Arthur Charles Clarke — the British science and science fiction writer—expressed what is known as Clarke’s three laws: (1) When a distinguished, but elderly scientist
Sotah 39a describes and derives the obligation to be quiet for kriat haTorah. Thus: אָמַר רָבָא בַּר רַב הוּנָא: כֵּיוָן שֶׁנִּפְתַּח סֵפֶר תּוֹרָה אָסוּר לְסַפֵּר
A new perek begins on Sotah 32a—with the mishna stating אֵלּוּ נֶאֱמָרִין בְּכׇל לָשׁוֹן—these may be said in any language. Yet, Rashi writes אלו נאמרין
Rav Chanina of Sura makes an appearance on Sotah 25a, one of a handful of appearances in Talmud. A dilemma was raised before the Sages:
The typical administration of the bitter sotah waters are via her drinking them, as it states, (Bemidbar 5:24) “וְהִשְׁקָה֙ אֶת־הָ֣אִשָּׁ֔ה אֶת־מֵ֥י הַמָּרִ֖ים הַמְאָֽרְרִ֑ים, he shall
In honor of the holiday, I’m diverting from Daf Yomi, and focusing on Pesach! Last week, I mentioned that I’ve spotted dozens of hidden examples
Rabbi Dr. Daniel Sperber, in Minhagei Yisrael, discusses a minhag of the Jews of Rome: instead of the first-born males fasting on Erev Pesach, and
After fifth-generation Tanna, Rabbi Meir died, his contemporary Rabbi Yehuda didn’t want an influx of Rabbi Meir’s students, whom he considered troublemakers (Nazir 49-50). He
On Nazir 42a, Rav Acha son of Rav Ikka deduces a rather important global principle: that the majority is reckoned as the entirety (rubo kechulo)
A nazir may not eat any part of the grape, from the חַרְצַנִּים unto the זָג (Bemidbar 6:4). But what are these? Zugt Rashi, the
What should our attitude be towards conjectural emendations to the Talmudic text? Rabbeinu Tam, that is, Rabbi Yaakov ben Meir, Rashi’s grandson and French Tosafist
Oftentimes, in the run-up to Tu B’Shevat, I hear divrei Torah which begin “the Torah compares man to a tree,” and then explore the ways
