Topics covered: Biblical punishments for various sins and bad behaviors including corruption, vain oaths, desecrating God’s name and vulgarity. The Tale of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai’s 12 Years in a Cave that arose from a student’s lashon hara, evil …

  Topics covered: Women punished by death in childbirth for three sins: negligence in Shabbos lights, challah and marital purity laws. Men undergo analogous trial at the hands of the Heavenly Court whenever their life is endangered, whether by illness, …

  Topics covered: What happened when scoffers tried to make Hillel lose his cool. Three tales about arrogant students approaching Shammai and Hillel, including The Torah on One Foot. The Five Questions We’ll Be Asked in Heaven, and the overwhelming …

  Topics covered: Classic Jewish joke. Extinguishing the Shabbos lamp due to danger. Rav Tanchum’s homily on extinguishing the Shabbos lamp for a sick person. King Solomon’s wisdom seems to contradict his father King David’s wisdom as well as his …

  Topics covered: Lighting the Shabbos lamp with a wick made from a garment. Does folding remove garment/vessel status of a cloth? Nolad: prohibition on using a vessel that came into existence on Shabbos or Festival. Just because you saw …

  Topics covered: What was the tachash whose skin was used in the outer covering of the Tabernacle? Rabbi Meir says it was a unique creature that existed only in the time of Moses and had one horn! Deriving that …

  Topics covered: Flax consisdered a tree due to Joshua 2:6. Wool and linen subject to different laws than other fabrics. Tzaraas (biblical leprosy) of clothing leads to examination by a priest and possible quarantine or burning. Shatnetz (prohibited mixture …

  Topics covered: Who was Shimon ben Elazar? Highest form of wisdom per Maimonides. Why we use balsam oil in Shabbos lamp. Horror story of the mother-in-law who hated her daughter-in-law. Linen garments vs other materials. Corpse tumah (ritual impurity) …

  Topics covered: Source for Kohen’s (Priest’s) permission to light a room with disqualified Terumah oil. No tar in Shabbos lamp. Bathing before Shabbos is obligatory, at least face, hands, feet. Shatnetz (prohibited wool/linen mixture) in a prayer shawl. Sages …