Recent Posts

  • Musings on Grace and Kindness

    Two words that stuck with me from my pastor’s sermon this past Sunday were grace and kindness. He ended the sermon by encouraging the members of the congregation to show grace and kindness to those in their lives, to those around them. Most of us would like to experience more

  • Gabriel’s Word to Woman

    When my children were in elementary school, they would occasionally bring home worksheets entitled “Fact or Opinion,” with lists of statements to be labeled “F” or “O.” Most of these were obvious (“Vanilla ice cream tastes better than strawberry”; “The sun is farther from the earth than the moon is”).

  • Yevamot 17

    The Gemara is prone to challenge the specific language used by a rabbi in order to sharpen our understanding of the statement and its implications. Sometimes, the analysis reveals a need for clarification and the statement is subsequently amended. Other times, it turns out the original language is stronger than