July 2022

“Do not take a ransom . . . And you will not pollute the land . . . rather you shall execute him.”(35:33,34) The Sifri… Read More »Your Flattery Will Be The Death of Me

“War,” said General Sherman, “is not the glory that boys make of it.” He termed it even worse; the antithesis of Heaven. The ramifications of… Read More »Collateral Damage

It was an ordinary Sunday afternoon in yeshivah, when I noticed Yaakov Werblowsky putting on a tie right before Minchah. I assumed that he had… Read More »Dressed for the Occasion

When Yosef’s brothers arrived they prostrated themselves (vayishtachavu) before him. (Bereshith 42:6) Yosef’s brothers prostrated themselves fully before him, stretching out their hands and feet,… Read More »Precision In Prayer

QUESTION 24: HAVING THE MONEY FOR A LAWYER When a person goes to a lawyer, often the lawyer asks for some money down, and expects… Read More »Having The Money For A Lawyer

The Sages said: ‘[For] three sins a person is punished (lit., ‘it is collected from a person’) in this world, and he has no share… Read More »Chapter 7, Law 3(a) – Cynicism: The Joy of Inexistence, Part I

In this week’s reading, G-d tells Moshe to ascend Mt. Avarim and look upon the Promised Land, which Moshe would not enter. Rather, he would… Read More »The Face of A Dog

HASHEM said to Moshe, “Go up to this mountain and see the Land that I have given to the Children of Israel, you shall see… Read More »How Was Your Day in School?

The Mitzvah: An ordinary kohein, priest may not come in contact with a corpse or any other spiritually defiled object although he is permitted to… Read More »Tumas Kohen: Impure Contact

“… If a man will die and he has no son, you shall cause his inheritance to pass over to his daughter” (27:8) The Sefer… Read More »Because I Want To