A Wedding Menu to Remember
On a crisp, torch-lit night in eleventh-century Baghdad, the air carried more than the usual scent of roasted almonds, cardamom, and the damp clay of the Tigris. It carried the palpable weight of a changing era.
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Life and Society
Jewish History
Events and eras of Jewish history connected to the daf.
The Emperor’s Used Clothes – For the Aron Kodesh?
As the French army retreated from the frozen outskirts of Moscow in 1812, Napoleon Bonaparte, the man who had once rearranged the map of Europe, was reduced to a fugitive.
Road to Redemption
The Gemara in Avodah Zara (2a-b) opens with a scene so grand—a story that has not yet occurred but waits just beyond the curtain of redemption.
Required Eating on Yom Kippur?
In 1848, a cholera epidemic swept through Eastern Europe, including the Jewish communities of Lithuania. The disease was swift and deadly, and its effects were especially devastating in crowded and impoverished areas.
A Time for Torah
Hillel says, “He who seeks a name loses it. He who does not increase decreases” (Pirkei Avos 1:13). The first half of Hillel’s statement is easily explained by a well-known dictum in Eiruvin, “Whoever runs after glory…
Of Baptisms and Half-Slaves
Wichita Falls, Texas, is home to Sheppard Air Force Base. A Strategic Air Command Operational Wing of B-52 bombers was located there in the ‘60s. The 494th Bomb Wing was located there until 1965.
The Power to Withstand the Pressure
HaRav HaGaon Avrohom Kanarek, zt”l, of Yeshivas Chofetz Chaim in Yerushalayim taught Torah for many years in a humble and unassuming way. He shied away from kavod.
Where Is Rashi?
Daf Yomi learners relish when the daf that they learn relates to their daily lives, but that is somewhat difficult with this particular tractate, as nezirim seem hard to find.
Stealing to Save a Life?
Rav Shlomo Halberstam, zt”l, the Bobover Rebbe, was instrumental in saving many lives during the Holocaust. The Bobover Rebbe borrowed whatever money he could to secure visas and travel documents for would-be victims.
Don’t Talk, Just Daven
After Shacharis in shul, some have the custom to put out “tikkun”: liquor, herring, and cake for breakfast, in memory of a loved one. It is always fascinating to watch people drinking a l’chaim on an empty stomach.
Out of Order
It’s time to dust off Mesechta Rosh Hashana. The Daf will be finishing with Mesechta Beitza shortly. Someone studying the Daf with an Artscroll Shas will find nothing amiss.
How Far Would You Go for Cocoa Bombs?
Some may know of the latest food craze, hot cocoa bombs. There is something people find comforting about dropping these bombs in hot milk, watching them “explode,” thereby releasing their hot cocoa mix and marshmallows.
Serpentine Path to Prominence
If you found an object from the 1300s it would be pretty interesting. Still, in Israel, a land full of archeological marvels, 700 years is not a long time.
Ta’anis In Teves
Now that Chanukah is over, we turn our attention to the somber day of Asarah B’Teves, a community-wide fast. Nevuchadnezar laid siege to Jerusalem on the tenth of Teves.
True Treasure of 10 Tzaddikim
One particularly moving part of the Yom Kippur Mussaf service is the story of the Ten Martyrs. Ten great tzaddikim were tragically killed by the Roman government, and their deaths serve as atonement for Klal Yisrael.
All Roads Lead To . . . Yerushalayim
The Gemara in Avodah Zara (2a–b) relates a fascinating story, albeit one that hasn’t happened yet. It will take place sometime after Mashiach comes.
Who Knows Nine?
The Ancient Greek culture was focused on the human body. Someone remarked that on Chanukah we eat latkes and doughnuts fried in oil to ensure that our bodies do not become worthy of worship!
No Ordinary Ordination
Following the Bar Kochva revolt, the Roman government under Hadrian’s rule issued many harsh decrees against the Jews. One decree in particular dealt with semichah.
Who Knows Nine?
In this column, we previously discussed Rabbah Bar Bar Chana’s workers who broke the barrels of wine they were hired to transport (Bava Metzia 83a).
Who Knows Fifteen?
The last mishnah in Maseches Taanis says that the most joyous holidays of the Jewish calendar were Tu B’Av and Yom Kippur. Yom Kippur was understandably a holiday because it is the day that Hashem forgives Klal Yisrael…
Gemara stories on Jewish History
The Ephraimites Who Left Egypt Too Early
Men of Shevet Ephraim leave Egypt thirty years before the redemption and fall to the Philistines; their bones are later revived in Yechezkel’s vision.
Rabbi Akiva Eiger and the Slavuta Shas Dispute
When the Vilna Shas challenged the Slavuta printers' rights, Rabbi Akiva Eiger ruled their exclusivity had expired and sharply rebuked those who doubted him.
Chizkiyahu Destroys the Copper Snake
The copper snake Moshe made to heal the Bnei Yisrael lasted 700 years until people worshipped it, and King Chizkiyahu destroyed what his righteous ancestors had left standing.
The Bobover Rebbe's Holocaust Rescue Loans
The Bobover Rebbe borrowed to buy visas that saved lives in the Holocaust. When a lender demanded full repayment after the war, Rav Moshe Feinstein ruled on the case.