The Question of Omens
Some people go to great lengths to find every siman listed in the machzor. One year, my wife asked me to buy black-eyed peas. The supermarket was sold out of the raw beans, but I managed to find canned ones.
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Emunah and Hashkafah
Nevuah
Prophecy and the Nevi’im in the Gemara.
The Gift of Teshuvah
When Moshe Rabbeinu wanted to dissuade the populace from joining Korach, he made the following profound proclamation: “If these men die a natural death, that means G-d did not send me.
A Miracle Within a Miracle
Elisha HaNavi miraculously solved the drinking water issue in Yericho. The water there was poisonous and bitter. A group of young entrepreneurs earned a living by supplying the city with bottled water.
Sleeping Duty
The Gemara in Nedarim (15a) says that an oath not to sleep for three days is considered to be a shevuas shav, a vain oath. It is not physically possible to stay awake for three days.
Yonah & His Prophesies
A scholar was relating a ruling about converts. To buttress his position, he declared that Rebbe Akiva issued a ruling about this very issue.
Leave the Rest to Hashem
The Mishna in Yevamos (49a) tells of a mysterious scroll found in Yerushalayim. The Gemara proceeds to enumerate the contents of the parchment.
When To Say It In Aramaic
The Gemara (Pesachim 87b) offers numerous explanations as to why Hashem chose Bavel as the destination for the exile. One such explanation is that the language spoken in Bavel, Aramaic, was most similar to Hebrew.
Searching Ourselves
Carbonite is a company that provides online backup for personal and business computers. In 2009, they lost some of their customers’ data, as a result of what they claim was defective hardware.
Gemara stories on Nevuah
Hashem Rebukes Hoshea HaNavi
When Hoshea suggests that Hashem exchange Klal Yisrael for another nation, Hashem rebukes him: a father never trades his children. Hoshea then prays for them.
Elisha and King Yoash's Arrows
Elisha has King Yoash shoot arrows and strike the ground as signs of victory over Aram, and is upset when the king strikes the ground only three times.
Yehoshua, Eldad and Meidad
Upset that Eldad and Meidad prophesied before Moshe Rabbeinu, Yehoshua tells Moshe to imprison them, ruling in his rebbe’s presence, and is punished.
Menashe Accuses Yeshayahu HaNavi of False Prophecy
King Menashe charges his grandfather Yeshayahu HaNavi with contradicting the Torah about when to pray; Yeshayahu flees, and the Gemara gives the answer.