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Curated Torah sources across every topic, from classical texts to contemporary responsa.
The Permissibility of Killing Animals
Jewish sources address whether and under what conditions animals may be killed for human use. The sources trace the biblical permission to eat meat as a post-Flood concession to human appetite, establish the principle of minimizing animal suffering (tzaar baalei chayyim), and codify ritual slaughter as the exclusive permissible method.
לא נתנה בשר אלא לתאוה
Bal Tosif and Lo Sasur: Adding and Subtracting from Torah
These twin prohibitions forbid adding new commandments to the Torah or subtracting from existing ones. The sources explore the Biblical foundation of these laws, their application through rabbinic authority, and the crucial distinction between legitimate rabbinic enactments and unauthorized innovations that violate these prohibitions.
לֹא תֹסִפוּ עַל־הַדָּבָר אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוֶּה אֶתְכֶם
Jewish Theological Critique of Christianity
Classical Jewish sources—from Tanakh through the Rishonim and Acharonim—examine Christian doctrine, messianic claims, and the relationship between Christianity and Jewish law. The sources present the traditional Jewish rejection of Christian theology while tracing how early rabbinic texts engaged with Christianity's historical origins.
כִּֽי־יָק֤וּם בְּקִרְבְּךָ֙ נָבִ֔יא א֖וֹ חֹלֵ֣ם חֲל֑וֹם וְנָתַ֥ן אֵלֶ֛יךָ א֖וֹת א֥וֹ מוֹפֵֽת
The Revelation at Sinai and Shavuot
Sources describe the historical and spiritual dimensions of Shavuot, commemorating the giving of the Torah at Mount Sinai witnessed by the entire Jewish people. The sources explore both the biblical account of the revelation and rabbinic and Hasidic interpretations of its ongoing spiritual significance.
בְּשִׁשִּׁי בַּחֹדֶשׁ נִיתְּנוּ עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדִּבְּרוֹת לְיִשְׂרָאֵל
The Ramban on Jerusalem's Eternal Holiness
Sources explore the Ramban's teachings on Jerusalem's enduring sanctity despite the Temple's destruction, grounding his perspective in Talmudic passages on prayer and the land, biblical designations of the Holy City, and the Jewish people's metaphysical bond with it. The sources collectively illustrate how the Ramban synthesized rabbinic tradition to argue for Jerusalem's irreplaceable place in Jewish spiritual and national life.
אִֽם־אֶשְׁכָּחֵ֥ךְ יְֽרוּשָׁלִָ֗ם תִּשְׁכַּ֥ח יְמִינִֽי
Jerusalem and Individual Spiritual Paths
These sources explore how Jerusalem and Eretz Yisrael hold a singular, irreplaceable position in Jewish spiritual life, while also teaching that each individual possesses a unique and irreplaceable path within that greater destiny. The sources range from biblical celebration of Jerusalem's universal significance to rabbinic teachings on human uniqueness and Kabbalistic insights into personal spiritual journeys.
לְפִיכָךְ נִבְרָא אָדָם יְחִידִי
The Gra and Besht: Opposing Visions of Jewish Practice
Sources exploring the fundamental theological disagreement between the Gra and the Besht over the nature of authentic Jewish service—whether it centers on precise Torah study and meticulous mitzvah observance or on fervent prayer, devekut, and the spiritual role of the tzaddik. The dispute reflects competing understandings of how to serve God and achieve spiritual perfection.
גְּדוֹלָה תוֹרָה יוֹתֵר מִן הַכְּהֻנָּה וּמִן הַמַּלְכוּת
The Obligation of Tzedakah
Jewish law establishes tzedakah as a binding positive commandment rooted in Torah, with detailed obligations about giving according to one's means, the scope of giving, and the prioritization of recipients. Classical sources from Tanakh through the Shulchan Arukh outline both the duty to give and the prohibition against refusing or neglecting the poor.
כִּֽי־יִהְיֶה֩ בְךָ֨ אֶבְי֜וֹן מֵאַחַ֤ד אַחֶ֙יךָ
Remembering the Exodus Daily
These sources establish the biblical and rabbinic obligation to recall the Exodus from Egypt as a daily religious practice, both by day and by night. The sources ground this remembrance in Torah verses, explain its centrality to Passover observance, and emphasize the personal identification each Jew should maintain with the redemption from Egypt.
בְּכָל דּוֹר וָדוֹר חַיָּב אָדָם לִרְאוֹת אֶת עַצְמוֹ כְאִלּוּ הוּא יָצָא מִמִּצְרַיִם
Why Shavuot Cannot Begin Early
Sources explain the unique halakhic requirement that Maariv on Shavuot night cannot be recited before nightfall, unlike other holidays. This restriction stems from the need to complete exactly 49 full days of Omer counting before Shavuot begins.
שבע שבתות תמימות תהיינה
The Mitzvah of Joy in Jewish Practice
These sources examine whether happiness and joy constitute an obligation in Jewish law and practice. They range from biblical commands to rejoice on festivals, to rabbinic teachings that joy is essential for proper prayer and divine service, to medieval and hasidic philosophy treating simcha as a central religious duty.
אֵין הַשְּׁכִינָה שׁוֹרָה אֶלָּא מִתּוֹךְ שִׂמְחָה שֶׁל מִצְוָה