Shemot 5780 And the king of Egypt said to the Jewish midwives, one of whom was called Shifra, and the other of whom was called Puah. And he said, “When you deliver the babies for the Jewish women and you see them on the...
Yom Kippur 5780
Rabbi Yosef SprungService of the Heart
Vaeira 5780 And Moshe cried out to Hashem concerning the frogs that he had inflicted upon Paroh (Shemos 8:8) In the Parshiyos of Yetzias Mitzrayim, the Torah records how on numerous occasions Moshe Rabbenu Davened to...
Chametz-Containing Medications
Bo 5780 For a seven-day period you shall eat Matzos, but on the previous day you shall nullify the leaven from your homes; for anyone who eats leavened food – that soul shall be cut off from Israel, from the first day...
Smartphones, Smartwatches, and Shabbat
Beshalach 5780 “See that Hashem has given you the Shabbos; that is why He gives you on the sixth day a two-day portion of bread. Let every man remain in his place; let no man leave his place on the seventh day.” (Shemos...
Wheelchairs on the Bima
Yisro 5780 “And Moshe brought the people forth from the camp towards Hashem, and they stood at the bottom of the mountain”. (Shemos 19:17) Matan Torah was an extraordinary event of Divine revelation, an otherworldly...
The Cheresh That Learned to Speak – Is He Still a Shoteh?
Mishpatim 5780 “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, a foot for a foot.” (Shemos 21:24) Chaza”l famously explain that this Pasuk refers to monetary compensation for physical injury. The Gemara in...
Halachic Measurements and Technology: Man vs. Machine
Trumah 5780 “Exactly as I show you – the form of the Mishkan and the form of all its vessels – so shall you do.” (Shemos 25:9) The Gemara in Bechoros (17b) discusses whether a human being is capable of acting with...
Women in Scrubs – Room for Slack?
Tetzaveh-Zachor 5780 “You shall make them linen breeches to cover their nakedness; they shall extend from the hips to the thighs. They shall be worn by Aharon and his sons when they enter the Tent of Meeting or when...
Shinui and Shabbat: Knuckles, Thimbles, and Left Hands
Vayakel – Pekudei 5780 On six days work may be done, but the seventh day shall be holy for you, a day of complete rest for Hashem; whoever does work on it shall be put to death. (Shemos 35:2) One of the...
Sleep, Anesthesia, and Mitzvos
Vayikra 5780 If one’s offering is a burnt offering from the cattle, he shall offer an unblemished male; he shall bring it to the entrance of the Ohel Moed voluntarily before Hashem. (Vayikra 1:3) The Gemara (Arachin...
