “frum” is a term borrowed from the German. In Torah there is no such word, nor such an idea. We will unpack the Torah words for meticulousness of observance, Talmid Chacham, Chassid and Yarei Shamayim. The Matmonim for this week have kindly been sponsored by David And Chanah Walles of Kosher Travelers. We appreciate your daily participation and generous support.
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The cost of labor should not be governed by markets because the circumstance and quality of work of each individual is unique.
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A kinyan establishes or transfers the control of an object by or to an individual. The instrument of control is the hand which is the foundation of all kinyanim in respect of moveable property. The Matmonim for this week have kindly been sponsored by David And Chanah Walles of Kosher Travelers. We appreciate your daily participation and generous support.
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Ownership is not complete when you do not control access. The Matmonim for this week have kindly been sponsored by David And Chanah Walles of Kosher Travelers. We appreciate your daily participation and generous support. https://koshertravelers.com/
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A good wine improves with age, a poor wine becomes vinegar – there is value in both. The Matmonim for this week have kindly been sponsored by David And Chanah Walles of Kosher Travelers. We appreciate your daily participation and generous support. https://koshertravelers.com/
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Risk management is the evaluation of the extent of a risk against the cost of mitigating it. We are expected to manage spiritual risk in the same way: הוי מחשב הפסד מצוה כנגד שכרה ושכר עבירה כנגד הפסדה (אבות ב' א')
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Our environments can be as depleting or as nourishing as our nutrition is.
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When interpreting a constitution, the accurate meaning of their wording is the key. When interpreting contracts the intention of the parties is more relevant.
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Wealth is usually gained from what we receive. Power is gained from what we give.
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Ownership of land is defined not only by the area it covers but also by its depth and height.
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Joy in what we have and sadness in loss are the same emotions. They are just different points on a spectrum.
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There is no guarantee for generational continuity, but there are things we can do to improve the chances of continuity.
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What distinguishes a Talmid Chacham is not his knowledge, but his wisdom. Knowledge is information. Wisdom is a quality of being.
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Facts emerge with clarity from careful observation. But Truth entails understanding the nuances that emerge from dialogue.
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Truth is central to the Torah’s value system but it is not a value to be upheld at any cost; even Truth needs to be contained.
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Suspicion can require us to desist from certain actions. If the issue is more than a suspicion, rather it is an halachically legitimate assumption, we need to act on that assumption.
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Verbal communication is clear and can be unambiguous. Non-verbal communication on the other hand, is more nuances and conveys passion and sincerity but it needs to be contextualized for the purpose of clarity.
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Intimidating management styles can lead to fraud at home and at work. The results can be devastating.
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Spreading information that is already public knowledge, is not considered Lashon Harah. But from when is information considered to be public knowledge? Also, there are conditions even to the spreading of public information.
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We don’t connect to share information. Sharing information is the way people connect.
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Trees, especially fruit producing trees, have an elevated place both in halacha and in kabbala.
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Even the most powerful authorities today do not have the level of power that kings had in the old days. The Reis Galuta, heads of the Jewish Communities of Babylon, had royal power.
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There are times when the truth is uncertain, or even unknowable. In such cases rights of usage are determined by possession.
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There is no harm in retracting or changing ones opinion in the pursuit of truth. Doing so in the quest to be right, is wrong.
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A person's actions carry more weight than his or her words. Actions can be interpreted independently of intent and context; words should always be understood in context.
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A case-study in the disputed possession of a house. A teacher and his student adopt differing approaches to the resolution of the dispute.
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For so long as one needs to show proof of ownership, one does not yet have possession. Possession of land occurs when one no longer needs proof of ownership nor permission for occupation.
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Although the Shechinah is omnipresent, we face Jerusalem in prayer because of its unique properties in channeling our prayer to Hashem and His Beracha to us.
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When in doubt there are times to simply retain the status quo. In other circumstances the Torah guides us as to how to resolve the doubt.
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The Torah’s legal system, unlike general law, is not a bureaucratic system that allows people to act inhumanely and insensitively so long as they comply with the law. Our legal system is built on morality.
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Although Torah should never be used as a money-making vehicle, society should treat scholars as they would successful business-people.
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We explore early education methodology especially with regard to compelling children to learn.
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Boundaries separate individuals from one another even though they are both part of the same, overarching system. The same applies to national boundaries that separate nations from one another, but they are all still parts of a single overarching system of humanity.
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Illness of the soul is cured with the power of deep listening and understanding; both of Torah and of nature.
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When individuals are inspired with true insights beyond their levels of intellect and education, this can be a form of רוח הקודש. Torah scholars of great character are especially prone to insights that come to them from a Divine source.
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The physical world allows the transformation of knowledge into experience. This requires that we Recalibrate our worldview regarding the cause and effect of Torah and the world we live in.
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The real difference we can make to others, is in the dignity we give them when we engage with them.
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Although we do not hear the cries of hostages nor see their anguish, returning them is the highest moral imperative, as their spiritual suffering can be a worse destiny than death.
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Society and community need to be structured in ways that don’t sterilize it from the anguished cries of the unfortunate.
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How far does a judge need to intervene to decide in favor of a claimant for more than the claimant is demanding?
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The masechet ends with a beautiful insight into the nature of ownership and its privilege.
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There are different forms of growth, for example revenue growth and capital growth. But organic growth is the most sustainable of all. This is true in business and also in personal development.
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We know the potential harm that Ayin HoRah can cause and many people take steps to protect themselves from it. What is the nature of Ayin HoRah? How does it work? Today we learn that it needn’t come from a malevolent source, we can even give ourselves an AyinHorah!
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There is a profound albeit invisible metaphysical link between individuals and their belongings. Introduction to Chapter 8 of Bava Metzia.
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Trust, whether in Hashem in another or even in oneself, is empowering and transformative.
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Effort is always needed to avoid danger and remove danger from others. But the reality is that the world, and life itself, is dangerous. The quest for work environments that are safe and free of toxicity is unrealistic. A healthy environment is not one where there is no danger, but one where danger is mitigated and navigated.
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Gifts from Hashem should be seen as rights that He has given us, not as property, לה' הארץ ומלואו.
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Moral conscience is not a humanistic term but a religious term that stems from an awareness of the Divine.
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The Torah is not a set of fundamentalist laws. Every Mitzva and Halacha has reason and rationale. Understanding the reason provides context and meaning to the Mitzvah beyond the axiom of it being G-d’s will.
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Truth is to be found in the mastery of apparently contradictory polarities. This is the complexity of a life of meaning.
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Making a concession even when we are not legally required to, saves us from the devastating impact of negative energy.
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We are responsible for our own choices. Yet, there are times when intentionally or unintentionally we enable others to do wrong. In these cases, we share responsibility with the other for his or her wrongdoing. Similarly, when we play a part in enabling others to make positive choices, we share in some of the credit for the outcomes of those choices.
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We reveal the soul of the prohibition of charging interest as the foundation of the Torah’s economic model of free market capitalism governed by strict principles of Divine Law and Ethics and recognizing that only in true partnership with labor (whether physical or intellectual) can capital create value and wealth.
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Context determines when a statement is merely an effort to provide a reassuring voice to the other party and when it reflects contractual intent.
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Context determines when a statement is merely an effort to provide a reassuring voice to the other party and when it reflects contractual intent.
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The intentions of deeds and transactions can sometimes be determined by words, agreements, and contracts. Often however, deeds need to be interpreted by the context in which they occur.
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Trade Finance presents interesting challenges in the laws of interest bearing credit.
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Lending and borrowing with interest is a unique law that is foundational to faith and community.
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“Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.” – Marcus Arelius, Meditations. How applicable is this in Torah?
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We can cause damage to the property of others or to their persons. Perhaps the worst damage that we can cause though, is damage to their heart.
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The right to cancel a sale can stem either from one party having mislead the other, or from having transgressed the prohibition of אונאה
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When a transaction is designed for a spiritual reason rather than an economic one, money is valued subjectively rather than by the currency market.
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The Torah expects high levels of personal mastery from us. Even to having a grievance against one who wronged us needs us to have an Halachik basis that permits such a grievance.
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An item sold by an individual from his or her personal collection has a narrative attached to it unlike a generic item bought in a store. The narrative attaches a different value to the item.
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The feeling of having had our trust exploited, is one of the most soul-destroying feelings we can endure.
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Standing by your word even when there is no contractual obligation, even when it entails loss.
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Lack of integrity, even when no crime is involved, can be more destructive for society than criminal activity.
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It is human nature that when we have an interest in a given outcome, we take on greater responsibility than when we don’t .
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Introduction to HaZahav: Some things are valued for their activity and others for their essence. It is the same with people.
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To maximize long term value growth it is crucial to align the interests of all stakeholders.
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When lack of attention to detail indirectly causes a loss to others we are morally responsible for the loss.
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People have the capacity to reason for themselves and also to trust in the Torah. Both capacities are needed as well as the strength of conviction to live according to our reason and not according to the fads of the day. This is essential to our Jewishness.
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There is a tension between authentic Torah – that which comes from an original source - and original Torah, that which is innovative and new. How are these two poles reconciled?
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In a theo-centric world animal rights will never take precedent over Divine Laws for humankind. Yet we see cases where the Divine Law seems to be set aside for kindness to animals. Why would this be?
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In a fundamentalist religion, ritual trumps humanism. In a humanistic faith, humanism trumps ritual. How does the Torah deal with the tension that often exists between human dignity and the observance of the mitzvot?
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People are generally generous about others using their belongings to do a mitzva with them. But there are exceptions.
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Systems are introduced into society to enable its functioning. But systems too can be manipulated by unscrupulous individuals. Judges need to look beyond the system and consider character.
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Many wrongdoings can be corrected. But there are cases where the missed opportunity for correction never returns.
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Acknowledging the loss of control one has over an object one owned can effect its transfer to another. However, we cannot give up hope of control when the control was never ours to start with.
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Educational methodology: When questioning an expert, do so to clarify not to criticize. And, when explaining an idea, be sure to clarify its underlying principle, not just its detail.
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Loss of trust can be absolute and affect all areas of one’s credibility. However, sometimes people are deceitful in specific areas only to protect themselves, their families or their assets. In these cases the loss of trust is limited to the case at hand.
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Theft of an object can be rectified by returning the object. Theft of opportunity never can be rectified because it cannot be quantified.
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There are two dimensions to value creation: One is that we use our resources to create something that wasn’t there before, the other is that we simply unlock the potential that always was there.
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One needs more than ownership to be entitled to sell a property. One also needs the authority to do so.
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Being in one’s personal space even when in the public domain requires that we stop, and are still.
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Exhibiting mastery and ownership should be done with confidence, not reticently.
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Ownership is about more than the status of the owner. Ownership is the status that results from the capacity to effect change.
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Sometimes we won’t act on the word of another because we do not trust them. Sometimes even if we believe they are telling the truth we will not take their word - because of their character not because of their dishonesty.
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We tend to think of money as an instrument of finance. But we should also look at money with a human, artistic eye. We should see the sweat, blood and tears that go into the creation of wealth.
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Our claim to Eretz Yisrael is a complex one that is important to understand. It entails not only our rights to the land but also our obligations arising from the land.
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Teshuva requires confession, וידוי. For a sin against Hashem the confession is in private, but for a sin against another individual the confession must be made to him. Theft is both a sin against G-d and against man and needs an interpersonal confession even when the victim is no longer alive.
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Claims can be settled but suspicion cannot, it lasts forever. The onus of preventing suspicion falls on the suspect but the damage of suspicion affects both parties. Be cautious with whom you associate!
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Responsibility must entail risk for which there is accountability. Taking responsibility transfers risk from one to another. Denying responsibility robs the other of the “insurance” he had.
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The way we present ourselves to the outside world creates trust. We can recover from the damage we do to others, but it is much harder, and sometimes not possible, to recover lost trust.
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Profiting from trading in commodities or equities is encouraged in the Torah. Profit from debt is forbidden. Is trading in futures considered trading in debt or in commodities?
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Going beyond the letter of the law is more than voluntary, at times it is required. However, there are guidelines as to where it applies and where not.
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Mastery over our own time is the greatest gift of freedom. Not only does a slave lose this, but even an employee does. There is another way to work and remain independent: An independent contractor.
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Visibility and a person’s reality are linked. Damage occurs not only through destruction but also through removing an object from visibility.
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Benefiting at the expense of another is parasitic, and all the benefit belongs to the other individual even if the cost to him was minimal.
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Halacha is not a rigid bureaucratic system but a dynamic, flexible one that adapts and evolves for the time and place in which it is applied.
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Transformation occurs not only when someone’s or something’s essence changes, but also when their purpose changes.
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Each of our actions should be a work of art, of harmony, of self-expression and connection with something higher. Actions that deny indebtedness, even to inanimate objects, lack artistic harmony and are dissonant.
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Violence is ugly irrespective of the resultant damage. Even violence against oneself is forbidden.
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We use our images to protect our inner beings, our identities, from judgement and ridicule. In some situations, especially in trusting, intimate relationships, we are willing to lower our images. But stripping another of an image they choose to preserve, causes them shame.
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As close as a marriage might be, it takes work to make it as close as the blood relationships of siblings and children.
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Respectfulness is an expression of dignity and is unrelated to whether the other person feels the disrespect. Respect is a בין אדם לעצמו not a בין אדם לחבירו
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We often resist doing things that we know are beneficial because we don’t enjoy them. However, imposing a disciplined routine on ourselves quickly translates into intrinsic motivation driven by pleasure
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If we employ a journalist (or anyone) to speak or write Lashon Hara (slanderous content)about another, the employer is responsible even though in almost every other case of wrongdoing we apply the principle of אין שליח לדבר עבירה – a person is always accountable for his/her own actions and cannot claim that he/she were following instructions.
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Ownership in Halacha is not a mere legal construct. It defines a relationship between an individual and his property,
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There is a difference between an opportunistic criminal and one who strategizes and schemes to avoid detection. The former is a גזלן the latter is a גנב
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Our responsibility to others goes beyond protecting them from financial loss, and includes emotional and psychological loss.
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To fulfil the Torah’s requirement that we return property of others that has been lost and found by us, we need to contract as a guardian of the property until we are able to execute on the obligation to return it.
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"Following orders” is neither a legal nor a moral defense against wrong doing. An individual is always the ultimate authority over the choices he or she makes.
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Moral obligation is more than having a moral conscience. In Torah a moral obligation is full accountability to Hashem.
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We are responsible for the things we own and we are responsible for the things we do, but the nature of these responsibilities is different.
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When our guardian angels withdraw, our fate is left to random events and to nature.
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The suffering and cost of loss is proportional to the value of gain. There is little value to an asset whose loss would entail little cost.
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Introducing the unique category of damages known as Bor, creating an obstacle in a place accessible to others or to the public.
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We gain a different perspective regarding how to frame tzeniut: It is not something imposed on women by men, but rather tzeniut is something to which women are entitled, and when necessary it is for men to provide them the space.
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Unlike animals, humans are expected to override their instinct when it conflicts with their values. It is much harder to override a strong rational argument even if it conflicts with our values.
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Thought is not merely a process or a tool by which to get to a specific outcome. Thought is an elevated state of being נby which individuals can master their physical situations.
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When an individual causes damage to another through no fault of his own, he remains responsible as the agent of that damage even though he is not culpable for it. However, when another individual makes a choice that results in the first person causing the damage, the first person is no longer the agent, and as such אדם מועד לעולם no longer applies to him.
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In the case of damage caused by humans, we decouple responsibility from culpability. This decoupling though, has limits and applies only where the individual is the agent of the damage even if not its initiator.
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The phrase that “people are my most valuable assets” diminishes the very idea of what humanity is.
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When an action, in itself neither illegal or unethical, initiates irreversible consequences, these consequences associate to the initiator from the moment he triggered them.
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Is a person responsible for an outcome that he could not have predicted yet should have prevented?
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Mind expansion often needs us to engage deeply with words of wisdom that at first seem contrary to our existing paradigms of thoughts or beliefs. But such engagement requires that we approach the wisdom with deep humility.
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What an animal does instinctually cannot be intentionally. A human however, can elevate instinct to the level of intentionality.
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The way people act after an event often defines how authentic their actions were during the event.
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Avoiding negative consequences is a requirement of living an accountable life. This applies both to the consequences of our actions on others, and on ourselves, both physical and spiritual consequences.
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The right to consume resources that belong to Hashem, is contingent on the willingness to surrender (to Hashem)
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By appreciating how we are guests in Hashem’s world, our sense of entitlement diminishes, our appreciation of privilege increases and our joy of life is enhanced.
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The quality of a mitzvah is a function not only of the meticulousness with which it is observed but also of the quality and beauty that is invested into it.
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Even though we learned on Daf 7 that one should avoid litigation, there are times one has an ethical obligation to do so.
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Everyone has the right to litigation, but there is a value of sparing your counterpart the indignity of suing for what is due to him.
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Being accountable for the natural behavior of one’s animals (or of the animal in one) is foundational to self-mastery.
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Powerful and inappropriate negative thoughts can bounce off the individual who was the object of the thoughts and damage the individual who had the thought to start with.
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There are ethical people who are atheists, and people of faith who are not ethical. Nezikkin is the point where ethics and faith converge.
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The power of imagination is strong: Imagination can create aveirot (transgressions) even where in reality there are none. Likewise, positive intention, even when unable to be acted upon, is transformative.
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The laws of the rabbis are designed to protect normality of human behavior not to disrupt it.
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We are obligated to accomplish success through natural means, but the driver of our success is our zechuyot, not our military might.
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Purity of motivation affects the quality of an action but even positive actions committed for selfish reasons, are positive .
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When it is impossible to decide on the basis of the facts alone, the Torah at times relies on the pure intuitive wisdom of the dayan, if he is a great enough person.
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Fear, even fear of G-d, can paralyze, but fear can also elevate a person and sharpen their faculties. What does it mean to fear G-d, and only G-d?
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Leadership is not only about the competence of the leader but also about their capacity to understand, communicate with and inspire his followers. Sometimes the generational gap becomes too large to bridge, and new leadership is needed.
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Reading information cannot build wisdom, only by discovering the soul of the information one reads can greatness be built.
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The status of the non-Jewish slave is a unique one in Halacha that teaches us much about the value of independence.
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The Torah is extraordinarily concerned with the way we treat our converts. Here’s why:
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The disqualification of a Kohen who is physically impaired flies in the face of contemporary political correctness. Yet, it in no way diminishes his rights, only his responsibilities in the aesthetic tapestry of the Beit Hamikdash experience.
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Our own perceptions may indeed be our realities, but this cannot apply when others have a stake in our realities. Then we need more than perception.
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The very essence of being Jewish requires a commitment to the inseverability of the academics of learning and the practice of mitzvot.
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There are different types of will and desire. Some can be crafted by an individual, and some cannot.
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Reward and recognition usually follow the action. However, there are times where the reward precedes the action.
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Storytelling engages the brain in an entirely different way from how data engages the brain. It also introduces objectivity and perspective in situations of defensiveness and self-protection
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What is the Torah view on taking hostages and Torah is not a business. It loses its majesty when it becomes a commodity of trade.
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Having insights that others lack places us in positions of strategic or moral power. Great yir’at shamayim is needed to avoid abusing this power to exploit the ignorant.
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Zero defect is not a requirement for Halachik certainty. Halacha is decided based on empirical knowledge - the felt human experience - not on information of which an observer has had no sensory experience.
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When one uses someone else’s things for purposes for which one has not been given permission, one is stealing that use of the object from one’s friend. The same applies to using the world for purposes for which we have not been given permission to use it.
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There are times when halacik determination rests on a person’s intention. In these cases Halacha probes the minds of people. In other situations we are more concerned with action than intention. In these cases the psychology of the individual is less important.
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Halachik precision of thought manifests in the way we view uncertainty: Is it caused by insufficient information or by an inherent paradox. They are not the same.
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A resource is a tool that a human can use to increase his productivity. An asset is inherently productive. Humans are assets not resources.
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In the act of Kiddushin it is important that the money or object of value given to the bride is an outright gift with no expectation of it being returned.
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The identity of the Jewish Nation is defined not only by genetics but also by values
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Hishtadlut means more than “trying”, it means investing effort: The effort to prepare for Shabbat is an essential fulfilment of the mitzva to honor the Shabbat, as such it should not be delegated.
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The term shmitta is used both for the forgoing of loans at the end of the seventh year and for the land lying fallow for the seventh year. The connection between these two laws reveals the underlying Divine intent in both offering a new perspective on poverty and class difference.
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Men can turn their emotions on and off sometimes unintentionally. Women are more instinctually emotional. In this difference lies both a strength and a weakness of each. In their partnership though, there is a perfect harmony.
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Character and faith are shaped by experience, not by information or even wisdom. The reason we have to honor Talmidei Chachemim is not because of their knowledge, but because of their character, developed through the process of integrating the Torah into their beings (kinyan Torah). People with much life experience command honor as well. Sources
Ownership applies to things; but investment extends beyond things to include the ideas that change who we are.
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Shame is the avoidance of confrontation with Truth. Humility is the outcome of confrontation with truth.
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Many new-age psychologists and NLP practitioners argue that the subconscious cannot interpret a negative instruction. This is not true. There is another reason, however, to avoid a face-to-face confrontation with negative thoughts.
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Hashem could have made the world in a way that we did not need to trade with one another. But He didn’t. At least after The Sin, He built trade into the Creation.
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Hashem could have made the world in a way that we did not need to trade with one another. But He didn’t. At least after The Sin, He built trade into the Creation.
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The physical and metaphysical attachment of an individual to his property can only be transferred with an action (kinyan) that expresses a soul (intention)
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The laws of ownership are both rational and divine. Through the Torah, Hashem teaches us how to think about ownership and commerce in ways that harmonize the human and the G-dly.
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Fear is a choice. We are not harmed by the things we fear, we are harmed by the fear itself
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When an agent does something for us, we don’t owe him the gratitude; we owe gratitude to his principal. When an individual does something on his own accord, we owe him the gratitude
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The way we view the world will impact the choices we make. But the opposite is also true: The choices we make impact the way we view the world Sources
The choice to do something is only a value if you also have the choice not to do it. If you are motivated to do something by your survival instinct, that is not a value choice. The Torah gives us choice to ensure that what we choose to do is an expression of our beliefs and values.
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Poverty is a tragic reality in society. It creates classes and barriers that can be hard to bridge for generations. The Torah creates a brilliant mechanism to do so in certain situations.
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We can only forgive that over which we have ownership. We can forgive what others owe us. But we cannot forgive what others have done to us – only Hashem can.
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A Jewish marriage is more than agreement that applies during the lifetimes of the parties. Jewish marriage effects cosmic changes in the woman and in their relationship which have implications after death as well. This is so much so that the Gemara queries the default assumption that after a man’s death the woman may remarry.
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There cannot be inclusion unless there is exclusion. Only by admitting people to an exclusive group, are they truly included. If no one is excluded then inclusion loses its value. What are the boundaries of privacy and when does it become exclusive?
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On a kabbalistic, spiritual level, our engagement is with the intangible world of Hashem. How we access that world and engage with it though, is through the tangible. Halacha teaches us how to do this.
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People judge importance by social, political, and economic importance. But a truly important person is one who radiates their importance in ways that are palpable.
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Introducing negative images into positive experiences can be destructive – unless in the process we convert the negative into positive.
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Gender is not about how an individual chooses to identify; nor is it only about individuals’ physiology. Gender is about an individual’s essence, their feelings, their spiritual beings, their energies, and their respective capacities. Relationships are only possible between individuals with separate identities. Kiddushin is only possible between individuals of separate genders.
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The act of giving a gold ring under the Chupah is not an act of acquisition, exchange or barter, but one of investment and empowerment.
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Soul level connection between a man and a woman takes more than a ritualistic transaction.
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Signatures and handwriting are unique to each individual. How reliable are they to prove identity in Halacha?
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There are times to “sugar-coat” a communication in a diplomatic way. However, by the end of the communication there should be no ambiguity or uncertainty about the meaning of the message.
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We have ownership of and responsibility for the entire planet. Yet at the same time we should know our ownership is for restricted use and for limited time.
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How the Torah recognizes a person’s personal space even when in the public domain.
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Separation entails loss and sadness. But there is also a gift in separation – the gift of freedom, independence, and new beginnings. It is important to empower the person separating with this sense of freedom.
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A lack of precision in the use of halachik instruments can demonstrate the absence of intentionality.
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In a collaborative relationship, who owns a decision determines whether it should be unilateral, negotiated or whether it requires the leader to initiate decision ad inspire others to follow.
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We recreate our realities through narrative and through souvenirs. They operate differently and are equally important parts of our lives.
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The term 'מסתפק במועט' doesn’t mean being satisfied with little, but finding satisfaction in little: Sufficiency, as a character trait, breeds strength of body, mind and spirit.
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Leadership is an activity; Regality is a way of being, a characteristic, a virtue.
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In the West, greeting is just a courtesy, an act of recognizing the other. In Torah a greeting is very much more meaningful.
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Learning happens by engaging in conversation not by absorbing written information. Learning is qualitative and experiential. It is a process of life, a journey without an end. Learning is about being. Knowing is quantitative and defined; it is about having.
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Torah reveals a single, overarching system in which we function, where each of its parts operates in harmony and fragmentation is non-existent.
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When a society loses its norms of decency, irrespective of whether they are stated in the Torah, the society is at risk of destruction. What should our response be?
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Body and soul constitute a single, integrated system. Physical and psychological illness both need physical and spiritual cures. Addiction is spiritual as well, and needs to be treated spiritually.
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Hope and optimism are easy when the trajectory of events is positive. But when clouds of war, depression and hardship rise on the horizon, what does hope look like?
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Self-awareness is considered the most important capacity for competent leadership. But awareness should go beyond the self and include the environment in which we are functioning. It goes further: not only should we be aware of the physical environment but of the spiritual environment as well. The spiritual environment is no less real, even though not tangible, than the physical environment.
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The appropriate application of labor and intellect to capital, nourishes growth and productivity. In the home as well, these three dimensions are the engines of nourishment and growth.
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We are bombarded with content from diverse sources of varying reliability with no ranking of their relative authority. We must make our own judgements about their reliability. There are two ways to do so: By analysis of the content irrespective of the author, or by the character and expertise of the author.
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One can earn a gift even though one has no right to it. Much like an employee can earn the right to a bonus but is not entitled to it. Therefore, even when we have earned a gift we should be grateful for it. Rain is an example of a gift from Hashem that we earn and are grateful for.
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The outer limits of a system are defined by axioms. The system is constructed with logical principles developed from the axioms. We live within two systems: A system defined by the laws of physics and math (חוק הטבע) and a system defined by the axioms of Torah (חק השם ית').
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No one can take our dignity away from us. It is our choice to give our dignity away or hold on to it.
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The friction resulting from subjugating one’s emotions and passions to the discipline of the mind, converts human matter into energy.
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Having responsibility grows an individual’s stature. Responsibility to Hashem, grows their sanctity and the sanctity of the Nation.
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Kidush Hashem is one of the few mitzvot that needs publicity to be fulfilled. Our role in this world is to represent Hashem and publicize His sanctity.
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The Torah’s economic system is neither socialist nor capitalist. It uniquely blends private ownership, entrepreneurship and responsibility with human caring.
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Hashem tolerates inaccuracies in our day to day speech, but not when we dial up the level of our communications to nedarim, shevuot or kellalot.
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Communication is crucial to reveal our thoughts to others. But it is also important as a way to clarify our own thoughts to ourselves.
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Intangible ideas have no value. Tangible products are commodities. Value is created by infusing an idea into a product.
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“Not everything that can be counted counts and not everything that counts can be counted.” (Einstein)
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How far are we expected to take responsibility for unanticipated events?
This Matmonim has been dedicated by Elan Levy and his family to the memory of his late father, אליהו בן ישעיהו, whose Yahrzeit it is today.
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We explore the extent to which human logic impacts halachik reasoning and conclusions.
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Our desire to be in control can, so to say, limit the miracles which Hashem may otherwise bless us with.
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There are many visual ways to identify an individual. Here we examine audial identification.
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Understanding two approaches in Halacha as developed by Abaye and Rava: the analytical and the conceptual.
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Mastery (בעלות) of spaces, a territories or people requires us not only to control their access or movement, but also their values.
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Be willing to let go of attachment to material things but hold on to your dreams, aspirations and potential.
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Credibility requires that a person does not cover his back with ways out from taking responsibility for his or her words.
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Separateness of space or of time can be overcome when there is an energetic connection between the two parts.
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There are times when lying is permitted. When may one do so in business and why?
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A powerful question opens the way to innovative answers and deeper understanding. How would we frame a powerful question to understand the mechanism for rabbinic legislation?
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An object can have a force of life in it, a soul. And with that it transmits an energy capable of creating change.
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Empiric and Halachik certainty are different. Often, when we need Halachik certainty, empiric certainty is insufficient. However, when we have empiric certainty there are times we don’t need Halachik certainty.
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The same words said in different tones and from a different inner place, accomplish different results.
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Robots are becoming more human. But a bigger threat to our civilization is humans who have become robotic.
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To understand the meaning of an object, a text or a work of art, it is important to clarify whether we are approaching it as an historic record of a past event or as an artifact that created and is able to create a changed reality or experience.
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Introduction to Gittin - פתיחה למסכת גיטין.
It takes a long time to build whereas destruction can happen in an instant. Therefore, we can and often should be quick in our decisions to build (because there is time to reverse the decision), but take time over decisions to undo that which has been built. This idea helps explain the dimension of intentionality in a Jewish Divorce document.
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Humility doesn’t mean thinking less of oneself. It means seeing ourselves as part of a system much bigger than us.
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Equanimity - שמח בחלקו - is a value. It does not imply depravation but finding sufficient joy in what we have so as not to crave what we don’t have.
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When an individual is anonymous, separated from their context and status, they can lose their aura, their charisma and their majesty.
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Our biggest fears are the fears within us. Overcoming the demons within us is the practice of faith, bitachon.
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Vision, unlike opportunism, is followed by planning, execution and then realization. There is a force driving us to realize our visions, which when interrupted, causes us suffering.
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Strategies should be agile and ever-changing. Values should be enduring and never-changing. Knowing the difference between strategies and values is foundational to our integrity.
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Wisdom, understanding the soul of an idea and gaining insight into it, needs more than mental application. Gaining wisdom is not just a mind activity, it is a heart activity.
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An abundance of energy and resource is embedded in every molecule of the creation. We can access it and unlock it if we know how.
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It is normal to project a public image that is more than we truly are in private. However Hashem despises the use of image to mask corruption.
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Knowing who we really are, where we come from and where we could be going, builds our character and reinforces it.
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Aggadic material in the Talmud often appears fantastical. Is its meaning to be taken literally or figuratively?
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Listening is not the same as hearing. Listening is an activity and is often not about understanding but about making the other person feel heard. Listening is an act of intimacy.
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Feedback is an instrument of measurement; it gives us a read on how our actions are experienced. The need for feedback should never become the driver of our behavior.
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Being tuned in to spirituality requires some understanding of the laws of Tumah and Tahara.
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Being tuned in to spirituality means being sensitive to intangibles like Tumah and Kedusha.
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Paternity can never be a physiological certainty but it can be an halachik certainty.
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Torah Law defines the substance of the world and behavior is an outcome, Rabbinic Law governs behavior.
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Individuals are distinguished by how they prioritize their values. The Torah also often prioritizes the value of decency over that of sanctity.
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Authenticity means truth to the soul: A person’s soul, the soul of an action or the soul of an idea.
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Initial assumptions and first impressions cap our imagination and limit our capacity for truth.
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Clarifying the oft-quoted and misunderstood statement that כל המלמד בתו תורה - כאילו לומדה תפלות.
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Separateness of the sexes and maintaining unambiguous gender identity is a key tenet of Jewish life.
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We give meaning to our lives when we are mindful of conceptual and experiential connections.
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Human nature is malleable; we can tame ourselves, train ourselves and change ourselves.
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Public opinion is an important barometer of Kidush Hashem but not of self-worth.
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Raising our levels of Torah observance is not about taking on new practices but about becoming a different person.
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There is a vast body of facts that are unknown but knowable. Evidence moves facts from the knowable to the known.
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Possessiveness can lead to a stifling sense of jealousy or to an inspiring sense of pride and ownership.
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The laws of Tumah and Tahara, while not irrational, are super-rational; meaning the reasons for them cannot be grasped by human intellect. Nevertheless, like all of Torah, we can glean actionable insights from them.
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There are many facts that, at a given time in history, do not form part of the body of human knowledge. How are these facts considered in Halacha once they become known?
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In our relentless pursuit of efficiency, we can lose the urgency of the moment.
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Love and discipline, like אהבה and יראה, should not be separated but synchronized into a unified idea.
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The law that a man may not remove the peiot of his hair, relates to the laws of idolatory. But there is another dimension: Jewish Distinctiveness.
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Who owns ideas that are in the public domain and what are our ethical obligations to these owners?
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Compromising between two viewpoints validates neither of them. The art is to find a third unifying viewpoint a כתוב שלישי שמכריע ביניהם.
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Wholeness brings with it an importance that has halachik and hashkafic relevance.
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As in modern physics, Halacha sometimes looks at the future as if it has already happened.
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It is vital to preserve distinctiveness when working with and influencing diverse people with diverse values and ethics.
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Unlike any other study, the quality of one’s Torah learning is a function of the intention with which one learns.
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After his period of social insulation, the Nazir re-enters society. But, while having left his Nazir status behind him, he still carries forward his Nazir stature.
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Ego has an important place in the service of Hashem. What is that place and how do we use it?
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We can judge others only when, as a community, we have done everything in our power to uplift the people we are judging.
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In Talmudic thought, empirical evidence is often not sufficient to prove validity.
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Education of children is more about what they experience than about what they know.
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Questioning the view of another is not an attack but an attempt to probe their view more deeply and understand it.
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Some things are destructive but not infectious. Others have the power to contaminate.
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The concept of קללה is disintegration; ברכה is regeneration. The act of food consumption contains within it the potential for both.
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Uncertainty can result from insufficient information or from the inherent ambiguity of a situation.
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How do we manage the tension when Halacha conflicts with society’s moral sensibility?
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Authentic regret can erase past thoughts, words and even the intentionality of actions.
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Getting into the minds of those who are very different from us is a most powerful tool of understanding.
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The style of language with which we communicate narrative differs from the style with which we communicate information.
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The Hebrew alphabet uniquely combines letters and numbers. How do they interact and do numeric values carry Halachik authority?
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Some household chores are transactional and it doesn’t matter who does them. Others are not.
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Grooming is not only a matter of appearance; it is also a matter of mental health and wellbeing.
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Matter and people are defined by the ways they act – both chemically and Halachically.
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Since after the destruction of the second Beit Mikdash there have been two schools of thought about whether to focus our service of Hashem with joy or with seriousness. What is the real issue?
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Potential, even though it reveals itself much later, is present from the very beginning.
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How to use the context of a communication clarifies its intention and explains its meaning.
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Actions have a life of their own and draw their nourishment from the ideas that underpin them.
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Knowledge of Torah has been democratized but the wisdom of the Torah and its deeper meaning, can never be democratized.
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Fulfilling Mitzvot often entail a joy beyond their spiritual value. How important is to experience this joy?
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A man’s head covering expresses his identity as a Jew and protects the sanctity that surrounds him.
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When procrastination results in an unexpected emergency, is that considered beyond your control?
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We master our instinct not by denying or subjugating it, but by transcending it.
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Language has become crude, crass and coarse. It’s subtle, romantic beauty, a thing of the past.
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The power of our words is so great that at times our words take priority even over an explicit Mitzva.
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Valuable objects, like works of art or items of technology, have both a material component of value and an intellectual or even spiritual one.
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Often when an individual’s words are ambiguous we use his intention to clarify them. Sometimes though, the words trump intention.
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Overused words lose their meaning and their value just as overfamiliarity can erode awe.
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The Torah expects us to master the arts of inductive reasoning and extrapolation. The Talmud teaches us how.
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Language is more than a communication tool, it is also foundational to creativity.
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We invest our efforts into quality, but quantity can be a measure of our success.
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We can connect to people who are out of our social league – we can even connect to Hashem.
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Great judgement is a function not only of intention, but of true intellectual independence.
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As in everything, quality counts. High quality prayer can achieve miraculous results.
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There are times when our responsibility for others exceeds our responsibility to ourselves.
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A Beit Din acts on behalf of all parties to the dispute and must therefore be particularly cautious with the accuracy of its evaluations.
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Exploring the relationship between a provider of capital and the entrepreneur who optimizes the returns on the capital.
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Divorce concludes legal responsibility and formal relationship, but what about human caring?
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Protecting reputation can give one a commercial interest in a case and the right to intervene.
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While an heir does not inherit indebtedness from his father, he does inherit the obligation to repay his father’s debts from the assets he inherited.
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The moral indebtedness of a borrower to a lender continues even after the repayment of the debt.
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There are obligations that would exist even without them being mitzvot. In fact, sometimes a moral or legal obligation is what makes them a mitzvah.
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When an individual feels secure they can more easily dedicate themselves to a cause, to a mission, or to others.
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Complexity comes either from something having many components or from our being unsure from which components it is constituted.
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When engaging with people and with human situations, little is fact. Most things we know are assumptions.
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Even when an individual’s behavior is merely perceived to be deceitful, it is prohibited Sources
The difference between a poor person who never had wealth and one who once did.
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The differences between men and women manifest in their respective obligations, particularly in the Mitzva of פרו ורבו – the obligation to have children.
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When a husband acts like a man, his wife values his companionship more than anything.
Quote from Ri Migash
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Important relationship advice even (or especially!) in today’s world of shifting gender roles.
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The Ketubah is more than a financial commitment, it is self-subordination of a man to his wife.
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How the Torah’s relative importance of values differs from that of prevailing secular worldviews.
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Framing our questions in context facilitates greater innovation in our solutions.
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Mostly we see things not as they are but as we are. This can damage our credibility.
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Male toxicity: How Halacha deals with the potential for mens’ abuse of their power over women.
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We are, and should be concerned not only with what we do but with what we are perceived to be doing.
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Projections can create assumptions about the future, can they clarify the past retrospectively?
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A father passes on more than genes to his child.
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This shiur is sponsored by David Erez in honor of the Yahrzeit of his father שלמה חיים בן נחום צבי נלב"ע יט ניסן תשפ"א
Selwyn Graham Resnick, beloved husband to Gail, and father to Anthony, Geniene, and Adriane, adored grandfather to Shani, Daniella, Nathan, Theo, Noa and Ava.
Halacha is determined by intra-halachik information, not by extra-halachik information no matter how accurate it is.
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Data may be clear, but they are clinical and cold. The truth emerges from the story.
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The most dangerous mistakes are when our entire world-view is flawed. How would we know we’re on the right track?
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When something looks wrong – even when people should know it isn’t – it is wrong.
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Unintentionally limiting the opportunities of others, is something to guard against.
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Avoda extends beyond the Beit Mikdash, into our homes, our kitchens, our dining rooms.
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There are ways we can create distance from people whose influence we wish to avoid, without offending them.
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It is easy to become entangled with rules and regulations, to check their boxes forgetting the values that underpin the rules.
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When making decisions look beyond immediate consequences to second and third order consequences.
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There are exceptions to the law, but exceptions are used to apply the law more severely not more lightly.
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Tumah happens when we disconnect from Hashem, even momentarily. Our minds are our instruments of connection.
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To be mindful is to be aware of what we do. To be intentional is to be aware of what we are doing it for.
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When taking on higher standards than the general community, keep it private. Piety is not for publicity.
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When it’s an either-or, less is more. But when it’s an “and” there is no reason to limit your thinking.
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There are ways to reduce the risk of doing wrong, and ways to reduce the wrong in what we do.
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We need to see the Creation as an integrated system – but it is vital to see how the system connects to Hashem as its source.
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Things look different depending on the perspective one takes. Sometimes we need to take more than one perspective, seeing an issue first from one perspective and then from another.
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The size of our potential stature is almost beyond our capacity to conceive. It is important to know we have so much capacity in potential and to strive to actualize it.
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Listening openly and without bias is fundamentally important in how we lead and how we live.
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Knowing when and how to change your mind is a foundational leadership capability. The Torah not only allows us to change our minds, even sometimes after an oath, but builds the provision for us to do so.
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Our society has an almost insatiable thirst for entertainment. Educators face a dilemma: Do we speak down to our audiences reducing the standard of content to levels that are easy and entertaining, or do we speak up to our audience and expose them to the true wonders of Torah even if it takes effort from the student.
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The joy and responsibility of distributing one’s ma’ser funds is choosing to whom to give them. In this way we express our values. Applying tzedakka money to something we are already obligated to do, deprives us of this joy and responsibility.
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The special flavor of a first experience can feed every subsequent experience keeping in it a flavor of freshness.
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Delighting others is the ultimate of delight. It is part of the male female dynamic in a marriage.
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Misguided intellectual frameworks can erode our morality and everything we do. It is this type of error that most concerned the sages of old. Even today we see how.
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Discover the three facets of learning: energetic, intuitive and analytical. Each has its place and its importance.
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People crave “to be seen”, to be validated and recognized. How can we make sure this happens?
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What is Mazal and Besheirt (fate)? Do they exist? How do they work? Can we overcome them?
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Each of us is tied to Hashem in two places. In this shiur we learn how to check that our knots are tight.
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Jerusalem is a wonderful dynamic city but could be even more. Feeling the gap between what could be and what is, drives moral progress. As for the Temple Mount itself we feel responsible for the gap between what it is and what it could be.
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It does not all start with why. In Torah, it all starts with what and how from which we then deduce the why.
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Second marriages can be complex. Here we see Halacha accommodating the sensitivities of a widower remarrying.
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We can insulate ourselves from external pressures without isolating ourselves from society.
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Mastery of wisdom requires a struggle followed by the ecstasy of insight and revelation.
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Every moment in life brings with it a powerful energy which we must capture and express. Some moments are joyful, others sad. All can move us to greater heights.
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Every word in Tanach has a multi-layered meaning. Their arithmetic value is one of these layers.
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Infinite potential possibilities are open to us at every moment of choice. Negative words limit these possibilities and cap our potential.
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A Torah teacher is not a vendor of information, he is our connection to the source.
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Greatness comes from the quality of our actions not just their quantity. Quality actions are those performed without publicity and aggrandizement.
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Today, the focus of fashion is below the neck. However, framing one’s head in elegant headgear can emphasize an individual’s divinity.
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Worrying about what we might be losing is one of the most destructive forces of joy as it removes one’s mind from the present.
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What people think of us is a factor that we need to consider even when we are doing nothing wrong. Our behavior needs to be exemplary to others.
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We are not as attached to assets that came to us freely as we are to the things we work for. We have ownership in those things into which we have invested.
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Trade and business require a level of focus that can distract from the joy of YomTov. However, if people are forbidden from protecting their assets from loss, this could also damage the joy of YomTov. How do we balance these two considerations?
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Real joy comes from closing the gap between the struggle and its resolution – both in learning and in life.
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Protecting oneself from sadness sometimes requires that we foresee potential hijacks of our emotions and prevent them. How is this done?
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Joy is an inner energy to be accessed. Doing so however, requires that we actively insulate ourselves from sadness – especially on Yom Tov.
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There are many positive things the animal world can teach us, but we should also learn from animals which behaviors are not human and we should avoid.
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Almost every new regulation entails a downside. What gives the rabbis the authority to legislate even in the situation of such downsides?
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Often our prayers focus on the quantitative dimensions of that for which we are asking. However the qualitative dimension is no less important for our wellbeing.
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Having established the need to create space to experience joy, we now learn that this space should be created before the time it is needed rather than at the last minute.
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Routine distracts us not only from feelings like pain and loss but also from joy. This masechet deals with changes to routine that create the space for these feelings.
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Being inspired is not a right, but inspiring others is a duty. Many people are more taken with what they say and do than with how they inspire others to say and do good things. Inspiration is where our focus should be.
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Sometimes circumstances make it impossible to do certain things. There are other ways to get the benefits of actions that cannot be completed.
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We have a lot of energy when we initiate something new. The danger of failure lurks in the ongoing maintenance and detailed execution of lofty ideas.
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When two things cannot be done simultaneously, the way we sequence them expresses our system of values.
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Our success depends largely on the quality of our relationships. Relationships are built on what we give, not on what we take. עולם חסד יבנה
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Sanctity in Jewish life is not theoretical it takes on an almost tangible reality with a multitude of subtle variations which we can detect and respond to. Bring sanctity into your living space.
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Just as we cannot change the past we often cannot change our current or future circumstance. However, just as we are masters of our attitudes (see Matmonim on Megila 25a) and these attitudes impact our circumstance, so can we master our attitudes to our pasts and change the impact the past has on us. (Compare Matmonim Yoma 12a).
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We expend untold amounts of energy trying to control things that in truth are beyond our control. In the process we ignore the one factor that is entirely within our control and that can influence every other aspect of our lives. What is this factor and how do we control it? Sources
Others experience our thoughts and feelings through our voice, pronunciation, and the clarity of our articulation. With speech as the essence of our humanity and the divinity of our souls, we need to be particular about how we talk and sound, especially in public.
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We explore the origin of the custom to read the Haftarah – a portion from the Prophets – after the Torah reading on Shabbat and Yomtov.
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The Jewish calendar celebrates a “women’s day” every single month. How do women observe it?
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By learning two different approaches to the same question, we discover the energies of time.
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Often our practice of Judaism becomes dry and technical. We miss its essence if we do not also employ emotion and even imagination.
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People can be defined by the place in which they live. But what does it mean to live in a place?
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There is a mechanism to change circumstance, globally, nationally and individually. Here's how to do so.
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Heroism is putting the interests of others, or of a greater cause, ahead of ones own. But does this include our spiritual interests as well?
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Data can only inform us about the past, not the future. Intuition is the instrument for sensing the future. But what when data and intuition contradict each other? Listen to this Matmonim to learn the answer.
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There are times when leaders need to be harsh and enforce accountability, but even at these times he or she should come from an inner place of love.
There are ways to challenge authority without triggering them into defensiveness, the consequences of which could be disastrous. A brilliant female leader teaches us how.
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We sometimes compromise our values just to "fit in." We shouldn't. But nor should we judge those who do.
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People should not be organized hierarchically but rather circularly, or spherically. The junior member of a team is both behind the leader and in front of him/her.
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The source of ones power impacts its longevity. Intrinsic power is forever, not so power gained by the use of force.
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Beauty is to serve, not to be served; it serves by elevating the importance of places, objects and people.
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Our TODO lists weigh us down, procrastination blocks our pathways to the future. Action brings relief.
The discovery of new life-insight from the texts of Torah is the greatest joy in Jewish experience. Accomplishing takes effort, grit and character development.
Often we need to broadcast a message or display an image to the public. In these situations it is not necessary for us to be part of the public to whom we are communicating. There are other times when we want to be part of a public gathering of people. Understand the difference.
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To experience miracle one needs first to acknowledge the odds against the miracle happening. Tefilah, prayer, is the way to do this.
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Universal values are not factors of Halachik reasoning, but they do provide a lens through which to view Halachik dilemmas. Here for example we explore what happens when the value of human dignity appears to conflict with Halacha?
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Intimacy with Hashem is built through the ebb and tide of adversity and salvation. Climatic-related adversity is the theme of Taanit. Megilah will deal with adversity caused by our enemies, and how we overcome them.
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Superstition is taboo in Judaism, but there is a time and place to be sensitive to energies that can shape events
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In this episode we develop the Torah's approach to work, careers and the service of Hashem.
Charisma and beauty are a function not only of the external container but also of its contents. People whose minds are engaged with meaningful thought and brilliant ideas project a positive aura that overcomes any other physical limitations to their beauty.
The climate reflects the quality of human behavior and morality. The Jewish PEople have the key to correct this.
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Holding on to negative thoughts, feelings and deeds inhibits healing and progress.
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Accessing the full power of the Torah's joy and energy is a function more of who we are than of what we do.
There is often wisdom and valuable insight in minority opinions which should never be discarded. In Halacha as well, minority opinions are often used for exceptional circumstances.
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To manage time effectively it is helpful to see time in different dimensions. This shiur explores time as a value and time as a moment.
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Self-deprivation can be a tool for self-discipline but it is never a religious ideal. On the contrary it is considered sinful.
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The correlation between charity and wealth is not mystical, it is embedded into the nturallaws of economics.
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There are no absolutes in our world - even Torah study is not always constructive. Learn how to discern.
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The capacity to use language to conceptually define things and ideas is uniquely human. Hebrew, the Language of Sanctity as an additional layer of holiness to this capacity. We need to protect it.
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The tension between consumption and investment is addressed in this episode in a scenario where it is either one or the other, but both are not possible. The animal survival instinct pitted against the value of hope and investment in the future.
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Helicopter parenting can be damaging. Scholars, like seedlings, need undisturbed time to germinate and grow before springing forth in brilliance.
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"Thank you" is not a response to generosity, it is the precursor to generosity. Gratitude attracts generosity - in interpersonal relations and in our relationship to Hashem.
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Conversation is even more about listening than speaking. With Hashem too, our conversations should be more about listening.
In trying to avoid obligation we evade connection. The two go hand-in-hand. We are only connected to those we have obligations to.
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Words, apart from their meaning, carry with them a real, measurable force of energy. With this energy we can create and destroy worlds.
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A simple technique to intervene in a pressured schedule and uplift your day to improve its outcomes.
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A vital and mutual inspirational energy flows between leader and team, conductor and orchestra, and shaliach tzibbur and congregation.
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We don't need to wait for miracles to happen, we can attract them. Where your mind and soul is at dawn, is the key.
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Cross-generational partnership: Never before have the generations been so far apart and so interdependent. Learn how to partner.
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Torah has an admiring but somewhat ambivalent relationship with Art. This episode explores this nuanced relationship.
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Work is so much more than earning a living. It is about making a different, providing value and a source of self-worth.
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Engaging in the economy gives people more than a living. It grows their greatness and teaches Yir'at Cheit - consciousness of consequence.
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Exploring the use of scientific data and human experience in the Halachik process, and contextualizing the Chattam Soffer.
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Leaders are grappling with balancing the need to regulate organizational (or national) behaviors, with the concerns and beliefs of individuals. It all depends on the nature of the regulations as this episode explains.
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Multi-tasking is proven to reduce efficiency. More than that, it undermines the quality of our performance. This episode deals with a very particular type of multitasking that the Torah discourages.
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Our focus is too heavily weighted on quantity. It is the quality of life, work, learning, income that we can influence and that really makes the difference.
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Nature aligns to the calendar - but is this just the solar calendar or can nature also align to the lunar calendar as determined by the Sanhedrin? Medieval scholars, the Ra'ah and the Rashba disagree.
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Question anything in the system; but you cannot question the parameters that define the very system that you are within.
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Although we live in two worlds, spiritual and material, in actually they are a single integrated reality. Learn how to operate in this rich and complex way.
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There are different systems of natural law nested within one another. We can choose in which of them we wish to live and how we want the universe to respond to us; randomly or responsively.
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Be in the moment well before the moment begins. You can't switch from one experience to another without coming to a standstill in between.
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Learning how to be less attached to our possessions can be a liberating practice.
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Awareness is being able to access both your wills: Your physical and your soul-will. Mastery is deciding which of them to respond to.
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Being aware of the underlying reason, the true "why?" for what we do is the foundation of self-awareness. Minute differences in the "why?" impact majorly on the quality of what we do and will affect how we do it.
We live very visible lives today, yet in each of us there is an endless reservoir of depth that is not visible. As a nation too, Israel is at its strongest when its true potential is invisible.
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Maintaining constructive relationships with governments has at times in our history been a matter of survival. But it is more than that.
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We have to be sensitive to an animal's need for nourishment and even more so to the needs of people for nourishment - not only physical, but also emotional nourishment.
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The Chachamim forbade transfer of ownership on Shabbat and Yomtov. This includes gift-giving. What is the origin of the prohibition and its reasons?
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Shabbat is about the mind. Yom Tov is about the body. Hard physical labor is permitted on Shabbat. It is mental distraction from Kedushat Shabbat (the sanctity of Shabbat) that is forbidden. Yom Tov is different.
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The mitzvah of pleasure, Oneg, applies on Yom Tov as much as it applies on Shabbat. However, there are some unique aspects to Oneg Shabbat that do not apply to Yomtov. Oneg Shabbat builds up throughout the six days of the week whereas Oneg Yomtov is only on the day itself.
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Charity is not a transaction, it is an opportunity for deep and nourishing connection.
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Shabbat is a space in which our minds, undistracted from weekday activities, thoughts and speech, can experience extra dimensions of limitless soul.
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As a leader, knowing when not to intervene is as important as knowing when and how to intervene to inspire changed behavior in others.
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By understanding the system of forbidden activities on Shabbat and Yomtov respectively, we understand their quintessential differences.
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Whereas in many areas of Halacha we strive to find solutions that alleviate unnecessary, pain, suffering or expense, in interpersonal matters - especially in business - the opporite is the case. We always take the stricter more severe approach so that others are not penalized for our comfort.
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There is a powerful economic force that it is possible to access depending on the quality of our Shemirat Shabbat (Shabbat observance).
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Regulations, even Halacha, can create stress and hardship for people. Sometimes there is nothing to do about it. But mostly, competent solution-minded experts can find a way, and should.
Acting out of alignment with the principles of Derech Eretz (civilized behavior) undermines the core of our humanness and compromises who we are at our essence.
Torah study is a continuously evolving global and multi-generational process. Losing contact with the process even for a very short time, can result in significant loss. Participation in the evolution is the essence of vitality and life.
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Midfulness, in a Halachik context, means Kavvanah - intentionality and direction of focus. How does Kavvanah affect doing wrong and doing right?
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Judging who gets the credit for an action or initiative is different if a human is judging or if Hashem is.
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Absolute truth is not the ideal by which to live in our world. Truth needs to be synthesized with peace in order for it to be a Divine value. Sometimes this even requires one to engineer the facts to preserve the peace. What are the limits of diplomacy? This episode explores the idea.
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Tahara- purity - is not just the absence of Tumah (contamination). Tahara is a higher state of being, it had nuance and requires intent.
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Preparation is key to quality of experience and quality of life. But preparation is not just about preparing the object (the presentation, the speech, the meal) but about preparing the subject, preparing ourselves.
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Shabbat and Yomotov differ not only in their laws of observance, but also in the atmosphere we have to create on each of these occasions.
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Intentionality and mindfulness manifest not only in thought but also in meticulousness and deliberateness of action.
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Even actions that are inherently permissible can be deemed forbidden when they could be misunderstood as bad or forbidden actions - even when no one is looking.
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The issue of changing Rabbinic Laws where the reasons for their institution seem archaic or non-applicable, are complex. This and the next Matmonim examine some of the thinking behind it.
A contiuing analysis of principles governing the application of Rabbinic Law in a dynamic, ever-changing world.
Pesak, like business innovation, is about solving problems for people. What is important to learn is the method of reasoning to solve problems within authentic principles.
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The way we prioritize things, people and activities is an expression of our values. This episode explores two frameworks for prioritization.
The idea that more is often less is a foundational principle in the work of the Vilna Gaon who generally strips laws and customs to their essences. Our page is a source for his approach.
Even when our scientific data is supremely accurate we shouldn't abandon our awareness pof the natural phenomena that are the cause of the data we measure.
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Ego and its associated insecurities are the driving force of both good and bad. In this episode we learn how the force for evil in people is an important challenge to be mastered. It is a quintessentially human dimension, crucial for achieving greatness.
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We each have a little "I" and a great "I". Understanding their differences and showing up in the great "I" is the key.
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Integrity goes much further than honesty. Integrity means having a single integrated value system that informs every facet of our lives.
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Getting very precise with the moment the Mitvah of Lulav is fulfilled, so that one can time one's Beracha accurately.
The Jewish approach to time, especially the present moment, incorporates past, present and future into one powerfully packed moment of eternity.
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This episode explores the correlation between Kedusha and Halacha as well as the value in learning, life and leadership of focus and specialization.
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The four species, liking other living organisms, need to have a life force that is evident not only on their surface as aesthetic beauty, but also their inside.
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Just as certain animals can see colors we cannot and infrared vision enables one to see heat waves whereas the naked eye can only see light waves on a specific spectrum, so the ירא שמים can see spiritual images invisible to others.
There is a Talmudic and kabalistic basis for the universal superstitions regarding solar eclipses. This episode clarifies our approach and the kabalistic source of the sun's energy.
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Eliciting, accessing, and understanding a full range of opinions before making a decision, is key to decision-making authority. We explore the implications in Pesak (Halachik decisions) and life.
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Taking the idea of distinguishing transactional activity from existential experience, we explore its implications in life , in leadership and in the laws of the first night of Sukot.
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Sukot teaches us two different dimensions of Mitzvot: The dimension of doing the mitzvah and the dimension of being in the mitzvah.
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The preference that the Sechach (covering of the Sucah) should be porous enough to see the stars is a window into the feelings the Sukah is designed to arouse in us.
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Sometimes conversation is casual, unintentional. This is the conversation that reveals to you so much about yourself. Tune in to conversation fron nature, from the world and from the Torah.
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Irrespective of a person's social, economic or even Halachik status, it is his or her personal stature as a person of character that determines the honor they deserve. A Talmid Chacham needs to be distinguished by more than the way he thinks. He also needs to be distinguished in his character.
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Often the Talmud extracts principles from one area and applies them in a completely different area. This is because the Talmud understands the common underlying principle that overarches both areas. In fact, in actuality the entire Torah is built on a single integrated foundation.
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When, where and how can we apply principles across halachik "silos" using ideas from one area of Halacha to clarify or apply ideas in another area entirely.
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Explaining the mechanism of bending walls, and how despite the rigidity of the physical world, it is this physical world that adapts to Halacha rather than distorting Halacha to fit with the world in which we live. (Of course our Posking know how to apply Halacha in ways that are both authentic and relevant to modernity.)
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Spirituality can be found in nature, but Kedusha, sanctity, can only be found in the creative activity of the mitzvot we do.
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The Shechinah and the sanctity it generates needs to be protected from exposure - which dilutes it. Like the Parochet in the Holy of Holies, the walls of the Sucah play this role.
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Take a peep at the Kabbalistic foundations of Creation and how it relates to the magical mathematical number, Pi.
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Both in Halacha and in Kabalah, the definitions and names we give to ideas and to people, define them.
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The world, as represented by the Sukah, is not constructed bottom up as we would expect, but top down. Life's activities are incremental and should be built up, but the world in which we operate was conceived from an idea and evolved from that to the reality we see.
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Guidelines as to how far to push boundaries in halacha and other areas of decision making/
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What really is the role of the walls of a sukah and how are they different from the walls we erect to create private areas for Shabbat?
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Beginning an ongoing exploration of the relationship between a living space and the quality of living.
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By highlighting unusual language style in the Mishna, the Talmud explores the three criteria of creative activity: Intention, Design and Structure.
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The tractate of Yoma intersects the holiest day, with the holiest place, the holiest man and the holiest service. Yet this hauntingly magnificent tractate full of inspiration, mysticism and Kedusha is sandwiched between an astonishingly primordial opening and ending. Why? Source Sheet
All aveirot (transgressions) are not equal. It often depends on mindset and on repetitiveness. Just as in management, we should welcome errors because they initiate learning. But repetition of the same errors indicates carelessness.
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There is a basic level of universal decency and ethic. But then there is a higher level of decency which we can extrapolate from the Torah and implement. Doing so creates a Kidush Hashem where we add value not only to society but also to Hashem Himself so to say. Sources
Economic activity and moral character are rooted in a single idea and are codependent. The idea is Derech Eretz. This episode clarifies the meaning of Derech Eretz and its importance. Sources
Often, even when what we are doing is technically legal, ethical and correct, we still need to evaluate the educational impact of what we are doing, and possibly recalibrate it. Sources
The day before Yom Kippur presents great opportunities if we correctly focus on it. It is a day of somewhat physical indulgence for the higher purpose of enhancing the spiritual highs of Yom Kippur.
So much of general and Torah wisdom comes from Hashem through human beings. However the wisdom Divinely inspired through a Talmid Chacham (Torah scholar) who, having mastered his ego is immersed in Torah, is of a quality close to רוח הקודש. This episode introduces the remarkable piece by the Chattam, Sofer (1762-1839) in אוה"ח סי' ר"ח. Sources
Whether fasting is an experience of affliction or it is a humbling experience, depends on our state of mind, over which we can have mastery. Sources
Is the prohibition of wearing shoes on Yom Kippur based on their elegance, comfort or protection of one's feet? Exploring the answer leads in to a discussion about the importance of understanding the context of halacha - and also of not over-emphasizing context when it isn't relevant. Sources
There are things that the Rabbis prohibited for particular reasons but that apply even in modern times where those reasons no longer apply. However there are other such prohibitions which no longer apply because the reasons for the prohibition are no longer relevant. How do we determine the difference between these two realities? This episode explains the process. Sources
We learn from the Mitzvah of lighting candles on Friday night that nutrition comes not only from the calories our food contains but also from its beauty. Sources
Information is gleaned from external sources. Wisdom is generated from deep within. Aligning the two is key to truth. Sources
The unique Torah method of self-development and growth - setting measurable standards and then aligning the qualitative, internal side of a person to those standards. Source Sheets.
We can do permanent damage to to others by making them feel unimportant. We explore how to avoid doing so, even unintentionally. Source sheet
Investing the highest quality we can in the expressions of our mitzvot, says a great deal about our values, about what we hold to be important in our lives.
Research shows that shame is a second degree emotion that flows from depression. This episode explores the correlation and the difference between guilt and shame.
The Jewish synchronization of the lunar and solar calendars, is a unique philosophy and world view that applies to every aspect of modern life.
Our approach to eating meat goes beyond our relationship with animals. It includes our relationship to the animal force in the world, including the animal forces in each of us.
The fascinating practice of Terumat Hadeshen was not the cleaning of the Mizbeach (altar). That was done afterwards. The Terumat Hadeshen was the production of a pile of ash with a crucial life-lesson to teach us.
This foundational shiur deals with diversity of opinion, intellectual competence and the difference between data and understanding.
We connect to the world and experience it by means of our senses. In the avodah, the tactile sense is also part of the experience.
What is the Shechinah and how does it remain connected to us? What could we do that severs this connection and how do we restore it?
The hauntingly beautiful counting of the Kohein Gadol carries with it important life lessons for our times.
There are tiomes when letting go of the past is detaching from the source of our lives. We need to know when and when not to detatch.
While we need to be careful not to harm any stakeholder, an investor - a supplier of capital - is entitled to more than protection from harm Investors are entitled to returns.
In August 2019, the Business Roundtable of 181 global CEOs committed to the idea of Stakeholder Capitalism where all who are impacted by a business should be considered a stakeholder - including the community and the environment. The idea was reinforced at the 2021 World Economic Forum. Does the Torah have a view on this controversial approach?
Chronological age brings with it a unique capacity of wisdom even when not accompanied by vast knowledge. Longevity however is a function not only of physical health but also of spiritual and emotional health and requires a focus on the other rather than just on self.
Often we cannot embrace the future without first separating from the past. We explore three models of separation.
Live creatively and innovate. But, there is also a time to desist from creativity and to simply witness the sanctity of Hashem.
It is important to distinguish between being in developmental mode and being in performance mode. In performance mode, embrace the audience. But when focused on self-development, escape the audience.
Always treat a child - or anyone for that matter - not as they are but as they could be.
We should always find meaning and reason on Hallacha, but the limits of those reasons we're able to find, should never distort the purity of our Halachik reasoning and methodology.
A method of decision making when the two sides to a dilemma appear to be equally weighted.
Each individual is given unique talents through which to make a difference in the world and increase the glory of Hashem. Provide each is authentic to these talents, their work cannot be totally replaced or replicated by others.
Magic is the child-like sense of wonder one experiences when we see something spectacular. Knowing the science behind the event should not diminish the wonder and sense of magic. How things work is their science. Their impact on people, is their art.
When Torah is not fluid in its application it atrophies into fundamentalist dogma. When it is not authentically reasoned and sourced it becomes an artificial reformation. Only by harmonizing authenticity and fluidity does Torah retain its vital dynamic without adulterating its essence.
Tuning in to whether we are appropriately dressed for a given occasion is part of preparing our mindset for it.
The optimal moment to prepare ones mind for an activity is not immediately prior to the activity, but rather prior to entering the space in which the activity will occur.
This episode explores the nature of imitation and how imitation has no lace in authentic decision-making, communication or halachik observance.
Clearing up after one, washing the dishes etc, are not as inspiring as preparing for an event or setting the table. We prefer to be future focused than sucked back into what has already been. Here is a technique to find greater meaning in clearing the past.
Halachik reasoning and reaching decisions (Pesak), and actionable, relevant principles is both an art and a science. Not everyone who has access to knowledge and information has the character, intuitive talent, cultural background and yir'at shamayim to do draw halachik conclusions from complex Torah sources.
This episode explores the two unique properties of the Ketoret (Incense Offering): Its relative rarity and its capacity to enhance prosperity. In so doing we learn what beracha (blessing) really is and how to access it.
The process of creativity - or in fact any process - is mostly messy. When you come to present your work, none of that messiness need be on display. Your past is the process. The present is your time for presentation. Leave behind, the messiness which has made you who you are and show up in your full majesty.
What differentiates humans from other organisms is not their capacity to do good. All organisms do some good. What humans can do that no other organism can, is restrain themselves from doing wrong. In this capacity lies their greatness.
Urgency is not the same as haste. Haste is a measure of speed and can at times be careless. Urgency is a character trait, an inner attitude that gives a certain quality of mindfulness and attentiveness to what one does. We learn these ideas from some of the laws of the Beit Hamikdash.
The term "Shechina" is used loosely and for a wide variety of meanings. What does it really mean? Is it just another term for God, or does it have its own unique meaning.
Every idea or initiative has its optimal moment for implementation. When an individual is passionate about it, which means s/he cares about it and feels its urgency, the optimal moment is the first moment possible.
The Talmud is not a text of science or history; it is a methodology of first-principle thinking that enables the discovery of the meaning of life and the understanding of God's will.
Bureaucracy is a necessary "evil" in society. It is "evil" because it reduces all of humanity to the lowest common denominator of trust and dehumanizes individuality. Is there anything to be done about this? This episode suggests ways to approach it.
Any individual has the capacity to inspire another. This capacity can be used both positively and negatively. Especially when it comes to inspire people into a closer relationship with Hashem, it needs to be done in ways that are pure both in intent and in method. A fascinating insight from the Lubavitcher Rebbe explains the parallels between this, and the lighting of the Menorah.
We open our minds to a different concept of space and time as we learn how our feelings can influence not only the present but also the future and even the past.
There are times when the performance of a mitzvah could put an individual at risk. This episode explores how we approach this tension and how we resolve it.
There are two patterns of existence. A meta-pattern and a sub-pattern. The Meta is the unfolding of history according to Hashems grand scheme. We have little or no control over it. We can sense it and choose to actualize it, we can ignore it, we can engage in it or we can try to oppose it. The sub-patterns are the midah kenegged midah - the "karma" of our own actions. This episode explains this idea and how the two patterns align.
The way we reason in Halachik matters needs to be very pure and technically accurate. The way we live Halacha needs both to be technically accurate and also full of meaning and inspiring of ethical growth. A halachik life cannot be divorced from a moral and ethical life.
Tahara (purity) and Kedusha (sanctity) or different concepts as explained in this episode.
We explore the "magical" power of the Tztitz - the golden plate that the Kohein Gadol wore across his forehead and also the idea of uninterrupted attentiveness.
The Talmud deals with many abstract ideas, but when it comes to Halachik decisions, current relevance is paramount. Why?
We explore three interpretations of the Gemarra dealing with restrictions on information sharing, The Chafetz |Chaim, the Rambam and the Meiri.
This episode explores the idea of preparation for a transformative . We track the origin of the idea that the Kohein Gadol needs to be secluded for a week before Yom Kippur.
When trying to mitigate an insignificant statistical risk translates into an absurd outcome, don't even go there!
There are times when we cannot fulfil our obligations or live our values in the fullness of their ideals. In these situations it is important not to abandon the mitzva or the value entirely but rather to fulfil it as best we can under the circumstances.
The Tiferet Yisrael questions the veracity of the common undersatanding of the Mishna's statement that the two Parochot in the Beit Mikdash were replaced annually. He innovates a more rational explanation and supports it with authentic sources.
This episode examines some of the halachik methodology to resolving dilemma and making choices:
- Differentiate between "I am in doubt," and "there is a doubt."
- Differentiate between a statistic and a norm
- There is no need for data when common sense and intuition make the choice clear.
This episode goes to the essence of the idea of Korbanot (sacrificial service) by analyzing the nature of the wood offerings. It explains sacrifices as the antithesis of idolatry.
Analyzing a Rambam we extrapolate the two models of leadership and how to synthesize them.
We have learnt how important it is not only to be correct but to be seen to correct as well. However when the dignity of others is in question, it is more important to preserve their dignity than to be concerned about ones own reputation.
הפוך בה הפוך בה, דכולי בה
This means that by examining Torah ideas from every one of their facets, you can discover the foundational ideas of every discipline in the world. In this episode we discover how the debate around the gold standard is a part of a discussion in the Talmud and its interpretation by two great medieval authorities.
We are usually quite careful about checking the integrity of individuals or causes to whom we give financial support. In this episode we learn the importance of checking the integrity of donors as well and the purity of their contributions and intentions.
Although a Kohein is born with inherent Kedusha, as with all things of Kedusha it cannot be accessed unless we create the conditions for accessing it. These conditions entail Kavod - honor.
Nearly 1000 years before the story of Purim and the evil Haman, Hashem inoculated His people against Haman's plot. It all started on the first day of Adar in the desert.
Time specific events are unique, because even when they occur repeatedly we, and the world around us, are not in the same places we were the first time. The same applies to time-specific opportunities. The Beracha of Shehecheyanu sensitizes us to this focus. The Shehecheyanu of the Seder is unusually unique. THis episode explores why.
Many mitzvot in the Torah have specific times during which they need to be performed. Of course the mitvot of Pesach night need to be done on the night of Nissan the 15th. The question is whether we have all night to do them, or whether they should be completed by midnight. This episode opens up a 2,000 year conversation about this timing and also touches on managing procrastination!
Value is transferable from commodity to cash and vice versa. Energy can be converted into matter and vice versa. Similarly, wisdom, which is energy, can be converted into value - even economic value.
Although we have not had access to prophecy for millennia, there are other ways the Divine communicates with us if we adequately prepare and open ourselves to these communications.
The Mitzvah of the Hagadah is not one of recitation but one of dialogue. This is why only one person reads the Hagadah. What do the others do? They engage in the unfolding conversation.
This episode clarifies the sources for various customs relating to the Seder Plate and the Seder itself.
Once Rabbinic scholars were given the authority to determine Halacha, Hashem also aligns to their decisions even when they differ from the way He ideally sees the issue. A powerful lesson in the delegation of authority and the avoidance of micro-managing
Character development is a primary function of the study and practice of Torah. This episode deals with character development and the mastery of our own attitudes towards others and how to influence their attitudes towards us.
Halacha goes beyond mindfulness in what it expects from the way we act. Kavanah is more than mindfulness, it means directiveness. There is meaning and direction in everything we do and in the way we do it. Kavod, honor, as a gradated idea; and where on the spectrum of Kavod we place an object or an individual is more telling about us than it is about the object.
There are invisible forces in the world that are potentially negative and even destructive. Our immunity to them depends on who we are and how we act. In this episode we see how althought these ideas are difficult to relate to, in the Halachik conversation they are drawn upon for issues sometimes not directly relating to them. In this case the subtly complex relationship between a man and his ex-wife is central.
There is a Kabbalistic idea that doing physical activities in even numbers can generate a negative spiritual energy. This episode explores the duality of even numbers and how to manage conflicting polarities.
There are two themes of Geulah (Redemption) at the Seder: National and Personal. Each is separately identified with the mitzvah of the four cups of wine, each learned from a different source in the Torah. Women, who played a crucial role in facilitating the Geulah are as much a part of the mitzvah as are men.
There are various practices regarding using non-wine beverages for Kiddush on Shabbat morning. As we probe the sources we discover the importance of using wine or grape-juice if available in preference to any other drink.
The study of Talmud exposes us to the full spectrum of halachik discourse rather than just to the bottom line as stated in Shulchan Aruch. Knowing the bottom line only, risks the possibility of dogmatism. Understanding the spectrum opens up possibilities for flexibility when needed. The Kiddush on the day of Shabbat is such an example.
This episode exploes the Halachik process in the time of the Talmud and demonstrates the power of seeing Halacha in practice.
Havdala is one of the most magical and mystical practices in our weekly calendar. Drawing from the fire-energy of Shabbat we infuse it into the week with the way we say the Beracha on the light.
The way we package objects, ideas and even ourselves says a lot about whether cost is more important to us than value, or value is more important than cost. This applies to the way we package our Mitzvot as well.
In good wine we celebrate not only the wine's qualities but especially it's capacity to uplift the moods of people who feel low. We explore the value the Torah places on upifting the spirits of others.
This episode traversing medieval greats like the Rashbam, the Mordechai and the Rosh as well as the 8th century Rav Achai Gaon, explores the reasons for covering the Challot during Kiddush on Friday nights and Shabbat. Packaging and presentation adds to the drama of the moment and is a tool the Torah uses frequently.
On the last Daf dealing with Kodshim (Temple practice) the Gemarra demonstrates how even from the most technical details of Halacha one can extract life principles. This episode expands on the value of appropriate silence and the power of listening.
In a somewhat technically complex discussion we understand the insistence of the Torah that the Korban Pesach Sheini is not practiced alone but rather in company.
Just as Cohanim with certain imperfections may not practice in the Temple Service, so too with respect to the Korban Pesach there are disqualifying features. One such feature is a Jewish man who is uncircumsized and the other is a Jewish individual who has converted out of Judaism. This episode explores the nature of and reasons for these exclusions.
Science and Torah are two entirely different disciplines. It is important, when dealing with knowledge and wisdom to understand their origin. Torah is Divine and passed down to us generation to generation from Moshe on Sinai. Science is the result of observation and measurement and becomes increasingly accurate with each generation. In matters of Torah it is not relevant to us whether or not science concurs, for Torah is not about science, it is about how to develop intimate connection with Hashem. When our knowledge, even if referenced in Torah text, is empirical or logic-based, then we can and should defer to scientific knowledge of our time.
Using the discussion about when precisely dawn is, we explore the two categories of facts that Halacha deals with: Empirical facts based on observation and measurement, and Halachik facts transmitted to us from Sinai through the Halachik process. It is important to understand these differences and to know with which category of fact we are dealing when making Halachik determinations.
The emergence of Pesach Sheini, an opportunity for those unable to participate in the regular Pesach service, to do so a month later on the 14th of Iyar. Why is the only time-bound mitzva for which we are given a second chance? Why was Pesach sheini not given to us at the outset when the Torah gives us all the other laws of Pesach? These and other mysterious qualities of Pesach Sheini are discussed in this episode.
Other than by gambling money is always earned as a result of providing another with a product or service. As such money is an outcome of Chessed (acts of kindness to others) and has a certain Kedusha attached to it. This episode explores the flow of money (value) from private ownership to the Beit Hamikdash (Temple).
Extrapolating from the laws of a group of people sharing a Korban Pesach (Pesach sacrifice) we explore the laws as they apply to social situations of people sharing a meal or a dish together. We identify the remarkable sensitivity we need to cultivate to honor the rights of others under all circumstances.
We are taught three different world views with respect to the design and function of a place of Tefilla (prayer). Each view innovated by one of the three forefathers, Avraham, Yitzchak and Yaacov. From praying in nature to building houses of worship.
Unpacking a strange conversation between Hashem and Hosea, we gain insight into the way to empathize and the meaning of prophecy.
A young guest is cross -examined by his host's family about his behaviors which they perceive to be arrogant. In reality though he shows how each of his actions is a careful orchestration of the Torah's script.
People are selective about which parts of the Torah they pay attention to. Some are meticulous in the ritualistic laws and negligent in the human laws. Others are the opposite. Both undermine the integrity of the systemic nature of the entire Torah as an integrated whole.
In this episode we learn how the great medieval minds of Halacha use our sources to extrapolate and apply principles to new situations and technologies. In this case the Halachik status of utensils manufactured from bone.
This episode examines how Middot, character traits, are neither good no bad, but a point on a spectrum. Even shaming a person which is a terrible thing to do, has its place at times. Learning from Rav Yoseif in the Talmud, we understand the different types of shame and when it can be put to positive use.
This episode explores the idea of Halacha Lemoshe Misinai, the concepts that we would not be able to deduce from the Torah, were they not explicitly transmitted to us by Moshe from Sinai. We also explore the halachik status of angels when they appear as humans.
Analyzing a Tosfot this episode highlights the two most important capacities for learning Torah: 1) The capacity to distinguish between two ideas that seem to be the same; 2) to understand the similarities between two ideas that seem to have nothing in common. A pesul (disqualification) caused by time or place is different from one caused by a deficiency in the individual him or herself. A disqualification resulting from being in the wrong time frame is similar to the disqualification of being in the wrong place.
Rav makes a strange comment treating a 50-50 split (in the case of people who are spiritually unclean and therefore cannot participate in the Korban Pesach) as two majorities! This episode explains the unusual comment using a Rashi from Hulin 29a.
When a Korban Pesach is prepared for people unable to partake of it, it is invalid. The same applies if it is prepared when its meat is not fit for consumption because the whole intention of the Korban Pesach is that it be eaten. However, R Nattan holds that if mistakenly prepared in a situation where its meat cannot ne eaten, the Korban is valid. Technically the difference between people unfit to eat or meat unfit to be eaten is linked to the role of the Tzitz (Cohen Gadol's forehead-plate.) But in this episode we also extrapolate R Nattan's principle to a social meal outside of the area of Kodshim (Temple Service).
This episode demonstrates how we can apply foundational halachik principles to universal life lessons. The difference between heat as a point on a thermal scale and heat as an active verb highlights two different forms of impact: Influencing another vs inspiring them. A hot item in a kli sheni (second degree from the flame) can influence an item it is in contact with to absorb or expel tastes and substances, but only a kli rishon (first degree from the flame) can cook another item it is in contact with. People are similar: some can influence others, but there are people who are inspired first degree sources of inspiration.
The most universally popular statement in the Torah, the Golden Rule, hits snags in the details of how to implement it. How does one fulfil this mitzvah? How far does it go? This episode explores two different approaches, that of Tosfot and that of the Ramban in understanding what the Golden Rule really means. The underlying question of how to go about fulfilling and growing in this mitzvah is dealt with by means of starting off with care not to harm others in any way at all. This care for others will grow into a budding love for humanity and valuing of other human beings.
THis episode highlights the Halachik methodology of extrapolating practical applications from forst principles in the Talmud. In this case dealing with the difference a non-porous surface makes to laws associated with materials that can absorb non-kosher flavors and how to restore them for kosher usage.
A prohibited melacha on Shabbat only requires a korban chattat when it has a constructive impact. When the action is destructive and has no positive side effect, it is prohibited but does not carry the consequences of a melacha de'oraitta. When the destructive outcome is an halachik one rather than a physical one, it is not considered destructive according to the Minchat Chinuch this episode explains.
Information that is compartmentalized into disciplines and sections needs to be retained by memorization. But when wisdom is systemically integrated, engaging with any one part of the system automatically activates other parts and facilitates the ongoing dynamic of engagement with the whole. Torah is such a system, which is why Rav Itzchak bar Yoseif's reliability is questioned despite his efforts to retain information. Torah is not a database of information. It is a living source of energetic wisdom that constantly evolves.
This episode explores the effect an Aveira has on the neshama, and whether the same applies with unintentional wrongdoing.
The Shulchan Aruch and other codifiers mostly omit sections to do with Temple Laws not applicable in our times. The exception is the Rambam, who codifies the whole system of Halachik thought. What is the foundation of their differing world-views?
The sudy of Torah has significant cosmic impact on the universe and humankind. But most significant to each individual is the impact it has on him or her personally. This episode explores these impacts throught he experiences of two luminaries, Rav Yoseif and Rav Sheishet. Both blind. Both phenomenally insightful leaders.
Making choices that lead us to doing, thinking or saying things that cloud our souls and insulate us from the energetic source of Kedusha, can we repaired. This is the process of Kappara, sometimes through discomfort, pain or even suffering, and sometimes through the opportunity to do something positive and cleansing. In this episode exploring these ideas we also examine the concept of a negative mitzvah that is linked to a positive one.
The Talmud relates the seminal story of Benei Beteira (leaders of the Nation) and Hillel (the Nation's new leader). The methodology of halachik deduction is explained as we see how reason, tradition and character intersect as halacha is deduced from first principles.
The third group of people to bring the Korban Pesach were known as the lazy group. The Gemarra points out that there was an halachik need for a third group, and questions why participants in that group should be referred to disparagingly. We explore the role of choice, and the relationship between enthusiasm and vitality.
This episode deals with the laws and meaning of Hallel and the existence of two different forms of Hallel, one a read script, the other a spontaneous song. What was the Hallel recited in the Beit Hamikdash on Erev Pesach while the sacrifices were being brought?
In the strange story of the great darshan (teachers of meaning, relevance and ethics in the Torah) Rabbi Simlai asking Rabbi Yochanan to teach him the methodology with which to learn the Midrashic background to the Book of Chronicles, we learn the character requirements of a Torah student. These characteristics are important for the way s/he will understand the content and extrapolate its meaning and application.
The ownership of the Korban (sacrifice) is a key part of the Kohen's intention. For the Korban Pesach there is an additional dimension of the Minuyim, those people who have reserved "a place at the table." This episode explores the differences between investing in a company and consuming its products. We also apply the idea to investing in self.
The study of Kodshim (sacrificial services in the Beit Hamikdash) uniquely synthesizes Right Brain capacities of imagination and intuition with Left Brain capacities of analysis and reason. It deals with mathematical relationships between space and time, and with the power of thought to impact reality. This episode lays out the frameworks that will make understanding Kodshim less challenging.
The deliberateness with which one sequences events is an expression of the values s/he attaches to each event. The sequencing of the various services in the Beit Hamikdash are also carefully prioritized using foundational axioms of sequence. This episode explores these axioms.
The Tamid service in the Temple was a twice-daily occurrence. The Korban Pesach service happened only once a year. Both are meant to take place two and-a-half hours after noon. Which takes priority? We explore some principles of prioritization.
There are so many ways power can be abused, some blatant some subtle. There is physical power, power of status or of stature or even power of knowledge. We are sometimes not aware of the power others perceive us to have and of how easily we can abuse that power unintentionally. The Torah despises the abuse of power. We also learn a beautiful story of one who had power over poor people but instead of asserting his authority, he treated them with kindness and generosity teaching us to validate the feelings of loss others might experience before attempting to intervene.
According to Rav Shisha brei deRav Iddi, the Chachamim and Raban Shimon ben Gamliel both prohibit acts of ostentation but differ in how they define the idea. According to the Chachamim it is about standing above the socially accepted norms of religious behavior. According to Raban Shimon it is about adopting a level of piety above the one appropriate to who one truly is. Common to both is the tendency to distinguish oneself by outer actions and appearances rather than by inner character, and attitude abhorred by our Rabbis.
Some tasks are worthless if not completed. But sometimes completion is not an option when time is limited. In this episode, Hashem Himself teaches us about time management.
Torah is so much more than a body of data, and the study of Torah so much more than an academic activity. The study of Torah is a practice. The regular practice of deep and meaningful Torah study is a source of vitality and life. This is what differentiates the Gavra Rabba (Person of stature) from the Tzurba deRabbanan or Talmid Chacham (Student of Torah). In the world of Torah the perpetual student is the highest level of status and stature.
The Daf seems to deal with Shemita. However there is an overarching theme about the relationship between people and things, and the geographical, time and ciltural context in which they are. The Gemarra explores the impact of this context on Shemitta produce as it is moved from one zone to another. Similarly we explore the impact of zones on the law requiring us to keep 2 days yomtov outside of Israel.
When unsure how to act in a way that is halachiclaly correct, we can:
Innovate - If expert and qualified, we use our skills to extrapolate and reason the right thing to do
Follow - We follow the decision of the majority of experts on the topic
Imitate - We copy what we see others do
Adopt - we study with an expert and observe their life to integrate and fully adopt the way they reason and live, even when different from halachik orthodoxly
This episode highlights the differences on the Daf.
The reasons for many of the customs we still keep, no longer apply. This is partly because these customs have many other benefits that we wouldn't want to lose just because the initiating reason has expired. For example, an individual might make life-style improvements because of a health scare. When the threat has passed, the individual would be well advised to continue with those improvements. So too when the initiating reason for instituting a custom has passed, the benefits of keeping the custom may still apply. But there are other reasons too why we cling to old customs even when their reasons no longer seem to apply. This episode explores these reasons.
The Talmud does not usually provide advice about production efficiency. But in the production of Matzot efficiency is not just a factor of productivity, it is in inherent dimension of performing the Mitzvah correctly. Efficiency is also a value when considering the time lapse between the moment of Chiyuv (when one becomes responsible to perform a mitzvah) and the moment of Kiyum (the act of performance.)
Other than Rosh Hashanah, in Israel we keep 1 day Yomtov whereas everywhere else we keep 2 days. According to some this distinction doesn't apply nowadays and even in Israel, two days should be kept. Although this is not the way we act, we nevertheless highlight the difference between living in the time of full Jewish sovereignty in Israel where Torah practice is the norm, and nowadays where the State needs to be a secular State and needs to conform to some degree at least, to the dictates of the Nations.
In an almost quantum mechanics kind of a way, the idea of Ho'ill factors future possibilities into present Halachik realities. This idea is applied here both in the laws of Challah teme'ah on yomtov, and the laws of eiruv tavshillin. The Chafeitz Chaim in Bi'ur Halacha 527 provides a clear and concise presentation of the technical aspects of these halachot. Tosfot describes the differences between future possibilities that while unlikely, are not abnormal, and those that are not normal and are not factored into present halachik realities. These ideas have profound implications for the ways we lead our lives.
We discuss the unique prohibition of yeast on Pesach even if it is a chemical unfit for human consumption. This piece of Talmud is one of the foundations for the debate around the usage of chemicals made from non-kosher origins with respect to Kashrut. We also glean a powerful insight into the transformative power of substances and humanbeings.
Just as chemical mixtures and compounds behave in particular ways, so do halachik mixtures. These include mixtures of kosher and non-kosher foods. We identify the three principles of mixtures discussed on this daf: blending, concentration and flavor. We discuss the rule - Ta'am Ke'ikkar - the flavor of a food-type follows the root product from which it draws.
Many reasons are given why women are not obligated to keep seven groups of timebound mitzvot. Most of the reasons often feel like platitudes to women for a very discomforting Torah reality. This episode examines the real reason identified by authentic sources from the time of the Rishonim. This topic needs a lot more than 15 minutes to explore ways to reconcile the Torah's model for tranquil marriage with the realities of modernity in a time when women, through superior education and new opportunity, demonstrate superlative capabilities in all areas of life, including Torah.
We discuss the idea of a prohibition stated in general terms (לאו שבכללות) and learn principle of clear communication and the difference between knowing something and truly comprehending it.
Caring about someone or something and intentionally protecting them from harm, adds a quality to one's relationship with them far beyond merely knowing that they are safe. This is the idea behind shemura matza, the matza we use at the Seder on Pesach night as opposed to regular matza.
The daf today concerns itself with the various different vegetables suitable for use to fulfil the mitzvah of Marror on Pesach night. Yet, as we mine for deeper meaning and hidden treasures in the daf, we discover a new understanding of what it means to be Jewish. A life enriching insight.
In this episode we learn about two intangible qualities needed for Matza, ownership and intentional protection. Then we explore the distinction between the reason for something and its higher purpose.
Today's Daf is rather dry and technical, yet we can still discover the hidden treasures by approaching it a little more artistically. In this episode we explore the essentials of life and how they combine to create wholeness.
We think of wealth and poverty as relating to a socio-economic situation. But richness and poorness can also describe objects. What constitutes a rich or a poor object? This episode explore the idea.
After examining the transformative power of immersion we discuss the impact that the atmosphere and culture of Babylon had on its Torah scholarship, and why the Babylonian Talmud Rather than the Jerusalem Talmud is the primary Halachic text.
This episode explores the importance of one's image authentically reflecting the essence of who we are. This capacity to manifest a spiritual essence in a physical form, is the quintessential capacity of the angel.
Based on the first Tosfot on 32b, we explore the difference between Netinna (giving) as Tashlumin (payment) and Netinna as gifting. Tashlum means making whole which entails a precise quantum whereas in gifting, the meaning is more significant than the quantum.
This episode explores the depth and breadth of the law of Rabbi Nattan (Shi'abuda deRabbi Nassan) giving a creditor the right to claim directly from his debtor's debtor. We expand the idea into understanding the nature of networks and communities, legally, socially, emotionally and spiritually.
This episode deals with two comments by Rava, the great Rosh Yeshiva and Rav of Mechoza in Babylon, in connection with the practice of the Babylon depositing flour with Jewish families from which they had to bake bread for the garrison in the city. This had implications for Pesach and the day after Pesach.
Exploring the subtle difference between isurei hana'ah (commodities from which the Torah prohibits us from having any benefit) that have no present value but will have future value, and financial instruments that will mature in the future and, although they have no inherent value in the present are tradable based on their future value.
R Shimon Shkopp, Shaa'arei Yashar 1:9
Ketzot Hachoshen, 386:7
The Tosfot Harosh reveals an understanding in Rashi and the Rambam that yields insight as to how and why Halacha deals with human experience even where this is not aligned with scientific reality.
A new insight in Rashi about the limitations of the injunction "vechai bahem" - Live by Torah revealing the impossibility for the human being to evaluate the relative value of one life to another.
The episode explores the relationship between eating and other forms of pleasure. By analyzing two versions of a statement by Rabbi Avahu in the name of his teacher, Rabbi Yochanan, we develop an appreciation of how we can be physically nourished by intangible pleasures.
This episode teaches how to mine significance from technical passages of Talmud. Exploring the different methods of interpretation of the Chachamim and R Yehudah, we gain fresh insights into the law of Orlah (prohibition of eating fruit from trees in their first three years of growth), and the idea that more is sometimes less.
We show different qualities of honor to different personalities: Parents, scholars and one's own rebbe (teacher/mentor). Your own rebbe is the person responsible for your way of seeing the world and your method of learning Torah. He is the person who gave you your world-view, and the honor you show to him is different from any other. This episode explores why and teaches how to extrapolate ideas like these from text.
Artwork: https://www.bergsonart.com/acrylics-and-oils.html
Highlighting a difference in the views of Rashi and R Peretz, we explore how economic value in a commodity can be destroyed by rabbinic legislation.
Hands are treated uniquely in Halacha and we wash them a lot! We wash in the morning, for davening (prayer), before meals, after meals, and the Kohanim wash their hands. Is it for cleanliness, or for sanctity?
The Torah will at times provide a source for a law that we can just as easily extrapolate using the method of Kal VaChomer - learning the more obvious from the less obvious. (In our case the law of diminished contagion regarding food and liquid.) This principle (as well as the law of contagion itself) introduces the idea that something or someone that has been inspired by the original source of wisdom is qualitatively different from one who has only had access to a replica of the original. Originality - the source - has an irreplicable energy that it is worth accessing when possible.
Image: Taken by Rabbi Lapin at Dan River Source - Instagram @davidlapin
There are two categories of Tum'ah: 1) Tumat Haguf which, although not a physical substance but rather a conceptual one, behaves like a physical substance in the ways it transmits. 2) Tumat Hanefesh - corruption of purity of thought, feelings and deeds which can damage the sanctity of the things we do and engage with.
One dimension of Tumah is a negative energy that attaches itself to places that have been vacated of sanctity that they previously contained. Tumah, as we learn in this daf, is inherently something which is transmitted from one object or person to another. The idea that even the negativity of emptiness can be contagious, is fascinating.
Being human, we seldom have the complete picture. Even if we know all the available facts from a reality perspective, we are usually missing perspectives from a spiritual, Truth perspective. How do things look from Hashem's perspective? The result is that we have many doubts and dilemmas. Even the Talmud often needs to leave matters in doubt, unresolved...at least till Eliyahu Hanavi appears. We explore the idea of resolving doubts by bridging the physical spiritual realities and the role of Eliyahu Hanavi.
We observe physical reality by means of physical dimensions. Living in the world of physical reality we measure everything and even value most things quantitatively. But the spiritual, halachic world that deals with relationships and as such it is also concerned with the more nuanced qualitative differences between things. These differences impact our relationship with things that might appear physically identical but are qualitatively different or vice versa. A solid and a liquid, for example, have different physical properties but are they also different qualitatively and therefore halachikly? In this episode we explore the difference between two containers of olive oil: one is in its original form, the other has melted from olive wax. Our reasoning is extrapolated from Tosfot on 14b and Orach Chaim 158.
Time and timing are two different, but connected, ideas. Time is what we use to synchronize events. Timing is the natural rhythm of nature such as the movement of the sun, the days of the weeks, the waxing and waning of the moon. Hours, minutes and seconds are artificial measurements we have created for the more efficient and accurate management of time. Tora uses time to synchronize, but wants people to align themselves to the natural rhythm of the universe rather than to be obsessed only with their clocks. Watching the clock tick and the seconds move, accelerates our lives and robs us of the beauty and depth that needs time to be experienced. Aligning to the more even rhythm of nature, slows us down so that we can access depth.
It can happen that two principles, each of which is true in an absolute sense, can not be reconciled. (A) can be true and (B) can be true but sometimes (A) + (B) is not true. Like the axion of Hashem's omniscience and the axiom of our free choice are not reconcilable. This is what paradox is, and we are taught to manage paradox from a very young age. This episode explores Halacha's way of managing paradox.
On Hoshana Rabba we pray to be protected from Behalla, which as we see in this episode means fear of loss. Fear of loss can lead people to behave in self-destructive and addictive ways. Daf 11 develops two different educational approaches to how to manage the behavior of people who are infected with fear or addiction.
This episode further develops the idea of how Truth and Reality are different. Science deals with Reality. Torah deals with Truth. Reality is about objects, Truth is about the relationship between objects. When checking our homes for chameitz (leavened bread) before Pesach, Halacha allows us in certain cases to ignore the possibility that in reality there could be chameitz there. In terms of relationships (Truth) we have no connection with that chameitz and therefore do not need to check for it.
There is a difference between Truth (in an absolute sense) and reality. Reality is empirical knowledge; that which we perceive with our five senses. In the final analysis, reality is subjective. We can never be sure that what we sense is always real in an absolute way. Truth however is the wisdom we extrapolate from the Torah, and as Hashem's word, we believe it to be true in the absolute.
In this episode we learn about the qualitative differences between various sources of light and why whereas for Havdalah we need an Avukah (torch), for Bedikat Chameitz (searching for chameitz the night before Pesach) we need a single-wicked candle. We highlight the differences between focus and diffusion.
This episode, an introduction to the Matmonim series, explores why we extrapolate some of the laws of bedikat hameittz from the verse dealing with the search for Joseph's cup in Binyamin's bag. It clarifies the difference between searching for something you know is there, but don't know quite where, and seeking something you are not sure even exists.