Latest Essays
The Prohibition of Shaving in the Torah and Halacha
The Prohibition of Shaving in the Torah and Halacha
The Torah prohibits a mourning ritual called tonsuring, i.e., the pulling out or cutting of hair to express sorrow. Rabbinic interpretation understood these verses as a prohibition for men to shave their beards or temples with a razor. Ibn Ezra, however, uncharacteristically rejects the rabbinic interpretation of these verses, and Shadal, who accepts ibn Ezra's reading, goes as far as to say that he himself shaves with a razor.
Passover Becomes about Matzah when the Paschal Lamb Becomes Associated with Jesus
Passover Becomes about Matzah when the Paschal Lamb Becomes Associated with Jesus
As late as the Second Temple period, Passover and Chag HaMatzot were viewed as two separate holidays. What was the final impetus to concretize the synthesis of these holidays into one?
The Purification of a Niddah: The Torah Requirement
The Purification of a Niddah: The Torah Requirement
Jewish law requires a menstruant woman to purify herself by immersing in water. A schematic look at Leviticus 15 actually implies this is not a Torah requirement.
