Tumult Over Tadir
Shimon and Boruch had just closed their Gemaras after finishing the daf. Boruch leaned back with a grin. “Wow,” he said. “Today’s daf was incredible. We just learned tadir v’she’eino tadir, tadir kodem in Zevachim 89.
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Shabbos and Yom Tov
Rosh Chodesh
The new month, Kiddush HaChodesh and the Jewish calendar.
Over the Moon
The Gemara in Avodah Zarah discusses the fact that Rabban Gamliel owned pictures of the moon. These images facilitated the questioning of witnesses who came to testify about the new moon.
Tachanun Technicalities
It’s been quipped that if a non-Jew ever grasped the joy a Jew feels upon skipping Tachanun, he’d convert on the spot. While exaggerated, the joke touches on a subtle truth in Jewish life: the unexpected “elation”…
Once in a Blue Moon
The photograph accompanying this text captures a moment in the life of Rav Dovid Feinstein, zt”l. Standing solemnly over the East River, he is not simply admiring the view but is engaged in a spiritual act.
A Rosh Chodesh Addition – Sometimes
There is an interesting custom that many people observe: to add the words “V’kapparas pesha” to the Mussaf prayer on Rosh Chodesh during a leap year.
A Rosh Chodesh Holiday
Some people always looking for creative excuses for failing to show up for work or completing their projects. The wicked Haman told Achashveirosh that the Jews are always saying that they are too busy for work.
On Amtrak, Alabama, and Assumptions
An accounting joke has an employer ask several accountants applying for a job: “What is one plus one?” “Two,” one accountant answers. “Eleven,” another accountant answers.
Obviously, Rosh Hashana Falls Out on Rosh Chodesh
A travel company is currently running a marketing campaign with “Captain Obvious” as their spokesman. He utters such phrases as “My enemy’s enemy is my enemy’s enemy.” A researcher was trying to uncover the origins of…
Made to Order
In the English language there is an order for descriptive words. Most native English speakers have acquired an innate feel for the right way to express a sentence.
'Draw' Your Own Conclusion
The Gemara in Avodah Zarah discusses the fact that Rabban Gamliel owned pictures of the moon. The images facilitated the questioning of witnesses who came to testify about the new moon.
The Gist Of The Jugs
Rabbah bar Bar Channa met an Arab merchant. The merchant said to him, “Come, I will show you the men of Korach that were swallowed up.” He showed him two cracks that emitted smoke.
What’s In A Name?
The Gemara in Megillah tells us that Memuchan, who is listed as one of Achashveirosh’s advisers, is Haman. The name Memuchan means prepared, as if to say he was prepared for punishment.
Our Better Halves
The second perek of Maseches Megillah starts by discussing the laws of someone who read the Megillah l’mafreiah. If someone read the Megillah out of order, he has not fulfilled his obligation.
Think Fast
People frequently ask if one is permitted to shower or bathe on the 17th of Tammuz, Asarah B’Teves, or Tzom Gedaliah. A daf learned this week by daf yomi participants may shed some light on this issue.
The Great Leap Forward
As a sign that a leap year is badly needed for the Jewish calendar this year, people point to the fact that the first Chanukah candles will be lit the night before Thanksgiving.
Our Rosh Yeshiva
I am embarrassed to even attempt to write an article about my rebbi, HaRav Alter Henoch Leibowitz, zt’l, the longtime rosh yeshiva of Yeshivas Chofetz Chaim in Queens. Anything I write will be woefully insufficient.
Gemara stories on Rosh Chodesh
Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel's Son Skips a Verse
Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel's son, chosen as chazzan for his fine voice, stops before the Rosh Chodesh verses of Mussaf on Rosh Hashanah, and explains why.
Chizkiyahu Adds a Leap Month
After his father Achaz's idolatry, King Chizkiyahu leads a teshuvah movement and adds Adar Sheini so the people can purify themselves for the Korban Pesach.