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Curated Torah sources across every topic, from classical texts to contemporary responsa.
Walls Higher Than the Sukkah Roof
Medieval and early modern sources examine whether a sukkah remains valid when the wall used as a דופן עקומה (bent wall) exceeds the height of the s'chach (roofing). The halakha addresses the relationship between wall height, invalid roofing material, and the requirement for sufficient valid s'chach.
אמרינן דופן עקומה
Walls Higher Than the Schach in a Sukkah
Classical and later authorities address whether a wall that rises above the schach can still qualify for the legal fiction of דופן עקומה (a bent wall), which permits the sukkah to remain valid even when invalid roofing adjoins the wall. The sources discuss the relationship between wall height, schach placement, and the four-cubit measure that defines when this principle applies.
אמרינן דופן עקומה שאנו רואים כאילו הדופן עולה עד הסכך
Sukkah Roof Materials and Ritual Requirements
Sources from the Mishnah, Talmud, and later halakhic works defining the valid composition and construction of a sukkah's s'chach, including requirements for plant-based materials, detachment from the ground, and exemption from ritual impurity.
דבר שגידולו מן הארץ שנעקר מן הארץ ואינו מקבל טומאה
The Fallen Sukkah of David in Bentching
Sources explore the Prophetic image of raising up the fallen sukkah of David—recited in the Harachaman blessing during Sukkot meals—and connect it to the practical halakhic requirements for building and repairing a valid sukkah, including structural integrity of walls and s'chach.
בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא אָקִים אֶת־סֻכַּת דָּוִד הַנֹּפֶלֶת
Sukkah Obligation on a Ship
Sources discuss whether a sukkah built on a ship is structurally valid and whether a ship itself qualifies as a stable dwelling place for sukkah purposes. The sources examine the distinction between a sukkah's physical validity and the separate question of whether travel by ship exempts one from the obligation.
העושה סוכתו בראש הספינה
Bloodstains and Ritual Purity in Women
These sources examine the halakhic status of bloodstains found on a woman's body or garments, exploring when blood renders a woman ritually impure and prohibited to her husband. The sources address the distinction between Torah law, which requires sensing an emission of blood, and rabbinic decrees extending impurity to unexplained stains, as well as the requirement that blood be in direct contact with flesh rather than external surfaces.
עַד שֶׁתַּרְגִּישׁ בִּבְשָׂרָהּ
The Patriarchs' Names for the Temple
Rabbinic sources explore how Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob each referred to the future Temple site by different names—the mountain, the field, and the house—reflecting their distinct spiritual relationships to that place. The sources also discuss the Western Wall as a sacred remnant after the Temple's destruction.
אַבְרָהָם קָרָא הַר, יִצְחָק קָרָא שָׂדֶה, יַעֲקֹב קָרָא בַּיִת
The Emden-Eibeschitz Controversy Over Sabbateanism
A polemical dispute between two prominent eighteenth-century scholars concerning allegations of Sabbatean influence and heterodox teachings. The sources include responsa and polemical writings that document the accusations, defenses, and communal dimensions of this significant halakhic and theological controversy.
וכן קורא זה הערל וטמא לרשב״י נוצרי בפירוש
Messianic Criteria and Sabbatai Zevi
Classical Jewish sources establish criteria for identifying the Messiah through prophecy and rabbinic interpretation. These texts provide the scriptural and halakhic framework against which historical messianic claims, including those surrounding Sabbatai Zevi, were evaluated.
כׇּל הַנְּבִיאִים כּוּלָּן לֹא נִתְנַבְּאוּ אֶלָּא לִימוֹת הַמָּשִׁיחַ
Death on Shabbat and Courtyard Carrying Rights
These sources examine how a person's death on Shabbat affects the eruv arrangement and carrying privileges within a shared courtyard. The passages address the status of the deceased's domain, the rights of surviving residents, and the practical consequences for partnership in an eruv.
אַנְשֵׁי חָצֵר שֶׁשָּׁכַח אֶחָד וְלֹא עֵירַב — בֵּיתוֹ אָסוּר
The Four Named Spices of the Ketores
Sources examine the biblical text of the ketores (incense) offering, which names only four of its eleven spices explicitly while leaving the remaining ingredients to be transmitted through oral tradition. The passages address grammatical and exegetical principles relevant to understanding why certain components are designated by name in Scripture while others are not.
וַיֹּאמֶר יְהֹוָה אֶל־מֹשֶׁה קַח־לְךָ סַמִּים נָטָף
The Shin on Head Tefillin: Three and Four Branches
Sources explain the halakhic requirement for the letter shin embossed on the head tefillin, including the traditional forms with three branches on the right and four branches on the left. The sources trace this practice from biblical command through Talmudic principle to later practical codification.
שִׁין שֶׁל תְּפִילִּין הֲלָכָה לְמֹשֶׁה מִסִּינַי