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Curated Torah sources across every topic, from classical texts to contemporary responsa.
Employment, Competition, and Starting a Rival Business
Jewish law addresses when an employee may lawfully establish a competing enterprise. The sources examine restrictions on commercial competition, the employee's obligations to the employer, the use of employer property or confidential information, and the distinction between permitted competition and prohibited harmful encroachment or theft.
לא ירד לתוך אומנות חברו
A Kohen's Attendance at a Convert's Funeral
These sources examine whether a kohen may become ritually impure to attend the funeral of his converted wife, balancing the Torah's prohibition on kohanim defiling themselves with the dead against the exception granted for a wife. The sources trace the issue from Biblical law through Talmudic discussion to medieval and later codifications.
שארו זו אשתו
The Domestic Table as Sacred Space
Jewish sources establish the household table as a continuation of the Mishkan's table of showbread, linking domestic meals to Temple service through laws of respect, blessing, and the presence of bread. The table thus becomes a venue where divine blessing can rest and where ordinary eating is elevated to sacred practice.
שֻׁלְחָן דָּא אִיהוּ קַיְּימָא לְגוֹ בְּמַשְׁכְּנָא
Priestly Impurity and Aircraft Over Cemeteries
Sources addressing the laws of priestly impurity from proximity to the dead, including the principles of contact, covering, and intervening space. The sources establish the foundational rules governing when a kohen becomes impure and examine how these principles apply to modern circumstances such as passing over graves.
הַמֵּת מְטַמֵּא בְּמַגָּע וּבְמַשָּׂא וּבְאֹהֶל
The Five Sections of the Beard in Jewish Law
Sources from Torah, Talmud, and medieval halakhic codes define the anatomical structure of the beard (chatimot zaqan) and establish which areas are subject to the prohibition against shaving or destroying facial hair. The beard is divided into five distinct regions, each with separate halakhic significance.
וְחָמֵשׁ פֵּאוֹת יֵשׁ בּוֹ
Shofar and Shabbat: Why the Mitzvah Is Suspended
These sources explain the rabbinic enactment that prohibits sounding the shofar when Rosh Hashanah falls on Shabbat, despite the Torah's association of the holiday with the shofar blast. The sources address the reasoning behind the decree—a concern that people might carry the shofar to an expert—and discuss exceptions that applied in the Temple and among established courts.
גזירה שמא יטלנו בידו לילך אצל בקי
Bikkurim Baskets and Honoring the Poor
Sources examine the halakhic distinction in how the kohanim treated the ritual vessels used to bring first fruits: metal baskets of the wealthy were returned to their owners, while wicker baskets of the poor became priestly property. The tradition illuminates how Jewish law protects the dignity of those with limited means while benefiting the priesthood.
בתר עניא אזלא עניותא
Jewish Law on Killing Non-Jews
Sources explore the halakhic status of homicide involving non-Jews, examining biblical frameworks for universal accountability, rabbinic distinctions in beis din liability, and the principles underlying judicial authority and the preservation of life.
יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּגוֹי פָּטוּר
Priestly Marriage Laws and Converts
These sources examine the Torah's prohibition against a kohen marrying a convert, analyzing the biblical basis for the restriction and its scope across different halakhic traditions. The sources distinguish the genealogical requirements for priestly marriage from ordinary Jewish marriage law.
בַּת גֵּר זָכָר כְּבַת חָלָל זָכָר
Shofar in Elul: Halacha and Meaning
Sources explore the customary practice of sounding the shofar throughout the month of Elul as preparation for the High Holidays, examining both its halakhic status and its spiritual significance as a call to repentance and self-examination.
עוּרוּ יְשֵׁנִים מִשְּׁנַתְכֶם
The Prohibition of Shaving the Beard
Jewish sources address the biblical and rabbinic prohibitions against shaving or destroying the beard, analyzing which methods of cutting are forbidden, the structure of the beard's corners, and the practical applications of these laws.
ולא תשחית את פאת זקנך
Unity in Sacred Vessels: The Mikshah Requirement
The Torah mandates that the menorah, kapores, and chatzotzrot be fashioned from single, solid pieces of metal rather than assembled from separate components. Sources explore both the technical halakhic requirement and its deeper spiritual significance—reflecting principles of wholeness, unity, and the indivisibility necessary for objects that interface with the Divine.
מִקְשָׁה זָהָב עַד־יְרֵכָהּ עַד־פִּרְחָהּ מִקְשָׁה הִוא