Eat but Don’t Overeat
Rabbi Avrohom Sebrow The topic of overeating is discussed in the daf this week (Gittin 70a). The Gemara quotes a beraisa that states, “One who fills his belly with anything will become sick.” Rashi explains that eating as much as one desires causes sickness. Rav Papa commented that this beraisa is referring even to healthy […]
Catch 22
Rabbi Avrohom Sebrow Many attorneys are familiar with the case of Pierson v. Post. It is often the first case studied in law school when property rights are taught. The trouble started in 1802 at an uninhabited beach near Southampton, New York. Lodowick Post, a local resident, was out with a hunting party when his […]
Misplaced Modesty
Rabbi Avrohom Sebrow The Gemara in Gittin (55b) tells the famously regrettable story of a wealthy man in the first century who sends his servant to deliver an invitation to his friend, a man named Kamtza, for an upcoming party. However, the servant mistakes the recipient as Bar Kamtza, an enemy of the wealthy man. […]
Life is Precious
Rabbi Avrohom Sebrow HaGaon Rav Yosef Shlomo Kahaneman, zt”l, would often adjure his students to treat every moment of life as priceless. He would encourage them to take advantage of every moment to be involved in mitzvos and positive endeavors. Rav Kahaneman would quip that the Chofetz Chaim merited a long life. This wasn’t simply […]
Of Baptisms and Half-Slaves
Rabbi Avrohom Sebrow Wichita Falls, Texas, is home to Sheppard Air Force Base. A Strategic Air Command Operational Wing of B-52 bombers was located there in the ‘60s. The 494th Bomb Wing was located there until 1965. In its heyday, Sheppard Air Force base had a population of over 21,000 people. With such a large […]
Sounds Fishy
Rabbi Avrohom Sebrow All those teachers who complain that their students frequently doodle may find some solace in the Gemara (Gittin 36a). The Gemara says that Rav would frequently draw a picture of a fish. As it will become clear from the commentators, this was not just some random scribble that someone with a good […]
No Monkeying Around
Rabbi Avrohom Sebrow A rav once complained to the Divrei Yoel, the Satmar Rebbe, zt”l, about an affront to his honor: a child dressed up as a monkey had delivered his mishloach manos. The Satmar Rebbe remarked that the rav was lucky that his mishloach manos wasn’t delivered by an actual monkey, because that would […]
The Rights and Wrongs of Writing
Rabbi Avrohom Sebrow In 2010, vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin delivered a highly anticipated speech to around 1,100 supporters at a Tea Party Convention. However, she couldn’t get through it without a few notes scrawled on her hand. She famously wrote on her hand the words: energy, budget cuts, tax, and lift American spirits. The […]
Can You Save Me a Seat?
Rabbi Avrohom Sebrow The following article is based on Gittin (11b-12a) and Chashukei Chemed on Bava Metzia (10a). The article is intended to engender discussion and not to provide halachic guidance. Please see the sources for practical rulings. Boruch was waiting at an Egged bus stop. There were throngs of people there. Worse still, he […]
Down In The Dumps
Rabbi Avrohom Sebrow “Dumpster diving” is the practice of sifting through commercial or residential trash to find items that have been discarded by their owners but which may be useful to the dumpster diver. The practice of dumpster diving is also known as urban foraging, binning, alley surfing, curbing, D-mart, dumpstering, garbaging, garbage picking, garbage […]