Thursday, October 30, 2025

the reason the malach told Hagar not to flee: how can you leave Eretz Yisrael?!

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1) Rashi interprets the angel's question to Hagar, וַיֹּאמַ֗ר הָגָ֞ר שִׁפְחַ֥ת שָׂרַ֛י אֵֽי־מִזֶּ֥ה בָ֖את וְאָ֣נָה תֵלֵ֑כִי (16:8), as ...
Thursday, October 23, 2025

don't throw the raven overboard

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The gemara (San 108b) relates that the raven had an iron clad argument to object to being sent out by Noach (parenthetically: the Brisker Ra...
2 comments:
Monday, October 20, 2025

why is this month different than all other months? A chiddush of the Ba"ch

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The gemara on the last daf of R"H has the following din:   אמר   ר " א   לעולם   יסדיר   אדם   תפלתו   ואח " כ   יתפלל   You ...
Friday, October 17, 2025

whose tzelem was man created in?

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וַיִּבְרָ֨א אֱלֹקים אֶת־הָֽאָדָם֙ בְּצַלְמ֔וֹ בְּצֶ֥לֶם אֱלֹקים בָּרָ֣א אֹת֑וֹ זָכָ֥ר וּנְקֵבָ֖ה בָּרָ֥א אֹתָֽם: The word צַלְמ֔וֹ is possessive...
Sunday, October 12, 2025

the mystery of the last 8 pesukim, Moshe's seat 8 rows back in the shiur of R' Akiva, and Shmini Atzeret

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Menachos 29 relates that Moshe asked Hashem why he was putting crowns on the letters of the Torah.  Hashem answered that in the future there...
Friday, October 03, 2025

the 955 pesukim of Devarim and the 955 gates of Heaven

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רְא֣וּ עַתָּ֗ה כִּ֣י אֲנִ֤י אֲנִי֙ ה֔וּא וְאֵ֥ין אֱלֹקים עִמָּדִ֑י אֲנִ֧י אָמִ֣ית וַאֲחַיֶּ֗ה מָחַ֙צְתִּי֙ וַאֲנִ֣י אֶרְפָּ֔א וְאֵ֥ין מִיָּדִ...

ain ma'avirin al ha'mitzvos - Avnei Nezer's chiddush in when to build your sukkah

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The against (Meg 6b) writes that when there is a double Adar, according to R' Eliezer bar Yosi the megillah is read in the first Adar be...
Thursday, September 25, 2025

make your requests l'shem Shamayim

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The Tiferes Shlomo comments on our parsha: ונתנם ה' לפניכם ועשיתם להם ככל המצוה אשר צוויתי אתכם. הידוע מספרים הקדושים שכל מצוה מתרי...
Sunday, September 21, 2025

the lesson we can learn from the confusion of the satan; the shofar's echo into the future

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1) We do a lot of things before R"H with the intent of confusing the satan.  Some explain that the reason we don't bentch rosh chod...
2 comments:
Thursday, September 18, 2025

what a difference a day can make

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פֶּן־יֵ֣שׁ בָּ֠כֶ֠ם אִ֣ישׁ אֽוֹ־אִשָּׁ֞ה א֧וֹ מִשְׁפָּחָ֣ה אוֹ־שֵׁ֗בֶט אֲשֶׁר֩ לְבָב֨וֹ פֹנֶ֤ה הַיּוֹם֙ מֵעִם֙ ה׳ אֱלֹקינוּ לָלֶ֣כֶת לַעֲבֹ֔ד...
Sunday, September 14, 2025

why no nechama after the tochacha -- my 2 cents

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I want to add something to what I wrote last post. To review, Shu"T Radbaz ( 2:769 ) gives three reason why there are no pesukei necha...
Thursday, September 11, 2025

bikkurim -- not just thanks to G-d; why no nechama in this tochacha; choser kol - not if you have a gemara!

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1) The Maor v'Shemesh has a striking hesber of the mitzvah of bikkurim that emphasizes the chassidic idea of connecting with the tzadik....
7 comments:
Thursday, September 04, 2025

one small step in the right direction

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לֹֽא־תִרְאֶה֩ אֶת־שׁ֨וֹר אָחִ֜יךָ א֤וֹ אֶת־שֵׂיוֹ֙ נִדָּחִ֔ים וְהִתְעַלַּמְתָּ֖ מֵהֶ֑ם הָשֵׁ֥ב תְּשִׁיבֵ֖ם לְאָחִֽיךָ וְאִם־לֹ֨א קָר֥וֹב אָח...
Thursday, August 28, 2025

revenge is not a mitzvah

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Way back over 10 years ago we discussed the difference between the two words the Torah has for "maybe" --   פּן   vs   אולי .     ...

does lo techanem apply to aku"m only? heter mechira, land for peace

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Shu"t v'Darashta v'Chakarta ( vol 1 OC 54:3 ) responds to someone who claimed that lo techanem applies only to ovdei avodah zar...
3 comments:
Thursday, August 21, 2025

Doesn't everyone have free choice? Why does the pasuk call it a gift given just to us?

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I'm afraid I don't have much to say this week. 1) נָת֤וֹן תִּתֵּן֙ ל֔וֹ וְלֹא־יֵרַ֥ע לְבָבְךָ֖ בְּתִתְּךָ֣ ל֑וֹ כִּ֞י בִּגְלַ֣ל׀ הַד...
4 comments:
Thursday, August 14, 2025

you can't play innocent if your behavior proves otherwise; limud haTorah trumps ahavas haTorah

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In 9:7-21 in our parsha Moshe recounts the cheit ha'eigel and the smashing of the luchus. From pasuk 25 until the end of the perek Mosh...