There are some subjects which are so delicate, and so open to misunderstanding, that they should only be taught in very small groups. Specifically, we are taught in Mishna Chagigah 2:1 in today’s daf (Chagigah 11b) that a Torah teacher should not attempt to explain the laws of forbidden relationships (עריות) that are not explicitly…
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Having reached Mishna Chagigah 1:8 in today’s daf (Chagigah 10a) which, though it does refer to the laws of the שלמי חגיגה (festive offering), directs its attention to the dynamic between the Written Torah (תורה שבכתב) and the Oral Torah (תורה שבעל פה) especially in terms of considering how there are various laws which only…
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What choices of your past that you cannot fix do you most regret?This, fundamentally, is the question posed in the Mishna (Chagigah 1:6-7) in today’s daf (Chagigah 9a) – which is prompted by a discussion concerning someone who does not bring a festive offering (שלמי חגיגה) for the entire festival period, to whom we apply…
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The Mishna (Chagigah 1:5) in today’s daf (Chagigah 8b) states that someone with many dependents and a more limited budget should, when coming to Jerusalem for the שלוש רגלים (the three Pilgrim festivals), bring more שלמי חגיגה (festive peace offerings that were given in part to the Kohanim but which were primarily eaten by the…
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Today’s daf (Chagigah 7a) repeatedly references Mishlei 25:17 which states: הֹקַר רַגְלְךָ מִבֵּית רֵעֶךָ פֶּן יִשְׂבָּעֲךָ וּשְׂנֵאֶךָ – ‘Let the presence of your foot be rare in the home of your friend, so that he doesn’t become fed up with you and come to hate you’, and this verse is interpreted by Rav Yochanan as…
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Today’s daf (Chagigah 6a-b) explores a dispute between Beit Hillel and Beit Shammai referenced in the first daf of Massechet Chagigah (2a) about the value of the עלת ראייה (the pilgrimage olah offering) and the שלמי חגיגה (the festive peace offerings – see Shemot 23:14, Devarim 16:14,17). And though there are those who often side-step…
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We all know that there is a prohibition called לשון הרע (Lashon HaRa, whose primary biblical prooftext is Vayikra 19:16), which is the term we use for what we shouldn’t say which can do harm and bring distance between our relationships.We also know that there is a mitzvah called וְאָהַבְתָּ לְרֵעֲךָ כָּמוֹךָ אֲנִי ה’ (‘Love…
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Interview with Rabbi Ilan Segal about ‘Aruch Hashulchan in English’
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