Topics covered: Chapter 1, Mishna 1 It appears King Cyrus became a corrupt king after enabling the Jews to build the Second Temple. The Sages offer several different rationales for considering him corrupt, from his motivation in helping them to …

Topics covered: Chapter 1, Mishna 1 He who controls the calendar, controls the people… Sihon and Cyrus are two foreign kings who interacted with the Jewish people in dramatic fashion, with different outcomes in different centuries. The former was wicked …

Topics covered: Chapter 1, Mishna 1 There seems to be a contradiction when the Torah says that Nisan, the spring month which includes Passover, is the first of months, yet we celebrate Rosh Hashana as the New Year six months …

Topics covered: Chapter 5, Mishna 6, 7 Sometimes it’s not clear who the owner of an object is, and thus what is Shabbos/Festival boundaries should be. For example, if I place some of my produce in your courtyard for safekeeping, …

Topics covered: Chapter 5, Mishna 3, 4, 5 When we go on a journey, a mission, or life’s entire journey, God comes with. But we don’t feel His presence unless we let Him in! Why does carrying a burning coal …

Topics covered: Chapter 5, Mishna 3 Rabbi Abba offered a pretty good rationale for the law that the bread baked by a woman during a festival, using water and salt borrowed from another woman has the same Shabbos boundaries as …

Topics covered: Chapter 5, Mishna 3, 4, 5 When we go on a journey, a mission, or life’s entire journey, God comes with. But we don’t feel His presence unless we let Him in! Why does carrying a burning coal …

Topics covered: Chapter 1, Mishna 1 There seems to be a contradiction when the Torah says that Nisan, the spring month which includes Passover, is the first of months, yet we celebrate Rosh Hashana as the New Year six months …

Topics covered: Chapter 4, Mishna 9, Chapter 5, Mishna 1 Even life-giving water can become too much – ask Noah! – so we seek moderation in most things. Working through the intersection of Shabbos, Yomtov, muktzeh (set aside), maaser (tithing) …