Divrei Chaim

Time to start thinking about Pesach, and what better place to start than Parshas Shmini. At the very end of the parsha the Torah juxtaposes...

Havolim says all that needs to be said in terms of the lesson for us to take away from, "Vayidom Aharom," Aharon's silence in ...

Today is the yahrzeit of R' Elimelech of Lizensk. I usually don't write about stuff like this, but once in awhile it doesn't hu...

The Yalkut (524 towards the end) quotes a view that Nadav and Avihu were punished because they did not marry. Rav Levi said: Many girls re...

Last post I raised the possibility of a new chumra of having to lein zachor yourself because mitzvah bo yoseir mi'bshlucho. I want to t...

I was asked to lein P' Zachor this past Shabbos, but did not have to do the rest of the leining. By coincidence, it was taken care of b...

The Netziv has an interesting thought at the end of this week’s parsha : “Ki ani Hashem Elokeichem v’ hiskadashtem v’ heyisem ke...

The gemara relates that when Mordechai told Haman he was too frail from fasting to climb up on the horse Achashveirosh had sent to parade ...

1. Shaul haMelech’s declaration to Shmuel haNavi, “ Hakimosi es dvar Hashem! ” sounds at first blush like either the height of chutzpah or...

I really don’t think the biggest miracle of Purim was being saved from Haman. I think the biggest miracle came before that. Imagine if w...

The Yerushalmi (Meg 3:1, 24a in the Vilna ed.) tells of R’ Chiya, who was given funds to distribute to orphans and widows, but distributed...