One of the saddest places to shop, if not the saddest, is a pawn shop. I can remember the first time I went into one, realizing that every item for sale represented a previous owner that was in financial straights. Maybe a few were people just selling things they no longer needed, but most whoContinue reading “Shevuot 43”
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Shevuot 42
Today’s gem is that, no matter your age, when you lose your parent, you’re an orphan. The halakha that one takes an oath to a minor in order to collect from a minor’s property is one that we learn in the mishna (45a): A woman who comes to collect the payment for her marriage contractContinue reading “Shevuot 42”
Shevuot 40- 41
Today’s gem is the “oath of inducement.” Before your eyes glaze over, the rabbis say the oath of inducement is like: grabbing him by his testicles [bekhuveseih] until he surrenders his cloak. So, not as boring as one might think. So, what is an oath of inducement? We have learned that, according to Torah law,Continue reading “Shevuot 40- 41”
Shevuot 39
Today’s gem: Kol Yisrael arevim zeh bazeh כל ישראל ערבים זה בזה – all of Israel are responsible for each other. This idea forms the foundation of communal responsibility in Jewish tradition. When a Jew sees another on the brink of wrongdoing, there is a duty to intervene and offer guidance. Beyond that, it suggestsContinue reading “Shevuot 39”
Shevuot 38
Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth? On our daf today we get the instruction that when one makes an oath in court, they should hold a Torah scroll! It’s just like TV. Only the origin comes from Abraham making Eliezer, his servant swear . . .Continue reading “Shevuot 38”
Shevuot 37
Does someone who is about to die still have the same rights as someone for whom death is not imminent? On our daf today, there is a set of witnesses who are related as they are married to two sisters. The issue is that witnesses cannot be related if they testify as they might conspireContinue reading “Shevuot 37”
Shevuot 36
Can I get an amen? But what exactly are we saying when we say amen? Today’s daf tells us: Rabbi Yosei, son of Rabbi Ḥanina, says with regard to the term amen: There is an element of oath within it, there is an element of acceptance of the statement and agreement within it, and thereContinue reading “Shevuot 36”
Shevuot 35
Diffusion of responsibility is a psychological phenomenon where individuals in a group feel less personally responsible for taking action or helping in a situation compared to when they are alone. This happens because they assume others will step up and take responsibility, leading to a collective feeling of lessened individual obligation. And here is whyContinue reading “Shevuot 35”
Shevuot 34
When you need to have two witnesses, can justice really prevail? What happens when there is only one? Do murderers get to go free? As it is taught in a baraita that Rabbi Shimon ben Shataḥ said in the form of an oath: I will not see the consolation of Israel (meaning he swears) ifContinue reading “Shevuot 34”
Shevuot 33
How do you know something for sure? On our daf, we learn that witnesses both have to see AND know in order to testify. What does that mean? Rabbi Yosei HaGelili cites a different proof and says: The verse states with regard to an oath of testimony: “And he is a witness or he sawContinue reading “Shevuot 33”
2,711 pages of Talmud. A gem a day. 