Torah Musings
30 FOLLOWERS
Torah Musings started as an online periodical focusing on multiple areas of interest, including; Jewish law, Jewish thought, and more. Torah Musings is a window into the Orthodox Jewish intellectual's world, providing sophisticated but popular textual studies, important news stories, and associated commentary from the perspective of Orthodox Judaism.
Torah Musings
2d ago
by R. Daniel Mann Question: I have heard that the mitzva of eating matza was supposed to be to eat one k’zayit but that it became a mitzva to eat five k’zeitim. Is that true, and if so, how and why is that? Answer: There is no individual mitzva to ..read more
Torah Musings
2d ago
by R. Daniel Z. Feldman Commentary and insights into the fifth portion of Parashas Metzora. If you cannot see anything below, click on this link. See here for past weeks: here ..read more
Torah Musings
2d ago
by R. Gil Student R. Ysoscher Katz, in an attempted rebuttal to Rav Hershel Schachter’s responsum on girls wearing tefillin, offered a number of arguments. In the past, we examined his claim that Rashi held the bar low for issuing halakhic rulings (link). Here I would like to discuss his ..read more
Torah Musings
2d ago
by R. Gil Student I. Avoiding the Korban Pesach We know from tax law the difference between avoidance and evasion. Tax avoidance involves structuring your finances to legally minimize your taxes. In contrast, tax evasion is refusing to pay taxes that you owe. Obviously, when it comes to mitzvos, evasion ..read more
Torah Musings
1w ago
by R. Daniel Mann Question: I now eat matza throughout the year as a replacement for bread as a big part of reducing salt intake, on doctor’s orders. My family minhag I have always kept is to suspend eating matza from Rosh Chodesh Nisan. May I continue to eat matza ..read more
Torah Musings
1w ago
by R. Gil Student I. Shabbos Clothes We greet Shabbos and spend the entire day clean and proper, dressed in fine clothes. What do you do if you have to wear an army uniform? The Gemara (Shabbos 119a) says that R. Chanina and R. Yannai would wear special clothes to ..read more
Torah Musings
1w ago
by R. Gil Student I. Education is the Key The past half century of Jewish experience has taught that education is the key to ideological success. Whichever group controls the schools wins the hearts of succeeding generations. But what seems clear in retrospect was not obvious at the time ..read more
Torah Musings
3w ago
by Joel Rich From a WSJ piece, was the current structure of Chabad intentional? Part of Schneerson’s brilliance was to ensure that no one would succeed him as Chabad’s rebbe, with the result of distributing responsibility for his formidable legacy as far and wide as possible. In doing so, he ..read more
Torah Musings
3w ago
by R. Eliezer Simcha Weisz The Significance of Detail: The Elongated Vav and Rashi’s Word Choice This week’s parsha delves into the intricate laws of kashrut, specifying which animals, fish, birds, and insects are permitted as Kosher (Vayikra 11:42). Amongst many details the Torah states ..read more
Torah Musings
3w ago
by R. Gil Student On April 8, 2024, parts of North America will experience a total solar eclipse. Many enthusiasts are traveling to locations where they can experience the darkness that occurs when sunlight is not visible (don’t ruin their fun by telling them about nighttime). In all seriousness, this ..read more