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Shabbat Rest – The Completion of Creation
Shabbat, the Jews, and the Exodus
Resting and Faith
Remember Shabbat and Observe It
Shabbat and the Other Six Days of the Week
Shabbat, Peace, and Unity
Shabbat Candles
Torah Study on Shabbat
The Weekly Torah Portion
Shabbat Prayers
Shabbat Preparations
Eating and Working on Friday
Shabbat Starting and Ending Times
Women’s Acceptance of Shabbat with Candle Lighting
Why Women Light the Shabbat Candles
Basics of Candle Lighting
Men’s Acceptance of Shabbat
Remembering Shabbat
Kiddush
Kiddush Laws and Customs
Enjoying Shabbat
Laws of the Shabbat Meals
Sleeping on Shabbat
Havdala
Melaveh Malka
The Prohibition of Melakha on Shabbat
Melakha and the Tabernacle
The 39 Melakhot
The Principles Underlying Biblical and Rabbinic Prohibitions
Defining a Prohibition as Biblical or Rabbinic
Melakhot Dealing with Food Preparation
Cooking (Bishul)
Warming Trays
Shabbat Urns
Separating (Borer)
Grinding (Toĥen)
Kneading (Lash)
Hygiene
Applying Makeup
Hot Water Boilers
Bathing
Laundering (Kibus)
Sewing (Tofer), Tying (Kosheir), Untying (Matir), and Tearing (Kore’a)
Lighting a Fire (Mavir)
Electricity
Electric Appliances
Building (Boneh) and Cutting (Meĥatekh)
Writing (Kotev), Erasing (Moĥek), and Dyeing (Tzove’a)
Agricultural Melakhot
Animals
Carrying (Hotza’a)
Boundaries (Teĥum)
Preserving Shabbat as a Day of Rest
Permitted and Prohibited Reading Material
Preparing on Shabbat for Weekdays
Exercising on Shabbat
Muktzeh
Children’s Games
Benefiting from a Melakha Done on Shabbat
Benefiting from Melakha Done by a Non-Jew
The Severity of Shabbat Desecration
Causing Others to Sin
Danger to Life Supersedes Shabbat
Traveling to the Hospital
Army and Police Activity on Shabbat
Caring for the Sick
The Jewish Month
Rosh Ĥodesh
The Festivals
The Meaning of the Festivals
Studying Torah on the Festivals
The Differences Between Shabbat and the Festivals
Rejoicing on the Festivals
Enjoying and Bringing Joy to Others
Enjoying the Festivals with Family
Bringing Joy to the Poor and Lonely
The Festive Mood and the Prohibition of Mourning and Sadness
Melakha on Yom Tov
Additional Yom Tov Laws
Eruv Tavshilin: Preparing for Shabbat on Yom Tov
Making a Pilgrimage and Visiting One’s Rabbi
The Second Day of Yom Tov
Ĥol Ha-mo’ed Defined
The Mitzvot of Ĥol HaMo’ed
Melakha on Ĥol HaMo’ed
Working on Ĥol HaMo’ed to Prevent a Loss
The Festival of Matzot and the Festival of Pesaĥ
Ĥametz and Matza – Arrogance and Humility
Defining Ĥametz
What Distinguishes Matza from Ĥametz
Getting Rid of Ĥametz
The First Stage: Searching for Ĥametz
The Other Stages: Nullifying the Ĥametz and Destroying It
Selling Ĥametz
Koshering Kitchenware
Koshering the Kitchen
Passover Food Stringencies
Kitniyot
Matzot for Seder
Matzot for the Rest of Passover
The Day Before Passover
Introduction to the Seder
Starting the Seder with Questions
The Four Children
Themes of Maggid
Seder Preparations
The Four Cups
Reclining
Karpas and Handwashing
Breaking the Middle Matza and Hiding the Afikoman
Maggid
Eating Matza
Eating Maror and Korekh
The Meal
Eating the Afikoman
The Seder’s Conclusion
The Mitzva to Count the Omer
The Meaning of the Count
Holocaust Memorial Day
Memorial Day for Fallen Soldiers
Israel Independence Day
. Independence Day as a Permanent Holiday
Jerusalem Day
Mourning Practices during the Omer Period
Lag Ba-omer
The Names of the Festival
Mitzvot and Customs
Days of Blessing and Judgment
The Month of Elul
How Judgment Plays Out
This World and the World to Come
The Complexity of Judgment
Two Days of Rosh Ha-Shana
The Day of Remembrance
The Mitzva of Shofar
The Meaning of the Teru’a and the Teki’a
Basic Laws of Shofar Blowing
The Shofar Defined
Rosh Ha-shana on Shabbat
Crowning God King
Celebrating with Clothes and Food
Rosh Ha-shana Customs
The Ten Days of Repentance
Eating and Drinking Before Yom Kippur
Annulment of Vows and Kapparot
Atonement on Yom Kippur
Atonement for the Community and the Individual
Confessing
Praying Together with Sinners
Fasting
The Sick
The Dangerously Ill
Pregnant and Nursing Women
Eating and Drinking Minimal Amounts
The Other Four Forms of Self-Denial
Children
Honoring Yom Kippur
Singles and Yom Kippur
Ne’ila
The Holiday’s Names and Its Mitzvot
The Happiness of the Holiday of Ingathering
The Sukka – A Temporary Dwelling
The Sukka’s Messages
Remembering the Clouds of Glory and Divine Providence
The Enveloping Light of the Sukka
Jews and Non-Jews
The Custom of Ushpizin
Kosher Sekhakh
Additional Sukka Laws
Living in the Sukka
Eating in the Sukka
The Exemption for Discomfort
Sleeping in the Sukka
The Four Species and Jewish Unity
Basic Requirements for the Four Species
Taking the Lulav
Shaking the Lulav
Hoshana Rabba
Shemini Atzeret
Simĥat Torah
The Origin of the Fasts
Asara Be-Tevet
Shiva Asar Be-Tamuz
Tisha Be-Av
Tzom Gedalia
Tisha Be-Av and the Other Fasts
Mourning Customs During the Three Weeks
Mourning Customs During the Nine Days
Se’uda Ha-mafseket
Tisha Be-Av and Yom Kippur
The Sick
Mourning Practices on Tisha Be-Av
The Laws of the Tenth of Av
When the Ninth of Av is on Shabbat
Tu Be-Av
The Story of Ĥanuka and its Lasting Impact
The Greek Empire and Its Decrees
The Hasmonean Revolt
Crises in the Hasmonean Dynasty
Lasting Spiritual Accomplishments
The Oral Torah: The Light That Illuminates the Darkness
Thanksgiving and Enjoyment
Lighting Ĥanuka Candles
The Candles
Where to Light
When to Light
Lighting in Synagogues and at Public Events
Tu Bi-Shevat: New Year for Trees
Increasing Joy in Adar
Practices of Adar
Wiping Out Amalek
Wiping Out Amalek (in Practice)
The Purim Miracle
Walled and Unwalled Cities
The Mitzvot of Purim
Reading the Megilla
Joy and Kindness
Rejoicing, Eating, and Drinking
How Much to Drink
Why Drink
Wearing Costumes
Matanot La-evyonim
Mishlo’aĥ Manot
Comparing Mishlo’aĥ Manot and Matanot La-evyonim
Purim Inspiration All Year Long
The Synagogue: A Mini-Temple
The Torah Scroll
Honoring a Synagogue and a Torah Scroll
Printed Torah Books
Divine Names
The Mitzva of Mezuza
The Laws of Mezuza
The Mitzva of Tefillin
The Laws of Tefillin
Kipa
The Mitzva of Tzitzit
Women, Tallit, and Tefillin
The Different Obligations of Men and Women
Going to Sleep and Waking Up
Morning Handwashing
The Morning Blessings
The Torah Blessings
The Importance of Prayer
The Effectiveness of Prayer
Set Texts for Prayer
The Three Prayer Services
Women’s Prayer Obligations
Grappling With Kavana
Prerequisites for Praying the Amida
Praying Like Our Ancestors
Preparing for Prayer
Basics of the Amida
Standing and Bowing in the Amida
The First Verse of the Shema
The First Paragraph of the Shema
Praying with a Minyan
Tallit and Tefillin During Shaĥarit
Reciting the Shema
The Second and Third Paragraphs
The Structure of Shaĥarit
The Ĥazan’s Repetition
The Priestly Blessing
Taĥanun
The Concluding Prayers of Shaĥarit
The Ĥazan’s Qualifications
Kaddish
The Torah Reading
Minĥa
Ma’ariv and the Shema
The Mitzva of Gratitude
The Significance of Blessings
Introduction to Blessings before Eating
Laws Pertaining to Blessings before Eating
After-Blessings
Handwashing before Meals
The Blessing on Bread
Introduction to Birkat Ha-mazon
Laws Pertaining to Birkat Ha-mazon
The Blessing on the Five Grains
The Status of Wine
The Blessing of Ha-tov Ve-hametiv
Proper Behavior at a Meal
The Blessing of Asher Yatzar
Blessings on Fragrance
Blessings on Sights
Blessings on Nature’s Renewal
Blessings on the Extraordinary
Blessings on Wise People
The Blessing on Redeeming the Land
The Traveler’s Prayer
The Blessing on Escaping Danger
Blessings on the Good and the Bad
The Blessing on New Fruits
The Meaning of Kashrut
Ĥadash and Orla
Mixing Grape and Grain
Terumot and Ma’asrot
Terumot and Ma’asrot Nowadays
Separating Ĥalla
Sheratzim
Eating Meat
Permitted and Forbidden Types of Animals
Kosher Slaughter
Kosher and Glatt Kosher Meat
Suet
The Sciatic Nerve
Kashering Meat
Priestly Gifts of Meat
Eggs
Milk
Mixing Meat and Milk
Milk After Meat and Vice Versa
Separating Meat and Dairy in the Kitchen
Harmful Food
Food Prepared by Non-Jews
Bread Baked by Non-Jews
Food Cooked by Non-Jews
An Invalid
Milk and Cheese Produced by Non-Jews
Wine of Non-Jews
Drinking Alcohol with Non-Jews
Toasts and Parties with Non-Jews
Immersing Kitchenware
Eating in the Home of a Fellow Jew
The Need for Supervision in Restaurants and Hotels
The Need for Supervision in Factories
Types of Kosher Supervision
Selling Forbidden Food
Introduction
Tattoos
Self-Harm and Tearing out Hair
Shaving the Sideburns
Shaving the Beard
Imitating the Non-Jews
Shatnez
Planting Different Seeds Together
Grafting Trees
Crossbreeding Animals
Castrating Animals
Mitzvot Pertaining to Animals
Causing Animals Pain
Uprooting Fruit Trees
Wanton Destruction
Justified Destruction
Wasting Food
Monotheism
Love and Reverence of God
The Giving of the Torah
Faith and the Tendency Towards Idolatry
Were idols effective?
Integrating the First Two Commandments
Prohibition of Idolatry
Christianity and Islam
The Righteous Among the Nations
Attitudes towards Different Religions
Prohibited Magic and Sorcery
Contemporary Idolatry
Faith Revealed Through the Exodus and Mount Sinai
Free Will
Natural Order Required for Free Will
Reward and Punishment in the World to Come
Natural Reward and Punishment in This World
Providence for the Individual
Reward and Punishment for the Jews in this World
The Status of Exile
God’s Covenant with the Jews
The Sins of the Golden Calf and the Spies
The Value of Torah Study
The Parameters of the Mitzva
The Mitzva of Torah Study for Adults
How Much Time Must Be Dedicated to Torah Study?
Men, Women, and Torah Study
Writing a Torah Scroll and Buying Torah Books
The Value of Secular Studies
Integrating Secular Studies: The Debate
Supporting Torah Scholars
Honoring a Torah Scholar
Funding Adult Yeshiva Students: The Debate
The Written Torah and the Oral Torah
Rabbinic Authority
The Chain of Transmission
The Land and God’s Promises
Expressing Monotheism in the Land
The Uniqueness of the Land of Israel: Uniting Heaven and Earth
Torah in the Land
The Primary Location for Mitzva Observance
Mitzvot Dependent Upon the Land
Tithes
The Sabbatical and the Jubilee
When These Mitzvot Apply
How Many Jews Are There?
The Mitzva of Settling the Land
Fighting for the Land
Returning to the Land
The Modern Version of the Sin of the Spies
The Mitzva of Living in the Land
Loving the Land
The Israeli Army
War and Fear
Drafting Yeshiva Students
Maintaining Holiness in the Army
Women Serving
The Ethics of War
The Boundaries of the Land
Non-Jews in the Land
Monarchy and Democracy
Governmental Authority
Separation of Powers
The Future Messiah
Loving the Convert
Our Complex Relationship to Conversion Candidates
A Convert’s Sincerity
The Conversion Process
The Stages of Conversion
Accepting the Mitzvot
The Mitzva to Build a Tabernacle and Temple
The Holy of Holies
The Three Vessels of the Holy
The Table
The Menora
The Incense Altar
The Outer Altar and Sacrifice
The Basin and the Women’s Mirrors
The Daily Offering and the Incense
The Spiritual Center
First Fruits
Inspiration from the Temple
Inspiration from the Temple Service
Ritual Purity
The Temple Mount
Commemorating the Destruction
When the Jews Walk in God’s Ways
“Blessed is the True Judge”
The Necessity of Death
The Seven Relatives Who Mourn
Onenim
Tearing Clothes (Keri’a)
Burial and the Dignity of the Deceased
Eulogies and Other Funeral Customs
The Meal of Consolation
Sitting Shiva
Counting the Seven Days
Shabbat and Holidays (Yom Tov)
Comforting Mourners
The Month or Year of Mourning
Elevating the Soul and Saying Kaddish
The Unveiling and Cemetery Customs
Yahrzeit
Brit Mila
Laws of Brit Mila
The Honorees at a Brit
The Brit – Step by Step
Introduction to Pidyon Ha-ben
Laws of Pidyon Ha-ben
The Pidyon Ha-ben – Step by Step
The First Haircut
Education
Bat and Bar Mitzva
The Magnitude of Gratitude
A Link in an Eternal Chain
Children’s Two Obligations to Parents
4. Helping Parents
Revering Parents
Living Near Parents
The Limits of Honor
Giving Parents the Benefit of the Doubt
The Scope of the Requirement
Immoral Parents
Divorced Parents
Adopted Children
Converts
Stepparents
Older Relatives
Parents Should Not Show Favoritism
The Wedding Day
The Badeken
Introduction to Kiddushin and Nissuin
Requirements of Kiddushin
Kiddushin – Step by Step
Giving the Ketuba
Nissuin – Sheva Berakhot and Seclusion
Remembering Jerusalem
The Wedding Reception
The Week of Celebration
A Second Marriage
The Sexual Drive
Sexual Prohibitions
Mamzer
Marriage Restrictions
Laws of Modesty
Cross-Dressing and Protecting Sexual Identity
Prohibited Seclusion
Marital Obligations
Two Marital Laws That Evolved
Marital Obligations Then and Now
Divorce
A Lesson from Sota
The Process of Divorce
Reasons for Divorce
Aguna
Forcing a Get
A Wife’s Four Disadvantages
The Value of the Family
Nidda Impurity and Purification
The Process of Purification
The Hefsek Tahara
The Seven Clean Days
Pure and Impure Blood
Mikveh Preparation
Immersing in the Mikveh
Nidda Restrictions
Separation Times in Anticipation of Her Period
The Value of Marriage
The Mitzva of Ona
Beyond the Set Times
How to Fulfill This Important Mitzva
Difficulties Fulfilling the Mitzva
Procreation
The Parameters of the Mitzva
Birth Control
A Childless Couple
Consolation for the Childless
The Torah’s Justice System
The Judges
The Witnesses
Damages – “An Eye for an Eye”
The Death Penalty
Fines Requiring Ordained Judges
Jewish Jurisprudence
The Ideal Justice System
Helping the Poor
The Five Agricultural Gifts
The Importance of These Gifts in the Past
Applications for Our Times
The Mitzva of Tzedaka
The Tithe for the Poor
Prioritizing
Concentric Circles of Responsibility
Charity Distributors
Giving Beggars
The Mitzva in First World Countries
Giving a Tenth to Charity
Ma’aser Recipients
Ma’aser and Wealth
Charity Boxes
Lending Money
Debt Relief
Interest-Free Loans
The Prohibition of Interest
Heter Iska
Overdraft
A Source of Blessing for All Nations
Choice, Responsibility, and the Right of Ownership
Dividing the Land Equally
The Jubilee
Equality and the Right of Ownership
Applications for the Future
Theft, Robbery, and Damage
When “Stealing” is Permissible
Withholding and Delaying Wages
Honesty in Business and Paying Taxes
Putting a Stumbling Block in Front of the Blind
Being a Faithful Employee
Frugality and Financial Independence
The Mitzva to Pay Taxes
Preventing Tax Evasion and Money Laundering
The Justice in Charity
Do Not Murder
Inadvertent Killers
The Beheaded Calf: The Responsibility of Community Leaders
The Prohibition of Suicide
Do Not Stand Idly by the Blood of Your Neighbor
Public Safety
Redeeming Captives
Risk to Life Supersedes All Mitzvot
Be Killed Rather Than Transgress
Abortion
Roof Guardrails
Avoiding Danger
Traffic Safety
Taking Care of One’s Health
Visiting the Sick (Bikur Holim)
The Terminally Ill
. “Love Your Fellow as Yourself” – A Major Torah Principle
Defining the Mitzva to Love
Defining the Prohibition to Hate
Jews and Non-Jews
The Inherent Worth of a Human Being Created in the Image of God
The Interpersonal is the Gateway to God
Providing Aid
Returning Lost Objects
Not Belittling People
Honoring the Wise, the Elderly, and Community Leaders
Human Dignity
Not Hurting or Embarrassing Anyone
Sensitivity to the Orphan, Widow, and Others Who Suffer
Treatment of the Convert
Including the Poor and Lonely in Our Celebrations
Reprimanding When Offended
Avoiding Revenge and Grudges
Judging Favorably
Rebuking for Bad Behavior
Protest
The Prohibition of Excessive Flattery
Negative Speech, Slander, and Gossip
The Severity of Negative Speech
When Speaking Badly of Someone is Permitted
Journalists and Lashon Ha-Ra
Media as Watchdogs
Dispute vs. Disagreement for the Sake of Heaven
Making Amends
Telling the Truth
Deception
Lying to Preserve the Peace
Other Times When Lying Is Permissible
Do Not Covet
Gratitude
Sharing in Joy and in Sorrow
Speaking Kindly
Greeting
Being Sensitive
Derekh Eretz
Speaking Coarsely
Hospitality (Hachnasat Orchim)
Being a Good Neighbor
Being Part of a Good Community
The Creation
Adam’s Sin
The Flood and Noah
The Seven Noahide Laws
Noah and Abraham
Our Father Abraham and Our Mother Sarah
The Binding of Isaac
Our Father Isaac and Our Mother Rebecca
Our Father Jacob
Our Mothers Rachel and Leah, and the Twelve Tribes
The Meaning of the Egyptian Enslavement and the Exodus
How the Exodus Led to Faith
Leaving Egypt with Great Wealth
Splitting the Red Sea
“Na’aseh VeNishma”
The Revelation at Mount Sinai
The Ten Commandments
The Vision of the Jewish Nation
The Jewish Character: Endless Pursuit of Kindness and Justice
Faith as a Jewish Characteristic
The Unity of All
The Role of the Jewish Nation
The Nation and Its Land
Torah Study
A Blessing to All Nations and Societies
