Publications

78 essays, studies and analyses on the Talmud Yerushalmi.

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Jul 4, 2023

Late in Life

Many people wake up one day and realize that they achieved their goals later in life than many or most of the people around them. A person may get married or reach a career milestone much later than their family members …

Jul 4, 2023

Absolute Standards

It is very common for people to judge their self-worth and personal achievements relative to those of others. In fact, whether we like to admit it or not we may even wish that someone else achieves less so that we can be…

Jul 4, 2023

Never Wish Anyone Ill

The Mishnah teaches us that the mothers of the High Priest would provide accidental murderers gifts and food so that they do not pray for the death of the High Priest which would allow them to go free from the Cities of …

Jul 4, 2023

I’m not as great as you think

Many people are conscious of how others perceive them and often allow a perception to persist because of the fear that they will not be valued or of being given proper respect for who they are. People often go by percept…

Jul 4, 2023

Judging our Sages

Some of us have been disappointed with our religious appointees one time or another. It may be because we felt that they are not qualified for their job or because we felt they have failed us. One could begin to make the…

Oct 28, 2021

Do Not Turn Away From Your Own Flesh (Isaiah 58:7)

All of us aspire to have those ideal families which we read about in stories. Accepting, forgiving, social and always there for each other. All too often our families fall short of this ideal, often quite short. We may d…

Oct 13, 2021

Why Do We Forget Our Torah Study?

Whether we study Torah casually or on a steadfast and regular basis, we will find that no matter how much we toil and review our studies sooner or later we forget much of what we have learned. Many people get frustrated,…

Jul 28, 2021

Auditing

When all is going well many people develop a healthy sense of complacency, while others may develop an unhealthy smugness. We may come to believe that our material success is a reflection of our spiritual success. A pers…

Jul 28, 2021

Be careful what you ask for

Even when nothing is truly wrong in our lives many of us will immerse ourselves in our problems and pour out our hearts to God. We'll ask God for all our personal needs, the needs of our families and neighbors and even o…

Jul 22, 2021

Status Quo

In life we often experience antithetical outcomes. We can try hard at something certain that our efforts will pan out yet the results can be quite discouraging. This is true no matter how great our conviction and dedicat…

Jul 21, 2021

Temptation

It is rare to find someone who truly and honestly believes that he is impervious to temptation. However, there could be certain situations where we may reasonably think that temptation can never enter our realm. Repeated…

Jan 8, 2021

Happy Birthday

When we are little, nothing excites us more than that long awaited birthday. It is a day when we are in the spotlight and everyone’s focus is on us. On this day we feel lucky and empowered. As many of us get older, that …

Aug 7, 2014

It's a Miracle!

"Its a Miracle!” - These are words that all us have used and misused. When something unlikely happens we tend to call it a “miracle”. However, many of us will find upon introspection that we use this exclamation rather l…

Aug 1, 2014

Yielding

We are often faced with a situation where we end up yielding to someone else even though we believe that we are equally entitled. This is especially true when we deal with someone who is at a disadvantage. Letting a hand…

Jul 7, 2014

כוונות טובות. החלטות רעות

ההחלטות שאנו עושים בכל יום כרגיל מונעות על ידי כוונות בלתי מזיקות. מעטים הם האנשים שאינם מבינים שלהזיק במישהו על ידי מעשהו הוא דבר מגונה! לפעמים אנו יוצאים בנתיב פעולה מסויים דווקא במטרה לעשות את מה שאנו חושבים לנכון. אב…

Jun 24, 2014

Letter of the Law

The words of the Torah are absolute and literally binding. Even if we think we understand their purpose we must never deviate from their literal observance. Most of us will agree that the commandments of the Torah are di…

Jun 22, 2014

Do out of Love. Do out of Fear.

The Sages of the Land of Israel teach us that a measure of pragmatism must always be used when dealing with human nature. A person can never be absolutely sure of his true disposition at any given moment. Some people wor…

Jun 20, 2014

קורח: המחייב הסופי

בתחילת הפרשה משתדלים קרח ועדתו להפיל את משה ואהרן, מיועדי המנהיגות והכהונה האלה-יות אבל מיתתם המהירה של קרח ועדתו משמשת הוראה על כנותם של משה ואהרן. אולם, חכמינו הרחיבו את תכנית העירעור של קרח והוסיפו שכפר קרח אפילו בתור…

Jun 8, 2014

Letter and Spirit

The words of the Torah are absolute and literally binding. Even if we think we understand their purpose we must never deviate from their literal observance. At the beginning of the Parasha, Korach and his co-conspirators…

Jun 1, 2014

Israel and the Nations

Jews all over the world are aware of the unusual hostility harbored by the Nations towards our people and our Country. Nevertheless, our long history among the Nations has been studded with periods of neutrality or even …

May 29, 2014

Productive Punishment

The Torah teaches us about Eve's sin in disregarding God's order not to eat of the Tree of Knowledge. Eve was swayed by the Serpent and not only ate of the Tree herself but also fed it to Adam her husband. The punishment…

May 29, 2014

קידושי אישה בטבעת

המנהג הרווח בכל קהילות ישראל הוא לקדש אישה בטבעת. גם ידועה לכל יהודי הנוסחה הדגולה "הרי את מקודשת לי בטבעת זו" שמצהיר החתן בשומו את הבטבעת על אצבעה של כלתו. ומודיע בעל הטורים: "נהגו העולם לקדש בטבעת" (אבן העזר, לא). על ה…

May 26, 2014

Good Intentions. Bad Decisions.

Even the purest of intentions can have negative repercussions. The Sages of the Land of Israel teach us that good intentions alone do not always yield good decisions. The decisions we make in our lifetimes are usually mo…

May 11, 2014

Women and Men

The great celebration of the Water Drawing was held in the Women's Courtyard. The Mishnah (Sukkah 2:5) teaches that the Priest and Levites would make a great "remedy". The Talmud explains that this remedy was the install…

May 4, 2014

God-Mentor

Our moral and ethical standing on Earth determines our standing in the cosmic realm. What is more is that God's personal involvement in mentoring the Jewish People reflects the unique closeness between God and His People…

Apr 28, 2014

Nature Obeys Israel

The Torah states: "These are the Lord's Times, Holy Occasions, which you shall designate in their designated time" (Lev. 23:4). God does not merely teach the Jewish People how to reckon the Holy Occasions, but gives them…

Apr 24, 2014

The Size of a Mitzvah

Many people focus their energies on what appears to them to be an important commandment or a Big Mitzvah, often neglecting what they think is not such an important commandment or a Small Mitzvah. What makes one commandme…

Apr 20, 2014

All of Israel is Equal

The equality of individuals is usually thought to be a modern concept, one which today defines a desirable society. However, the equality of the Jewish People was already fundamental to the belief system of the Sages of …

Apr 14, 2014

Salvation

When a difficult situation arises in our lives and especially for our nation as a whole, we turn to God with the hope that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. But as time passes and no way out of our situation pre…

Apr 6, 2014

Yannai

Yannai was the first of Israel's classic poets which flourished somewhere in the 6th century, just a couple hundred years after the closing of the Talmud of the Land of Israel. Rabbi Gershon known as the Illumination of …

Apr 4, 2014

God is our Caretaker

God warns the People of Israel that one who slaughters an animal outside of the Tent of Meeting and not before the Mishkan in the Presence of God will bear the punishment of being cut off from the Jewish People. (Lev. 17…

Apr 1, 2014

Everybody Matters

The Sages of the Land of Israel teach us that no matter how small our sphere of influence and no matter how profound the change we seek, our individual efforts are very much notable. It would be fair to say that many of …

Apr 1, 2014

Temptation

It is rare to find someone who truly and honestly believes that he is impervious to temptation. However, there could be certain situations where we may reasonably think that temptation can never enter our realm. Repeated…

Mar 25, 2014

המנהג להסתכל בציפורנים בהבדלה

מנהג נפוץ בכל רחבי קהילות ישראל הוא להסתכל בציפורניים לאור נר ההבדלה. אמנם, מנהג זה מקורו במנהג ארץ ישראל הקדום ולא נהג כלל בישיבות בבל. המשנה (ברכות ח:א) מלמדת: "אין מברכין על הנר עד שיאותו לאורו" ופירש רש"י "שיאותו" עד…

Mar 25, 2014

"טועמיהו"

מנהג מפורסם היום המכונה "טועמיהו" הוא לטעום את תבשילי השבת בערב שבת לפני כניסתה. כך פסק "מגן אברהם": "מצוה לטעום התבשילין וצריך לטעום מכל תבשיל בערב שבת" (אורח חיים רנ:א) ואחריו "משנה ברורה". אולם, הסיבה לטעימת התבשיל לא…

Mar 25, 2014

מיעוט דיבור בשבת

מידה ידועה ומפורסמת במיוחד אצל אנשים כבדי ראש היא למעט בשיחה בשבת ובמיוחד בשיחה בטלה כדי לשמור על רוחה של קדושת היום. על ההתנהגות הנכונה בדיבור ביום השבת אומר התלמוד הבבלי: "שלא יהא דבורך של שבת כדבורך של חול" (שבת קיג:)…

Mar 25, 2014

"התזת הזי"ן ב"למען תזכרו

קריאת שמע מבטאת את אמונת היהודי בייחוד ה' וקובעת את השקפתו של היהודי על בוראו. קריאת שמע דורשת לא רק לב נכון וכוונה כנה אלא גם קפדנות בקריאה והגיית אותיותיה. על הזכות הגדולה בקריאה הקפדנית של שמע אומר רבי חמא ברבי חנינא …

Mar 21, 2014

"I Don’t Know"

We lay great stress on off-hand knowledge. Who hasn't been impressed by the breadth of knowledge of a great scholar especially one who is proficient in the subjects of the Torah? We may even find that we tend to dismiss …

Mar 21, 2014

Stringency and Leniency

The Torah introduces the code of law that the Priest was to use in order to determine the ritual status of objects stricken with Leprosy, “to pronounce it pure, or to pronounce it impure” (Lev. 13:59). Invariably, cases …

Mar 20, 2014

Its not your Fault!

When misfortune befalls us some of us will introspect and search within our souls for its cause. We’ll ask ourselves what it is that we have done to deserve this misfortune. Sometimes we may assume that we went wrong som…

Mar 16, 2014

Honor Your Father and Mother

The Biblical commandment of “Honor your father and mother” is a universally accepted ethic known equally to Jews and Gentiles all around the world. Even those of us who are not so fond of our parents or even worse hold g…

Mar 16, 2014

Wisdom of Women

The Wisdom of Women One of the special services that the women were able to provide in the construction of the Mishkan was in weaving materials. This was a task which required a special wisdom which only the women posses…

Mar 13, 2014

Turning the Evil Inclination to Good

Even during the Days of Repentance, with Yom Ha-Kippurim right around the corner, we may find that our resolutions for the new year have begun to waver. We may find that some of our sins are not new ones, but ones that w…

Mar 13, 2014

Communal Responsibilities

Our Synagogues and communities abound with opportunities for the individual to step up and offer his or her services for the needs of the many. But many communal tasks are often menial and bothersome bearing little prest…

Mar 13, 2014

Teachings of Israel

The teachings of the Land of Israel are inexorably connected with the Jewish People and its Land. These native teachings imprinted by the Land of Israel are at the core of our Jewish Consciousnesses and are crucial instr…

Mar 9, 2014

Death and Mourning: A Cosmic Experience

Death and Mourning: A Cosmic Experience God commands Aaron and his children to observe God’s watch for seven days at the opening of the Tent of Meeting. The meaning of “God’s watch” here is not entirely clear. In what se…

Feb 24, 2014

Betzalel: Man's Lofty Intellect

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Feb 12, 2014

Blessing in our World

Blessing in our World When we contemplate our lives we may observe that one endeavor after another has failed on us. Some of us fault ourselves. We are convinced that success would have been possible if we only tried a l…

Feb 1, 2014

Letter and Spirit in the Law

Rabbi Aha said: Solomon said: The things that the measure of Justice I have desecrated (Sanhed 2:6 12b) The Torah instructs that a king shall not have many wives, but it says of Solomon: "And King Solomon loved many fore…

Jan 31, 2014

Customs of the Land of Israel

Customs of the Land of Israel למען תזכרו_עברית The widespread practice of stretching the letter zayin in the Shema ' has its origins in the tradition of the Land of Israel מיעוט דיבור בשבת טועמיהו…

Jan 31, 2014

Power of Prayer

The Power of Prayer For many of us the source of our motivation to pray is our belief that we have the power to engage God for our needs. Nevertheless, moments where we fear that our personal lacking and sin will cause G…

Jan 25, 2014

Regard for the Other

The Torah states: "Speak to Aaron and his children saying: This is the law of the hatath. In the place where you slaughter the olah slaughter the hatath before God it is the Holy of Holies" (Lev. 6:18). Sotah 8:9. This i…

Dec 31, 2013

Precedence of Disadvantaged

יש קדימה למי שידו על התחתונה שני קדרים שהיו מהלכין זה אחר זה. נתקל הראשון ונפל נתקל השני בראשון הראשון חייב בנזקי של שני. זה בא בחביתו וזה בקורתו נשברה כדו של זה בקורתו של זה פטור שלזה רשות להלך ולזה רשות להלך: (בבא קמא …

Dec 24, 2013

Everybody Counts

Everybody Counts It would be fair to say that many of us have personal peeves and dissatisfaction with our People. We, as a People also freely admit that we have much room for improvement. There may have been a time when…

Nov 26, 2013

Do out of Love do out of Fear (Berakhoth 9:5)

עשה מאהבה ועשה מיראה. עשה מאהבה שאם באת לשנוא דע כי אתה אוהב ואין אוהב שונא. עשה מיראה שאם באת לבעוט דע שאתה ירא ואין ירא בועט. (ברכות פרק ט: ה, סז,א) The Talmud Yerushalmi gives us advise on how to worship God and perfo…

Nov 26, 2013

Lessons

Lessons from Eretz Yisrael Do out of Love. Do out of Fear . A measure of pragmatism must always be used when dealing with human nature. A person can never be absolutely sure of his true disposition at any given moment. C…

Nov 14, 2013

Moses Priest Yoma 4

“All of the seven days of the milluim Moshe served as the Kohen Gadol but the Shekhinah did not come to rest on the Mishkan because of his actions. However, when Aharon wore the garments of the Kohen Gadol and performed …

Nov 4, 2013

Delighting Children on Yom Tov

Delighting Children on Yom Tov Its hard to imagine today a Holiday celebration that does not make the children its center. The obligation to delight our children and include them in the joy of the holiday is found in the…

Nov 4, 2013

Makom Kavua

Makom Kavua Praying in the same seat in the same synagogue on a daily basis is commonly perceived as the optimal manner of praying. The Talmud Bavli (Berakhoth 6b) encourages one to designate a place for his prayer (כל ה…

Oct 24, 2013

For the Greater Good

For the Greater Good אין דור שאין בו ליצנים. מה היו פריצי הדור עושין? היו הולכין אצל חלונותיו של דוד ואומרים לו "דוד אימת יבנה בית המקדש? אימתי בית ה' נלך?" והוא אומר אע"פ שמתכונין להכעיסני יבא עלי שאני שמח בלבי - "שמחתי…

Oct 18, 2013

Speech of Righteous Women (Sota 7:1)

Speech of Righteous Women ר' יוחנן בשם ר' ליעזר בי ר' שמעון: לא מצינו שדיבר המקום עם אשה אלא עם שרה בלבד . . . אמר ר' בירי: כמה כירכורי כירכורים הקדב"ה מתאוה לשמוע שיחתן של צדקניות - "ויאמר לא כי צחקת" (ברא יח:טו) (סוטה …

Oct 15, 2013

Announcing Coins

The Mishnah (Shekalim 1:1) teaches that on the first of Adar the courts of each city would announce to their inhabitants and the villages surrounding them that the time has come to bring their contribution of coins to th…

Oct 6, 2013

Abstinence as a Remedy for Troubled Times

Abstinence as a Remedy for Troubled Times א"ר אבון כתיב (איוב ל:ג) "בחסר ובכפן גלמוד" בשעה שאת רואה חסרון בא לעולם עשה אשתך גלמודה. (תענית ז,א פרק א:ו) How does one act in times of distress? Rabbi Abun quoting Job teache…

Oct 1, 2013

Daf Yomi Recordings

Daf Yomi Recordings & Content Click below to listen and read the Daf in our exclusive Modern Elucidated Talmud for the broader Audience. Listen to Rabbi Y.G. Bechhofer's Talmud Yerushalmi Daf Yomi recordings on the entir…

Sep 29, 2013

Lawlessness

Lawlessness א"ר אחא כתיב כי מלאה הארץ חמס מפניהם (ברא' ו:יג). ומה היה חמסן? הוה בר נש נפיק טעין קופה מלאה תורמוסין והיו מתכוונין ונוטלין פחות משוה פרוטה דבר שאינו יוצא בדיינין. אמר רבי חייה בר ווה רבה נאמר כאן רבה (פס' ה…

Sep 25, 2013

Blessing over the Rain

Blessing over Rain רב יהודה בר יחזקאל אמר הכין הוה יחזקאל אבא מברך על ירידת גשמים יתגדל יתקדש יתברך יתרומם שמך מלכנו על כל טיפה וטיפה שאת מוריד לנו שאת ממניען זו מזו - תענית א:ג ד,ב The Talmud Yerushalmi’s wording: "May …

Sep 23, 2013

Women Going out Adorned

Women Going out Adorned A woman’s modesty has always been encouraged by our Sages in various degrees and under different circumstances. It has often been considered a woman’s primary beauty and piety. We read in the Talm…

Sep 15, 2013

God judges the Jews by Day and Gentiles by Night

God judges the Jews during the Day and the Gentiles at Night א"ר לוי "והוא ישפט תבל בצדק ידין לאומים במישרים" (תהילים ט:ט) הקב"ה דן את ישראל ביום בשעה שהן עסוקין במצות (ואת האומות בלילה בשעה שהן בטילין מן העבירות (ראש הש…

Sep 12, 2013

Peace in the Fabric of Jewish Law_Hebrew

השלום במרקם החוק והחיים היהודיים המשנה בפסחים ג:ח רושמת זה ליד זה שלושה דברים: הבאת הפסח, מילת הבן וסעודת אירוסין בבית חמיו. במקום להפריע לקיום של המצוות הללו, על האדם לבטל את החמץ בדעתו אם נזכר שיש לו בבית השלום אינו נז…

Sep 11, 2013

Abraham turned Evil Inclination into Good

אברהם אבינו עשה יצר הרע טוב (ברכות ט:ב) Abraham our forefather turned his evil inclination into good אברהם אבינו עשה יצר הרע טוב דכתיב ומצאת את לבבו נאמן לפניך (נחמיה ט:ח). אמר רבי אחא והפסיד? אלא וכרות עמו הברית (והחסד)…

Sep 11, 2013

Peace in the Fabric of Jewish Law

Peace in the Fabric of Jewish Law אמר ר' יוסה בי רבי בון: בא וראה מה גדול הוא השלום שהוקש לשני דברים שחייבין עליהן כרת (פסחים כג,ב) Rabbi Yosa the son of Rabbi Bon said: Come see how great peace is that it was connected …

May 8, 2013

The Active Role of God and Satan in Man's Affair's

The active role of God and Satan in man's affairs. The Talmud Yerushalmi tends to make plain God's and Satan's involvement in the affairs of man. The Talmud Bavli often extracts the active force in parallel passages. If …

May 7, 2013

"Better let them remain ignorant of sinning"

"Better let them remain ignorant of sinning". A dilemma that the Rabbis constantly wrestled with is whether to correct the masses of erroneous halakhic behavior. Should they let them continue in their path and sin unknow…

May 3, 2013

Tradition vs Inquiry in Establishing Fact or Reality in the Talmud Yerushalmi

Tradition vs Inquiry in Establishing Fact or Reality in the Talmud Yerushalmi. We find different approaches among the Sages to the question of how to establish the halakhic status of natural phenomena (e.g. the classific…

May 2, 2013

Chumra and Prohibiting the Permissible

Chumra and Prohibiting the Permissible (החומרא ואסירת המותר). The Ta lmud Yerushalmi cautions about taking unnecessary stringencies, both in their positive sense of taking upon oneself what is not required and the negati…

Sep 7, 2012

Amidah: Sacrifice or Prayer?

Amidah: Sacrifice or Prayer? The Gemara is found in Berachoth 1:1 and discusses the source for the halakhah that during the Amidah we stand with our feet next to each other. We will discuss soon exactly what it means tha…

May 24, 2012

Today

The Jerusalem Talmud Today Notwithstanding the continued interest in the Jerusalem Talmud through out the generations, this Talmud still remains a relatively closed book. A major factor contributing to this paucity is th…

May 24, 2012

Through The Ages

Jerusalem Talmud Throughout The Ages The Jerusalem Talmud did not cease to be studied through out the ages. In Babylonia, the authors of early Halakhic works (originating from Sura) such as Halakhoth Gedoloth, Halakhoth …