The upcoming holiday of Pesach celebrates the end of an extended period of slavery that had been foretold to Avraham: “Your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and they will enslave them and afflict them for 400 years. And I will also judge the nation that they will serve, and…
While learning Pirkei Avot, a pre-teen TorahTutors student and her tutor noticed something that reminded them of something they’d learned not long before in the weekly parsha. (It’s also relevant to the upcoming holiday of Pesach!) Avot 1:10 says, ”Sna et harabanut– Hate status.” Moshe put in a lot of effort trying to “convince” Hashem…
On this post-Purim Tuesday: a TorahTutors Tidbit that looks back to Purim and ahead to Pesach. One of several points of contrast between Purim and Pesach is the fact that Hallel is recited on Pesach but not on Purim. A preteen TorahTutors student studied the Talmudic discussion of this difference, found in Arakhin 10a-b.…
One of the central messages of Purim is the power of unity. In fact, Taanit Esther in particular can be seen as specifically representing a message of unity despite physical isolation. (See here, by TorahTutors Director Sarah Rudolph, for more.) That’s an idea that certainly resonates extra deeply in these days of quarantines and lockdowns…
A preteen TorahTutors student learned a deeply relatable midrash about Mordechai. When Mordechai refused to bow to Haman, the king’s servants badgered him daily over it, yet he remained steadfast: “When they spoke to him day after day and he would not listen to them…” (Esther 3:4). The midrash (Esther Rabbah 7:7) connects this account…
Midrash Bamidbar Rabbah (10:5) notes that Yechezkel speaks of false prophets who would profane God, telling lies for the sake of “handfuls of barley and crumbs of bread” (13:19), while a true prophet would never do such a thing. “It is not the way of prophets of God to accept payment for their prophecy.” …
The Palestinian Talmud (Berachot 2:8) names Yitro and Rachav as examples of tzaddikei umot ha’olam – righteous people from other nations who become attached in some way to the Jewish people. A TorahTutors student enjoyed comparing and contrasting the accounts of these two individuals. Each brought some benefit to the Jewish people – Rachav saved…
Finders Keepers?? A TorahTutors tutor introduced the study of hashavat aveidah, returning lost objects, with (1) a saying: “Find a penny, pick it up, and all day long you’ll have good luck!”, and (2) a question: But are you allowed to pick up that penny? Maybe what you should do for “good luck” is return…
“Rabbi Chanina said: A person does not injure his finger below unless it was decreed on him from on high” (Talmud Chullin 7b). A pair of teenage TorahTutors students enjoyed in-depth discussion with their tutor about this statement. What is Rabbi Chanina trying to tell us about the nature of divine providence? How does that…
Did you know the 21st day of the Hebrew month of Tevet, birthday of Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, is marked as a celebration of the Hebrew language? (We didn’t; thank you to Deracheha.org for alerting us with a Facebook post!) Did you also know that TorahTutors has excellent tutors available to teach Hebrew language, as well as…