The story of the joyous holiday of Purim might appear somber at first glance: It tells of the near-destruction of the Jewish people as decreed by Haman, an adviser to the Persian King Ahasuerus. However, Ahasuerus’ newly crowned queen, Esther — who replaced Vashti when she was thrown out of
One of the most famous statements about Torah study, found in multiple places in the Talmud and in the daily morning prayer service, is Talmud Torah k’neged kulam, which means “the study of Torah surpasses them all.” The “all” is typically understood to mean the rest of the mitzvot. Torah
Today’s daf continues the Gemara’s discussion of the limits imposed on the sale of sacred items. As we saw yesterday, there’s a hierarchy of holiness surrounding synagogues, beginning with the ground on which a synagogue stands and proceeding right up to the Torah scroll itself, the pinnacle of holy items.
In the midst of a discussion about how many people are called to the Torah for aliyot on various occasions, today’s daf offers a surprising statement that women, as well as men, can be called to the Torah for an aliyah, but then adds an immediate qualifier that effectively prevents
In Pirkei Avot, a talmudic sage by the name of Ben Heh Heh taught: “According to the labor is the reward.” (5:23) You might think of this as the Jewish version of the well-known adage, “No pain, no gain.” But is Ben Heh Heh’s version of the teaching true? If