The Silent Voice of Revelation Below is the first paragraph of a piece published in the Philadelphia Jewish Exponent in advance of Shavuot. The dramatic revelation that took place at Mount Sinai, which we celebrate on Shavuot, is not the only instance of a divine encounter that unfolded at the mountain, also called Horeb. Kings
Anavah: Not Just Humility Anavah is typically translated as humility. And, in many contexts, that translation is certainly accurate. To take just one classic example, Moshe Rabbeinu is described as "anav me'od" (Bamidbar 12:3), exceedingly humble. An intriguing Mishnah in Peah (1:2), however, seems to indicate otherwise. After
The Young Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai On Lag Baomer it is traditional to commemorate the yahrtzeit of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai. I'd like to take a different angle and consider the little we know of him as a young man. The Gemara (Berachot 27b-28a) records the classic power struggle between the nasi Rabban Gamliel
Sefirat Haomer and Rabbinic Authority Should a rabbi who omits the recitation of the Omer for an entire twenty-four hour period be treated differently than a layperson who forgets a day? This surprising distinction is adopted by some halakhic decisors. To better understand the basis for the ruling, as well as why others disagree, some
Two Views on the Theological Limits of Ownership - The Case of Tzedaka A glaring contradiction in regard to the mitzvah of tzedaka attracted the attention of numerous rishonim. The Gemara (Bava Batra 8b) records an instance in which Rava coerced Rav Natan to contribute 400 zuz to charity. Another Gemara (Chulin 110b), however, stipulates that any commandment whose reward is written alongside
A Vision of Greatness HaRav Aharon Lichtenstein ZT”L often stressed the importance of exposure to first-rank Torah personalities – never in reference to himself, of course – invoking “what Whitehead called a vision of greatness” as an “essential educational tool” (Leaves of Faith, Vol. 2, pg. 327). For me, as a first-year yeshiva student, the
Just How Lonely? Kohelet Yeshiva High School’s Beit Midrash enjoyed the exquisite honor of hosting Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks on Monday, March 16. Rabbi Sacks’ visit began with an inspirational talk to our students, continued with an address to some forty supporters, and culminated in a public conversation before a maximum capacity
Two Views on the Theological Limits of Ownership Legal theorists consider various questions [http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/property/] regarding the nature of property ownership, including the degree to which ownership is a function of title or possession. From a halakhic perspective there is an additional wrinkle: given a theistic worldview, does God's role as Creator
Dayenu and the Gift of Shabbat Beyond being lots of fun to sing - unless your tradition is to slowly repeat the chorus after every verse, in which case it sometimes transmutes into the Jewish version of "the song that does not end" - Dayenu is chock full of rich ideas. Here's
Metaphor & Memory Welcome to my blog! I hope to use this forum to share Torah thoughts, as well as perspectives on Jewish education and the Jewish community. In time for Pesach, my inaugural post is on the Seder. Enjoy! Ha lachma anya is one of the most enigmatic passages in the Haggadah.
