Topics covered: Chapter 5, Mishna 2, 3 John Steinbeck’s commentary on God’s lesson to Cain in Genesis 4:7 reveals the importance of translating the Torah as it was intended. A different word in the same verse provides one of the …

Topics covered: Chapter 5, Mishna 1, 2 Tachanun: the daily confession of communal sins. Who purchases the Yom Kippur bull? Does the High Priest take a detour on the route to the Holy of Holies on Yom Kippur in deference …

Topics covered: Chapter 5, Mishna 1 Why is the word “after” included in Genesis 22:13 re the ram with horns caught in the thicket? If the High Priest dies on Yom Kippur after slaughtering his bull, may the replacement High Priest …

Topics covered: Chapter 5, Mishna 1 I could not remain silent when Jews are under attack due to a mass delusion that has brought so many of our own brothers and sisters to self-slander, reminiscent of the sin of the …

Topics covered: Chapter 5, Mishna 1 Rav Pappa brings a series of questions that compare the incense service of Yom Kippur to the daily meal and animal offerings, asking whether elements that would disqualify those services also disqualify the incense. …

Topics covered: Chapter 5, Mishna 1 How does the High Priest bring the incense into the Holy of Holies on Yom Kippur. Practical concerns force an adjustment to the ideal manner. Rabbi Yishmael ben Kimhis had very large hands thanks …

Topics covered: Chapter 4, Mishna 3 Why did God say “Please” when He commanded Abraham to sacrifice Isaac? What can we learn from that for our own lives? Under what circumstances does a kohen (priest) violate the command to keep …

Topics covered: Chapter 4, Mishna 3 Our mishna discusses the special gold coal pan used on Yom Kippur. The Sages derive that there were different types of gold used in the Temple from 1 Kings 10. Looking there, we learn …

Topics covered: Chapter 4, Mishna 3 How isolated must the High Priest be on Yom Kippur while he is bringing certain offerings? Some things require that other priests pull back while he approaches the Divine Presence. Why is the incense …