Author: Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, DHL, LCSW-R

February 5th, 2025

Our Gemara on amud aleph deduces that the subverters —those who encouraged the idolatrous practice of an Ir HaNidachas—are worse than the actual sinners themselves. (An Ir HaNidachas is a city condemned to be decimated due to a significant portion of its populace being identified as idolaters.) This distinction is reflected in the punishments each receives: the inhabitants are merely executed by the sword, while the subverters suffer …
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Author: Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, DHL, LCSW-R

February 4th, 2025

After the story about how Dovid HaMelech’s curses boomeranged back upon his descendants, our Gemara on amud aleph begins with an adage: Be the one who is cursed and not the one who curses, as a curse eventually returns to the one who curses. The Maharal (Gur Aryeh 19:19) explains this idea with greater metaphysical depth. He states that if one curses someone who is undeserving of the curse, it will rebound upon him. Maharal compares this to …
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Author: Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, DHL, LCSW-R

February 3rd, 2025

Our Gemara on Amud Beis discusses the dangers of cursing someone and how it can backfire:  Rav Yehuda says that Rav says: All the curses that David invoked upon Joab were ultimately fulfilled in David’s descendants, due to the curse that Solomon accepted upon himself. David cursed Joab: “Let the house of Joab never lack those who are afflicted with a discharge, or a leper, or who hold onto a staff, or fall by the sword, or lack b …
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Author: Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, DHL, LCSW-R

February 2nd, 2025

Our Gemara on Amud Aleph describes a situation where a person was obligated to bring a sin offering for an unwitting transgression, but later became an apostate. In this case, even if the person wanted to offer the sacrifice, it would not be accepted due to their heretical status. But what if they later repented? Ulla says, quoting Rabbi Yoḥanan: If someone unwittingly ate forbidden fat and designated a sin offering, but then became an apostate …
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Author: Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, DHL, LCSW-R

January 31st, 2025

Our Gemara on Amud Aleph discusses a Jewish version of emergency powers, whereby, in times of crisis, the Jewish court may take extra-legal steps and mete out punishments without due process: Rabbi Eliezer ben Ya’akov says: “I heard that the court may administer lashes and capital punishment, even when not required by Torah law. However, they may not administer these punishments with the intention of violating the statement of the Tor …
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Author: Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, DHL, LCSW-R

January 31st, 2025

Our Gemara on Amud Aleph discusses the capital punishment of stoning, which includes stripping the condemned person of their clothing to expedite their death. However, there is a dispute between Rabbi Yehuda and the Sages regarding whether a woman who is stoned should also be stripped of her clothing. The Gemara analyzes this disagreement and offers the following reasoning behind their arguments: One Sage, i.e., the Sages, holds that minimizing o …
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Author: Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, DHL, LCSW-R

January 30th, 2025

Our Gemara on Amud Aleph wonders why the entire Jewish people were punished for Achan’s sin, given the principle that collective responsibility only applies when the sin is known publicly. If nobody knew about Achan’s crime, how could they be held liable?   The Gemara answers: Achan’s offense was not entirely secret because his wife and children knew about it, and they did not protest.   This answer is diffic …
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Author: Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, DHL, LCSW-R

January 29th, 2025

Our Gemara on Amud Beis relates an aggadah about Yehoshua’s attempt to discover the identity of the sinner who secretly took from the banned spoils. When Yehoshua asks God to reveal the culprit, God refuses, declaring, “Shall you make Me into an informer?” Instead, God suggests that Yehoshua use a system of lots, which would identify the offender. The Gemara also compares this to the lottery later used to divide the land of Isra …
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Author: Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, DHL, LCSW-R

January 28th, 2025

Our Gemara on Amud Aleph compares one who fulfills the mitzvah of blessing the new month at its proper time to one who has seen the face of the Shekhina. What is the connection between the mitzvah of blessing the Moon and encountering the Shekhina? Various commentaries offer interpretations, each expressing a different dimension of our relationship with God. The Meiri explains that observing and blessing the renewal of the Moon brings about an aw …
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Author: Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, DHL, LCSW-R

January 27th, 2025

Our Gemara on Amud Aleph discusses the status of the Sanhedrin in the years leading up to the destruction of the Temple: “Forty years before the destruction of the Second Temple, the Sanhedrin was exiled from the Chamber of Hewn Stone and sat in a store near the Temple Mount… And no longer judged cases of capital law. Once the Sanhedrin left the Chamber of Hewn Stone, their ability to judge capital cases was nullified.” A simpl …
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Author: Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, DHL, LCSW-R

January 26th, 2025

Our Gemara on Amud Aleph discusses the process of cross-examining witnesses to assess their consistency and credibility: The mishna continues: And afterward, after the court examines the first witness, they bring in the second witness and examine him. If the statements of the witnesses are found to be congruent, the court begins to deliberate the matter. Sefer Daf al Daf recounts an incident where a respected community member was accused of sever …
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Author: Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, DHL, LCSW-R

January 24th, 2025

Our Gemara on Amud Aleph recounts an intriguing polemic between Rabban Gamliel and a Roman emperor: The emperor said to Rabban Gamliel: It is written in praise of the Lord: “He counts the number of the stars; He gives them all their names” (Psalms 147:4). What is His greatness? I can also count the stars. Rabban Gamliel brought quinces, placed them in a sieve, and spun them. He said to the emperor: Count them. The emperor said: Stand …
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Author: Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, DHL, LCSW-R

January 24th, 2025

Our Gemara on Amud Aleph describes how every human being was endowed by the Creator with unique features, stating that no two people look alike. It can sometimes be challenging to discern whether the Gemara is presenting an absolute rule or a general observation. The Gemara serves as a legal record but also contains parables and allegories. For example, if the Gemara praises God for creating beautiful roses, is this merely a general statement of …
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Author: Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, DHL, LCSW-R

January 23rd, 2025

Our Gemara describes the seating order of the Sanhedrin and how it was arranged according to the scholars’ credentials: “And three rows of Torah scholars sit before the judges, and each and every one among those sitting recognizes his place, i.e., they are seated in accordance with their stature.” It seems there was an official or unofficial, tacitly recognized pecking order, likely a combination of seniority and acknowledged su …
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Author: Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, DHL, LCSW-R

January 22nd, 2025

Our Gemara on Amud Aleph recounts critical figures at particular junctures in Jewish history: “From the days of Moses until the days of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi, we do not find unparalleled greatness in Torah knowledge and unparalleled greatness in secular matters, including wealth and high political office, combined in one place, i.e., in a single individual… Rav Adda bar Ahava says: I also say a similar statement, that from the days of …
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Author: Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, DHL, LCSW-R

January 21st, 2025

Our Gemara on Amud Aleph discusses why we do not judge capital cases on Erev Shabbos: “And if we say: We should judge him on Shabbos eve, conclude his verdict on Shabbos, and kill him on Sunday, you are found to have caused a delay in his verdict, as the accused will have to wait overnight knowing he is condemned to death.  And if we say: We should judge him on Shabbos eve and conclude his verdict on Sunday, the judges will forget thei …
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Author: Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, DHL, LCSW-R

January 20th, 2025

Our Gemara on amud aleph discusses various safeguards that are put in place to advocate for the defendant in a capital case during the deliberation phase of the trial. Once one of the judges offers arguments in the defendant’s defense, the judge can no longer advocate for conviction. However, the reverse is possible: a judge who argued for conviction may also offer arguments for exoneration. Rav, however, offers a key distinction, which she …
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Author: Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, DHL, LCSW-R

January 19th, 2025

Our Gemara on Amud Beis discusses extra efforts to defend a suspect in a capital case, emphasizing the importance of finding every possible angle to mitigate the crime. One aspect of this approach is that the court will favor and allow appeals based on new evidence or novel arguments for exoneration, as opposed to later discovering arguments for conviction. The Mishna teaches that in cases of capital law, the court may bring the accused back to b …
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Author: Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, DHL, LCSW-R

January 17th, 2025

There is an Israeli saying: “The two dead drivers were both right.” Our Gemara on Amud Beis discusses situations where it is morally acceptable for Beis Din to seek compromise, even when strict law might dictate different rights. When the verse states, “Justice, justice, shall you follow,” one mention of “justice” refers to judgment, and the other refers to compromise. How is this understood? Consider a scenari …
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Author: Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, DHL, LCSW-R

January 17th, 2025

Our Gemara on Amud Beis offers an intriguing expression of praise for the sage, Mar Ukva: "He who has light upon him, like Moses, who is called the son of Batya." The commentaries question why Mar Ukva is specifically described in this way, and why Moshe is principally identified as the son of Batya (who, according to the Midrash, was Pharaoh’s daughter and raised him). Rashi cites a tradition that Mar Ukva’s initial repentance and aw …
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Author: Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, DHL, LCSW-R

January 16th, 2025

Our Gemara on Amud Aleph discusses an intriguing legal case with metaphysical implications: In a case where someone was distressed about money left as an inheritance by his father, unable to locate it, the master of the dream, i.e., the angel overseeing dreams, appeared and revealed the exact amount and location of the money, but added that it was second tithe (maaser sheni). Upon finding the money as described, the case was brought before the Sa …
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Author: Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, DHL, LCSW-R

January 15th, 2025

The Mishna on amud aleph states that witnesses were intimidated with warnings about the catastrophic spiritual and physical consequences of false testimony, aiming to deter potential perjurers. Our Gemara on amud aleph explores the specific message conveyed to these witnesses. Initially, the Gemara considers a warning based on a verse indicating that false testimony leads to starvation through famine. This idea is rejected because the rabbis reas …
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Author: Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, DHL, LCSW-R

January 14th, 2025

Our Gemara on Amud Beis discusses the status of the parents of children who marry each other (known in Yiddish as machatonim), and whether their closeness disqualifies them from serving as witnesses: The father of the groom and the father of the bride can testify about each other, as they are considered to each other like a lid on a barrel. The Gemara uses a metaphor of a lid on a barrel to describe the relationship between the two parents/in-law …
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Author: Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, DHL, LCSW-R

January 13th, 2025

Our Gemara on Amud Aleph discusses the halachic and hashkafic implications of the legalities surrounding conspiring witnesses. There is a fundamental and intrinsic illogic to the law. On one hand, witnesses are considered the highest form of verification, and ordinarily, if two sets of witnesses contradict each other, it results in a stalemate. We cannot assume that one group is more credible than the other. Yet, if the second set of witnesses di …
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Author: Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, DHL, LCSW-R

January 12th, 2025

Our Gemara on Amud Aleph describes an incident during the reign of King Chizkiyahu and the impact, or lack thereof, that a group of evil conspirators had. Specifically, King Chizkiyahu did not need to take into account the behaviors or assessments of wicked people, and their opinions would not carry the same weight with God, even though they represented a large portion of the population. Shebna, a steward and minister in King Hezekiah’s cou …
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Author: Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, DHL, LCSW-R

January 10th, 2025

Our Gemara on Amud Aleph discusses why the Mishna needs to delineate the disqualification of two different kinds of gamblers: one who plays with dice and one who bets on pigeons. This Gemara holds that the reason a gambler is disqualified is that betting is tantamount to theft. How so? Because the person who is betting doesn’t fully commit to losing, and therefore, when the winning bettor collects winnings from the losers, it is essentially …
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Author: Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, DHL, LCSW-R

January 10th, 2025

Our Gemara on Amud Beis discusses why a career gambler is not trusted as a witness: Rav Sheshes says: Those who play dice are disqualified because they are not involved in settling the world, i.e., in productive occupations that demand hard work. What is this flaw exactly, and why does it disqualify them? Rashi here offers two factors which, combined, lead to a person who cannot be trusted to testify on financial matters because his perception is …
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Author: Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, DHL, LCSW-R

January 9th, 2025

Our Gemara on Amud Aleph discusses the concept of Zabl”a, where two litigants choose a judge, and those two judges then select a third. Chaim V’Chessed (124) compares this to the encounter of Chessed (total giving) with Gevurah (strength, boundaries), which manifests Tiferes (compassion and mercy). The idea that stability is achieved through the encounter of two, producing a balanced third, is a recurring pattern throughout the physic …
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Author: Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, DHL, LCSW-R

January 8th, 2025

Our Gemara on Amud Aleph discusses the well-known verse in Tehillim (16:8): “I have set Hashem before myself continuously.” Rav Ḥana bar Bizna says that Rabbi Shimon Ḥasida says: One who prays needs to see himself as if the Divine Presence is opposite him, as it is stated: “I have set the Lord always before me” (Psalms 16:8). The simple meaning of this is to visualize, when praying, that one is actually standing before …
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Author: Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, DHL, LCSW-R

January 7th, 2025

Our Gemara on Amud Aleph discusses the status of Tamar’s mother, Ma’acha, and whether she was Jewish at the time of Tamar’s conception. Ma’acha was a “Captive Woman,” subject to the laws described in Devarim (21:10–14): When you [an Israelite warrior] take the field against your enemies, and Hashem your God delivers them into your power, and you take some of them captive, and you see among the captives a …
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Author: Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, DHL, LCSW-R

January 6th, 2025

Our Gemara offers a homiletic analysis of the verse in Mishlei (31:30): "Grace is false, beauty is transient and empty; but a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised." At its most straightforward level, this verse teaches us not to be overly captivated by external charm or physical beauty, as they are fleeting and superficial. Instead, it is inner character, particularly the fear of God, that is praiseworthy and enduring. The verse disting …
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Author: Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, DHL, LCSW-R

January 5th, 2025

Our Gemara on amud aleph highlights the importance of being sensitive to human nature, even when acting on good intentions. One must always consider how actions will be perceived by others. For example, if the Kohen Gadol suffers a personal loss and is sitting shiva, the Mashuach She-Avar (a former High Priest who temporarily served in the current Kohen Gadol's place, such as during a period of ritual impurity) should not visit him. Despite any g …
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Author: Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, DHL, LCSW-R

January 3rd, 2025

Our Gemara on Amud Beis discusses legal exemptions from the obligation to return lost items, focusing on situations where retrieval of the object would conflict with the dignity of the finder: “You shall not see your brother’s ox or his sheep wandering and ignore them; you shall return them to your brother” (Deuteronomy 22:1). The use of the unusual phrase “and ignore them,” rather than a more direct “do not ig …
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Author: Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, DHL, LCSW-R

January 3rd, 2025

Our Gemara on Amud Aleph describes the careful safeguards implemented in capital cases. To prevent the court from being carried away by an overly zealous and condemning spirit, an extraordinary safeguard is enacted: if all the judges unanimously vote to convict, the defendant is acquitted: "Rav Kahana says: In a Sanhedrin where all the judges saw fit to convict the defendant in a case of capital law, they acquit him. …It is since it is lea …
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Author: Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, DHL, LCSW-R

January 2nd, 2025

Our Gemara on Amud Aleph describes the process by which the Davidic monarchy determined whether to engage in warfare, once the king proposed this course of action: "The Sages immediately sought advice from Ahithophel to determine whether or not it was appropriate to go to war at that time and how they should conduct themselves; and they consulted the Sanhedrin in order to receive the requisite permission to wage a war under those circumstances; a …
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Author: Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, DHL, LCSW-R

January 1st, 2025

Our Gemara discusses how many judges are required to preside over the case of an animal that gores, determining that it requires 23 judges, similar to a human capital case. The Gemara then poses a hypothetical question: What would be the status of an animal that ascended Mount Sinai during the time it was forbidden? The relevant verses describe the temporary sanctity conferred upon Mount Sinai prior to the revelation and the giving of the Torah ( …
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Author: Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, DHL, LCSW-R

December 31st, 2024

Our Gemara on Amud Aleph discusses an incident where Rabbi Zeira initially declined to accept Rabbinic ordination out of humility but later changed his mind based on a particular teaching: Rabbi Zeira would habitually hide himself so that they would not ordain him. He did this because Rabbi Elazar said: "Always be obscure and remain alive," meaning the more humble and unknown you make yourself, the longer you will live. However, when Rabbi Zeira …
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Author: Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, DHL, LCSW-R

December 30th, 2024

Our Gemara on Amud Aleph-Beis recounts the heroic martyrdom of Rabbi Yehuda ben Bava, who defied a Roman decree against ordaining judges, risking his life to ensure the chain of semicha (ordination) originating from Moshe Rabbeinu would not be broken. The Gemara tells the story as follows: “That man will be remembered favorably, and Rabbi Yehuda ben Bava is his name, as had it not been for him… the laws of fines would have ceased to …
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Author: Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, DHL, LCSW-R

January 24th, 2025

Our Gemara on Amud Aleph provides an aggadic backstory to explain why King Chizkiyahu sought atonement. The verse in Divrei Hayamim II (30:2) states: “The good LORD will provide atonement for everyone who set his mind on worshiping God, the LORD God of his fathers, even if he is not purified for the sanctuary.” The Gemara explains: There was an incident involving Chizkiyahu, king of Yehuda, who intercalated the year due to ritual impu …
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Author: Rabbi Simcha Feuerman, DHL, LCSW-R

December 27th, 2024

Our Gemara on Amud Aleph recounts how the sage Shmuel HaKattan took responsibility in order to spare a colleague from public embarrassment: There was an incident involving Rabban Gamliel, who said to the Sages: “Bring me seven of the Sages early tomorrow morning to the loft designated for convening a court to intercalate the year.” He went to the loft early the next morning and found eight Sages there. Rabban Gamliel said: “Who …
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