Divrei Chaim

There is something interesting about the haftarah for parshas Mishpatim as printed in the standard chumashim. The haftarah consists of Yirm...

The experience of mattan Torah was one of synethesia, " ro'im es hakolos ," Bnei Yisrael saw the voice of Hashem. Miracles ha...

This past Shabbos' daf, Zevhacim 73, finished the gemara's discussion of why an animal is not bateil in a herd, the simplest reason ...

Those of you learning the daf might be interested in taking a peek at the Ramban at the end of Yisro (the daf yomi learners I mentioned it t...

I remember last time we discussed the famous Ohr haChaim about why Reuvain said to throw Yosef in a pit there were some qualms about it. The...

The Kli Chendah on last week’s parsha raises the question (discussed already by the Pnei Yehoshua) of what the definition of melacha on Shab...

The gemara (Zevachim 62) tells us that nevi'im came to Eretz Yisrael with Ezra and testified as to the correct location of the mizbeyach...

The Rishonim (Ibn Ezra, Ramban) ask why Moshe started to daven and scream to Hashem when he saw the Egyptian army in hot pursuit of Bnei Yis...

Another week with barely time to think, much less time to think about the parsha, but I feel bad not saying something before Shabbos. The To...

Link to the original (Toras Moshe, Parshas Beshalach). Well worth seeing the whole thing inside.

At a daf shiur where I am a sometimes once a week substitute I was asked the following question: how can the gemara (Zevachim 58-59) have a ...

Parshas Bo is particularly rich in mitzvos and hashkafa to talk about, but that doesn’t mean I have time to write a lot : ( The gemara (Brac...

The Shulchan Aruch (O.C. 47) quotes two views as to whether one must recite a new birchas haTorah after taking an afternoon nap. It is easy ...

When the Torah uses the term “am” as opposed to “Bnei Yisrael” it usually refers to the uneducated masses, (Rashi Bamidbar 11 writes that it...

The gemara (Pesachim 53) teaches that Chanayna, Misha’el, and Azarya deduced that they had an obligation to sacrifice their lives and be tos...

“ V’ lo sham’u el Moshe m’kotzer ruach u’mei’avodah kashah .” The plain meaning of the pasuk is that the people were too burdened with work...

The Netzi”v makes a simple point about the 4 leshonos of geulah, but sometimes it’s worth reiterating the basics. The four expressions repr...

If you have to be at work early (I know the feeling), these days sunrise is so late that there is a real possibility that you may be waking ...

Hashem promised Bnei Yisrael that they would leave Egypt with " klei kesef k'lei zahav u'semalos . " The Ba'al haTuri...

The Midrash tells us that Pharoah had three advisers, Bilam, Yisro, and Iyov, from whom he sought counsel regarding his “Jewish problem.” B...