“Then you shall arise” from the court where he sits as a judge. “And ascend”; this teaches that the Temple is higher than the rest of Eretz Yisrael, and Eretz Yisrael is higher than all the other lands. Therefore, the language of ascent is employed with regard to travel to Eretz Yisrael. We know that Jerusalem is not the highest point on the globe,Continue reading “Sanhedrin 87”
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Sanhedrin 86
Today’s daf shows the predecessor to our American court system, as well as the difference between an invested Rabbi ruling against the law and a student. It defines a “rebellious elder.” MISHNA: A rebellious elder according to the court, who does not observe the ruling of the court, is executed by strangulation, as it isContinue reading “Sanhedrin 86”
Sanhedrin 85
I have this vivid memory from my early childhood (it’s from my first house which we moved out of when I was 4, so 4 or younger). I wanted my dad to tuck me into bed, but he was talking. I kept trying to get him to take me upstairs but he kept ignoring me.Continue reading “Sanhedrin 85”
Sanhedrin 84
We learn that one who kills or wounds their parent may be liable for the death penalty. So, what if you wound them while trying to heal them? The Gemara explains: As a dilemma was raised before the Sages: What is the halakha with regard to whether a son may let blood for his father? Is he liable for wounding his father? (Remember, bloodContinue reading “Sanhedrin 84”
Sanhedrin 83
What we wear can tell a lot about us. It might say what our job is, what school we go to, what team we root for, what issues we value. And so it’s weird when we see someone out of their “uniform.” Like when you see your doctor at the beach, or your rabbi inContinue reading “Sanhedrin 83”
Sanhedrin 82
This scene is just amazing. Very Hamlet speaking to Yorick’s skull . . . Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Avuya says: It was written on the skull of Jehoiakim king of Judea: This and yet another. Okay, background. King Jehoiakim ruled over Judea from 609 to 598 BC. I will give you some insight into this manContinue reading “Sanhedrin 82”
Sanhedrin 81
What do we do when two values are in conflict? Most of the time, when we are making choices, they are easy, we don’t even have to stop and think because we know what we want/value/are supposed to do. When we have to think it might be because two values are in conflict. On today’sContinue reading “Sanhedrin 81”
Sanhedrin 80
There is an old teacher trick to try to get students to tell on someone who did the wrong thing by punishing the whole class unless someone confesses. Instead of someone confessing what usually happens if someone gets told on. Today, the daf paints much different picture of what justice might look like. We getContinue reading “Sanhedrin 80”
Sanhedrin 79
One of the most misunderstood section in the Torah is Exodus 21:22-25, “When [two or more] parties fight, and one of them pushes a pregnant woman and a miscarriage results, but no other damage ensues, the one responsible shall be fined according as the woman’s husband may exact, the payment to be based on reckoning.Continue reading “Sanhedrin 79”
Sanhedrin 78
There are certain Jewish texts that we tend to use when we discuss euthanasia. But when I was reading today’s daf, I found this text which I had never seen used as an argument for the right to die before, but strikes me as perfect: Rava says: All concede that in the case of one who kills one whoContinue reading “Sanhedrin 78”
2,711 pages of Talmud. A gem a day. 