Shiurim Categories: Torah

OU-JLIC Founding Director, Rabbi Menachem Schrader, speaks about the the essence of the mitzvah of zechirat yetziat mitzrayim according to the Ramban.

Rav Schrader’s Mekorot Ketubot Ketubot 2

OU-JLIC at Yale's Rabbi Noah Cheses provides a guide to Pesach laws and preparation.

On January 18-20th, 2013, The Young Israel House at Yale hosted a conference to converse about the most pressing issues for observant communities on college campuses. With representation from 13 campuses, 40 students gathered together with some of the most thoughtful leaders of Modern Orthodoxy in America.

Here are Rabbi Schrader's Perushei Breishit in Hebrew and in English.

Here are Rabbi Schrader's Mekorot for Masechet Berachot, attached.

Here are Rabbi Schrader's Mekorot for Masechet Ketubot, attached.

Here are Rabbi Schrader's Mekorot for Masechet Shabbat, attached.

Check out Rabbi Aaron Greenberg’s Shiur on the Kosher Kitchen on KosherTube: Kosher Kitchen

The Mishkan is a microcosm of the universe. In Kedushah, we quote the angels in prasing Hashem, stating “Kadosh kadosh kadosh Hashem Tsvakot mlo chol haaretz kvodo.” From the angels’ perspective, Hashem’s extreme holiness results in the whole of the universe filling up with his glory. We also say this praise several times daily, quoting the angels. Yet we do […]

OU Shabbat Shalom

by Rabbi Ben Greenberg JLIC @ Harvard Hillel 1. Talmud Bavli, Shabbat 23a אשה ודאי מדליקה, דאמר רבי יהושע בן לוי: נשים חייבות בנר חנוכה, שאף הן היו באותו הנס A woman definitely lights as R. Yehoshua ben Levi said: Women are obligated in Chanukah lighting, for they too were within the miracle. 2. Rashi, […]

JLIC mini-GUIDE TO CHANUKAH WHO should light? Everyone should light: men, women and children according to the Ashkenazi custom. – In some communities women have the custom not to light, especially married women. – Many Sefardim also do not light, as they rely on the lighting of their parents WHERE should one light? – On […]

Guidelines for Chanukah at Brandeis 5770 Hilchot Chanukah The halachot of Chanukah are discussed in the Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim 670-684. The following is a general overview and distillation. . Menorah SAFETY IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO KEEP IN MIND WHEN LIGHTING CHANUKAH CANDLES. You must register with the Department of Residence Life to […]

by Rabbi Rothstein

Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah is ambiguous holiday. On the one hand, it is the completion of Sukkot and thus called “the 8th day.” Yet the rabbis also identify it as a regel bifnei atzmo – its own independent holiday. In the Diaspora, where we observe two days of Yom Tov, Simchat Torah has taken on its own identity as […]

Candles Candle lighting on Friday night is at 6:08pm. We say 2 blessings each of the first two nights of chag. When possible candles should be lit in the sukkah. On Friday night we say: ברוך אתה ה’ אלקינו מלך העולם אשר קדשנו במצותיו וצונו להדליק נר של שבת ושל יום טוב Baruch Atah Hashem […]

Genesis 8:21-22 בראשית פרק ח And the Lord smelled the pleasant aroma, and the Lord said to Himself, “I will no longer curse the earth because of man, for the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth, and I will no longer smite all living things as I have done. So long as […]

Practical Shabbat Halakha שמות פרק לא 12. The Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 13. “And you, speak to the children of Israel and say: ‘Only keep My Sabbaths! For it is a sign between Me and you for your generations, to know that I, the Lord, make you holy. 14. Therefore, keep the Sabbath, for […]

I. “The Daf” See Pesachim 2a II. Going Inside Mishnah in Tractate Pesachim 2a תלמוד בבלי מסכת פסחים דף ב עמוד א משנה. אור לארבעה עשר בודקין את החמץ לאור הנר. כל מקום שאין מכניסין בו חמץ – אין צריך בדיקה. ובמה אמרו שתי שורות במרתף – מקום שמכניסין בו חמץ, בית שמאי אומרים: שתי […]

written up by Rabbi Kaplowitz, JLIC educator at Brandeis.

The Weekly Dose of Torah Rabbi Avi Heller Director of Jewish Education, Boston University Hillel Behar/Bechukotai 5769 ( May 16, 2009)

The Weekly Dose of Torah Rabbi Avi Heller Director of Jewish Education, Boston University Hillel Emor 5769 (May 9, 2009)

by Rav Avi Heller, JLIC Boston U. Topic: Nadav and Avihu Redux, This week's Weekly Dose of Torah was generously sponsored by Ron and Jennie Offer and family. There's an old (and unflattering) joke that a Rabbi a priest and a minister were arguing about how to distribute a certain sum of charitable donations. The minister suggested that they draw a circle on the ground and throw the money up in the air. Whatever landed outside the circle would go to the poor and whatever landed inside the circle would be divided into the accounts of the church and synagogue. . .

The New York Times, on April 8, 1 897 reported that park policeman Foley arrested a Rabbi Wechsler - though Rabbi Klein escaped - who had illegally convened a crowd of several hundred Jews in Tompkins Square to say the blessing on the sun. Reported the Times: "Rabbi Klein's knowledge of English is slight, while Foley's faculties of comprehension of matters...are not acute. The attempt of a foreign citizen to explain to an American Irishman an astronomical situation and a tradition of the Talmud was a dismal failure." The paper concludes by saying that "the new sun" service had been conducted in this country for 180 years, or since 1717. In 1897, it would have been the 203rd cycle of the sun. Now, we are entering the 207th. Read more. . . .

Every week, BOO publishes a weekly dvar Torah publication on the parsha. Click here to link to the website for Torah Emet, where you can access current issues as well as archives of past issues.

Shiur by Rabbi Elliot Kaplowitz, 11/18/08 Download source sheet heref

By Rabbi Elliot Kaplowitz, 11/11/08

By Rabbi Elliot Kaplowitz, November 2008 Download source sheet here

Here's an interesting article taken from MyZmanim.com. Please note their disclaimer: PLEASE DO NOT MAKE ANY HALACHIC DECISIONS BASED ON THIS TEXT WITHOUT CONSULTING A QUALIFIED RAV. If you wish to see the article in its original splendor, the article may be located here: http://www.myzmanim.com/messagebox.aspx?messageid=direction

By Shira Klayman, Sophomore

Special article from the Mitzpeh, the UMD Jewish Student Newspaper on the Mitzvah of Orlah, by Rabbi Eli Kohl.

When looking at the calendar this week, Nadav laughed and said, ?Abba, it?s Cow Shabbat!?

Mishna is after power to inflict capital punishment is gone. Discussion is theoretical. Is this rabbinic approval of development of situation where capital...

Source and Reason for Bishul Akum Eng is R. Brofsky The gemara (Avoda Zara 37B - 40A), after attempting to attribute the prohibition of bishul akum to a biblical source, concludes that bishul akum is prohibited "mi-derabbanan ve-kra esmachta be-alma" (the prohibition was legislated by the rabbis, but they made a textual connection in the Torah to support their enactment in the Torah)...

MISHNAH. THE FOLLOWING ARTICLES OF HEATHENS ARE PROHIBITED BUT THE PROHIBITION DOES NOT EXTEND TO ALL USE OF THEM:13 MILK WHICH A HEATHEN MILKED WITHOUT AN ISRAELITE WATCHING HIM, THEIR BREAD...

How to look at life, based on Megilat Esther. By Ben Goldberg, freshman

Towards the end of JRR Tolkien?s Lord of the Rings trilogy, there is an apocalyptic showdown between the forces of good and evil...

What did Betzalel do to deserve the great honor of "Cheif Architect" of the Mishkan? By Zev Schramm With special thanks to Rabbi Ari Kahn

In the laws of Torah Reading (Code of Jewish Law, Way of Life 147:1), R. Moshe Isserles, the famed Ashkenazic rabbi and Halachic decisor, comments that one should not use an ?old? item in order to cover...

What's the connection between the sin of the Golden Calf and building the Mishkan? By Jessie Leader, freshman

In the yeshiva in Israel where I did much of my Rabbinical studies, there was also a yeshiva program for young men who had just graduated high school. Needless to say...

It's not the same as playing with legos! By Yael Goldberg, freshman

The significance of the clothing of the Kohein Gadol By Rafi Karkowsky, senior

What's with the mitzvah to be happy during Adar? Where does this mitzvah come from, and what can we learn from it? Why is this commandment emphasized so much in Talmudic and Rabbinic sources? By Shira Klayman, sophomore

A teacher of mine once gave us a photocopy from an obscure publication from the early 1950?s. Out of sheer laziness (or, peace of mind) he neglected to trim off a small (unrelated) d?var Torah on the margin of the page. Out of boredom (or, restless curiosity)...

How can we find meaning in the seemingly dry, boring, descriptions of the vessels of the Temple? By Noam Heller, junior

The Ra?avad (R. Avraham ibn Daud, 13th c.) was one of Provence?s great Jewish scholars. In the introduction to his book Ba?alei Nefesh (which is about the relationship between a husband and wife) he describes the motivation for...

Article by: Shifra Baronofsky Gender and Education is a very sensitive topic within Judaism. From the time of the Talmud in the early first millennium until only a few decades ago...

D'vrei torah by: Shifra Baronofsky Rabbi Kaminetsky says Revenge. Though the Torah warns us against acting on our emotions, it's hard to control the desire. In fact...

D'vrei torah by: Hannah Grossman This week's parsha, Mikeitz, meaning "the end" continues the story of Yoseph's time in Egypt by beginning with "the end" of his imprisonment. When Pharaoh dreams of seven....

Yosef's tests of faith while in Egypt are lessons for us in overcoming our own personal tests of faith. By Tuvi Felt Hakohen, senior

My favorite image of OJ Simpson is a commercial he did for Hertz. Some poor woman has forgotten her ID at the checkout counterand is getting on the plane. OJ sprints broken-field through ...

Divrei Beit Hillel "The Duality of Jacob" "It Takes Two" "Laban and Esau" and Nachi and Jomo!

Latest Issues: Mishpatim Terumah

Divrei Beit Hillel "Learning from Others" "God Bless You" "Mm Mm Good" and Nachi and Jomo!

Life of Pi is a beautiful and well-crafted story, with strong overtones of Hemingway's Old Man and the Sea. But it also reminds me of the story of our sidra this week, the story of Noach and the Mabbul, the Flood or Deluge.

Wednesday is the holiday of Hoshana Rabba, an obscure and little-recognized moment in the Jewish calendar. Few people are aware that it is one of the holiest days of the year -- a day akin to Yom Kippur. It is the last day of Sukkot and it is the day on which the land of Israel is judged for water.

On Simchat Torah, we read the verse "The Torah was commanded to us by Moshe, a morasha (inheritance) to the congregation of Yaakov." It is interesting that the Torah uses the word morasha and not yerusha (which also means inheritance).... by Rivka Weiss, sophomore