Topics covered: What is a Midrash? These are some of the most beloved midrashim in Judaism’s Oral Tradition. Did God coerce us into accepting the obligations of Torah by suspending Mt. Sinai over our heads? The Earth feared that …

  Topics covered: The timeline between the children of Israel arriving at Mount Sinai and then giving of Torah, according to Rabbi Yosei vs. the Rabbis. Three matters undertaken by Moses according to his own perception and subsequently approved by …

  Topics covered: Chapter 9, Mishnah 4 includes four teachings unrelated to Shabbos, but seeking Scriptural support, like the other mishnahs in this chapter. The first is that a wife is rendered tamei if she discharges semen within three days …

  Topics covered: In th midst of the George Floyd riots, LA is burning blocks from our home. We pray for peace, and that our Torah-learning this night will add to the peace, just as we learn in Berachos 64a. …

  Topics covered: Impurity of idols compared with other kinds of tumah. Rabbis lenient in these comparisons because tumah of idols is a rabbinic decree rather than Torah. In passing, we learn that Sages also decreed tumah on gentiles, but …

  Topics covered: The Rabbis decreed that idols transmit tumah, ritual impurity. R’ Akiva refers to a source in Isaiah, but R’ Adin Steinsaltz explains that this is more of a memory aid than a proof text. The decree is …

  Topics covered: Minimum measures for Shabbos-carrying liability: bone, glass, pebbles and stones. Rabbi Yehuda is generally more stringent than his colleagues. On the subject of stones, Zunin inquires about maximum size used for wiping oneself after going to the …

  Topics covered: Minimum measures for ink, dried figs and lime. Do half measures of dried figs add up to create liability for violating Shabbos if carried out in separate trips? Sometimes yes. From this we learn that we have …

  Topics covered: Liability for carrying the promissory note of a debt that was paid off. Is it significant? Are we allowed to keep it? Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbis disagree. What is between them? Depends on whether a note may …