Kosher Questions
When Ben & Jerry’s announced a few years ago that they would stop selling their ice cream in certain parts of Israel, many kosher supermarkets and community organizations in the diaspora initiated a counter-boycott…
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Money and Business
Vows and Oaths
Nedarim and shevuos: making, keeping and annulling them.
The Mystery of the Kalya Orev: Avian Architecture in the Beis Hamikdash
Mazal tov to all the dedicated learners who recently finished Mesechta Menachos and are embarking on Mesechta Chullin this Shabbos! As we wrap up Menachos, we find that the recent Mishnayos delve into the fascinating…
Impulse Purchases
It started innocently enough. Boruch was just going to pop into the store—grab some lightbulbs. That’s it. He even said it out loud in the car like some kind of budgeting mantra: “Just the lightbulbs.
No Promises
The 2000 presidential election was one of the closest contests in U.S. history, ultimately hinging on the results in the state of Florida. In that state, George W.
A More Mehudar Mitzvah
Rav Mordechai Finkelman, mashgiach of Yeshivas Ohr Hachaim, received a generous offer from a friend. The friend offered to build Rav Finkelman a sukkah that would be part of his house.
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.
Preparing for Shavuos: More Than Just Cheesecake
How does one prepare for the holiday of Shavuos? Should you experiment with various salmon recipes, dust off the milchig china, or gather the best cheesecake recipe?
Days of Teshuva
Yom Kippur and Purim may seem like two very different holidays, but there is actually a deep connection between them. Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is a solemn occasion on which we fast and seek forgiveness for our…
Nezirus and Annulling Vows
R’ Eli Stefansky recently publicized an interview he had with a Nazir Shimshon. Although the Nazir’s wife was not present at the interview, she was a Nazirah Shimshon as well.
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.
How Now Brown Cow?
Tardar Sauce (2012-2019), better known by her nickname “Grumpy Cat,” was a cat and celebrity known for her grumpy facial expression. Her owner, Tabatha Bundesen, said that her permanently grumpy-looking face was due to…
Of Arrows and Annulments
The Gemara relates two short and cryptic anecdotes. (Nedarim 76b) The first is that Chiya the son of Rav would shoot arrows and examine them. The second anecdote is that Rabba the son of Rav Huna would sit and stand.
A Powerful Tefillah
The Gemara in Nedarim expounds the earliest recorded example of hataras nedarim. Hashem told Moshe Rabbeinu that it was safe for him to return to Egypt “because the men who seek your life have died.” The Gemara explains…
What Makes a Valid Pesach?
The Torah permits a person to annul his vows with the assistance of a chacham or beis din. One method of annulling a vow is by finding a “pesach,” literally an opening.
Is Dried Fruit the Top Banana?
There was a villager – we’ll call him Reuven – with a taste for fine liquor and a nice collection of schnapps barrels. Reuven knew how to enjoy his liquor responsibly.
An Exercise in Futility
The Bayside Canadian Railway is a 200 foot(!) railroad in Bayside, New Brunswick, Canada. The railway was designed to transport fish – frozen pollock, to be precise.
Is a Bar Mitzvah Boy an Adult?
The boy spent weeks in preparation for his bar mitzvah. When the moment arrived, he relished the opportunity to read the Torah. He had finally achieved adulthood. He was now a full card-carrying member of the tzibbur.
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.
Not Saying Hashem’s Name in Vain
The Gemara in Nedarim (7b) says, “Rav Chanin said in the name of Rav: Whoever hears the utterance of the Divine name [in vain] from his friend has to excommunicate him.
Be Our Guest
The pasuk says (Bereishis 18:3), “And he [Avraham Avinu] said: ‘My master, if I found favor in your eyes, please pass not away from your servant.’” Rashi on Shavuos says that the simple explanation of “My master” is…
Piecing It Together
There is a question that is frequently heard in yeshivos: “Why are we learning this topic in Gemara? Why is it relevant?” All topics of Torah are connected.
Sworn Statements
A woman was deathly ill, and her family was gathered around her. She wanted to ensure there would be no lingering or bitter disputes regarding the inheritance she was leaving to them, so she pleaded with her children to…
Loath To Make An Oath
Rav Meir ben Isaac Katzenellenbogen (1482–1565), the Maharam Padua, was an Italian sage born in Katzenellenbogen. He went to Padua and entered the yeshiva of Rav Yehuda Minz, and he married Rav Yehudah’s granddaughter…
The Shame Of Sinning
Rav Sholom Schwadron, zt’l, would point out that we have absolutely no concept of how serious a sin is. As proof, he would point to the following passage of Gemara in Nazir 23a: “It is taught in a Beraisa: ‘Her husband…
Holy Cow
Tardar Sauce (born April 4, 2012), better known by her nickname “Grumpy Cat,” is a cat and celebrity known for her grumpy facial expression.
Void Where Prohibited
Kol Nidrei, the well-known Yom Kippur tefillah, should not actually be said on Yom Kippur, according to the Rema. However, there is some debate as to the exact reason.
Another Repeat
In some yeshivos and shuls there is a custom that certain kibbudim on Simchas Torah are sold not for money, but rather for commitments to learn Torah.
Gefilte Fish, Cottage Cheese, And Scotch
Recently, there was a boycott started in Israel against local cottage-cheese manufacturers. Consumers complained, “Why should cottage cheese cost 50% more in Israel than in the United States and Europe?” I’m lucky that…
Sleeping Duty
Before I started attending an early-morning daf yomi shiur, in my ignorance I envisioned that many attendees sleep through most of the shiur.
Gemara stories on Vows and Oaths
Kalba Savua Gives Rabbi Akiva Half His Wealth
After 24 years, Kalba Savua asks the great Rabbi Akiva to annul his vow, learns Rabbi Akiva is his son-in-law, and gives him half his money.
Rabbi Akiva Eiger and the Embarrassing Vow
A man would reveal his embarrassing vow only to a 15-year-old friend. Rabbi Akiva Eiger found a clever way for the boy to take part in annulling it.
The Chasam Sofer and the Dried Fruit Dowry
A man vowed his drunken brother could not benefit from his schnapps, then traded it for dried fruit. Could it be a dowry? The Chasam Sofer ruled.
The Young Haflaah Picks Masechta Shavuos
After the Seder, young Pinchas Horowitz, later the Haflaah, explains to his father why Masechta Shavuos, about oaths, is the right way to prepare for Shavuos.