Throughout the Mishna there are debates between two rival schools - The House of Shammai and the House of Hillel. In the majority of cases, Shammai would take a more…
Author: Beastman
I am a corporate attorney. I was raised Jewish in a slightly observant household. Although I was bar mitzvahed in an Orthodox synagogue, I have never kept kosher or Shomer Shabbos. I love history and particularly Jewish history. I am happily married to a Catholic woman. Our children were raised in a reform synagogue and consider themselves Jewish - in some ways, they are more observant than me.
Me Too and the Talmud – Berakhot 10
Women come to the fore in today's Daf - not as objects to be regulated, not as objects of desire, not as mothers, but as scholars and heroic confederates. For…
A Hard Verse – Berakhot 9
Some verses in the bible are hard for us to relate because of the content. I always cringe when I read that people with disabilities are not allowed to serve…
The Sandwich Generation and the Talmud – Berakhot 8
Today's Daf has several teachings famous sages gave their children, but it also has a beautiful passage about how we treat the elderly. If you remember Exodous, Moses ascended a…
Do I Deserve Suffering Redux – Berakhot 7
I was troubled in a previous post when the Talmud argued that tragedy was punishment for sin. To be fair, the Talmud also said that suffering might be evidence of…
The Joys of Community – Berakhot 6
My favorite Jewish song, which I learned in kindergarten is Hinei Ma Tovu. The song is actually the first verse of Psalm 133 in Hebrew. "How good and how pleasant…
Do we deserve tragedy? – Berakhot 5
I was heartbroken this morning to learn that the toddler hit in the head by a foul ball at an Astros game looked like she would have permanent brain damage.…
The Frenetic Talmud and the Dangers of Procrastination – Berakhot 4
I am a natural procrastinator. As much as I try to live a planned, purposeful life managed through checklists, I cannot really do it. Left to my natural devices I…
The Tyranny of Time and Gilligan’s Island – Berakhot 3
For many of us (including me), today was our first day back at work after the long holiday. My alarm went off very early this morning telling me it was…
DY-Day Berakhot 2
Today is the day. The first day of our Daf Yomi cycle. My previous posts help set the stage for today. If you do not know what he Mishnah or…