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Curated Torah sources across every topic, from classical texts to contemporary responsa.
Writing a Torah Scroll with a Finger
The sources found do not address whether a Torah scroll may be written with a finger. The biblical passages reference God's finger writing the tablets at Sinai, while rabbinic sources prescribe that a Torah scroll should be written with a reed or quill and black ink as part of fulfilling mitzvot beautifully.
כְּתוּבִים בְּאֶצְבַּע אֱלֹהִים
Bar Mitzvah Derashah: Origins and Obligation
Sources address the status of a bar mitzvah boy delivering a derashah at his celebration meal. While a seudah on the day of becoming bar mitzvah is described as obligatory, the derashah itself is treated as a customary practice that can elevate the meal to the status of a seudat mitzvah even if held on a different day. Classical and modern authorities cite precedent from rabbinic practice and discuss how the derashah functions within the halakhic framework of the occasion.
אם הנער דורש הוי סעודת מצוה
Wisdom and Character for a Young Woman
Sources from Tanakh and rabbinic literature offer guidance on cultivating virtue, personal responsibility, integrity, and balance in character. These teachings emphasize kindness, truth-speaking, learning from others, and translating study into ethical action.
חֶ֥סֶד וֶאֱמֶ֗ת אַֽל־יַ֫עַזְבֻ֥ךָ
Spiritual Merit of Journeying to Eretz Yisrael
Biblical and rabbinic sources examine whether travel to and dwelling in the Land of Israel confer spiritual reward and sanctity. The sources address the religious significance of the journey itself, the unique holiness of the Land, and the obligations and merits associated with entering and settling there.
כׇּל הַמְהַלֵּךְ אַרְבַּע אַמּוֹת בְּאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל מוּבְטָח לוֹ שֶׁהוּא בֶּן הָעוֹלָם הַבָּא
Tasting Food While Fasting on Public Fast Days
Jewish law permits a person fasting on a public fast day to taste food for cooking purposes under specific conditions, primarily that the food be spat out rather than swallowed. The sources establish a distinction between tasting and consuming, with stricter rules applied to Yom Kippur and Tisha B'Av than to other communal fasts.
השרוי בתענית יכול לטעום עד כדי רביעית ובלבד שיפלוט
The World to Come in Jewish Prayer
This passage expresses the hope for a day of perfect goodness where the righteous sit crowned and delight in the radiance of the Divine Presence. Talmudic and biblical sources establish the doctrine of the World to Come as a reward for Israel, describing a spiritual existence in which the righteous experience the presence of God.
צדיקים יושבים ועטרותיהם בראשיהם ונהנים מזיו השכינה
Yom Kippur and the Suspension of Mourning
Sources explain how Yom Kippur, as a sacred communal occasion, interrupts and suspends the practices of aveilut (mourning). The principle rests on the precedence of communal rejoicing and sacred time over individual mourning obligations.
אָבֵל אֵינוֹ נוֹהֵג אֲבֵילוּתוֹ בָּרֶגֶל
The Two Goats of Yom Kippur
Sources explore the ritual of the two goats on Yom Kippur—one offered to God and one sent to Azazel in the wilderness—examining how each atones for Israel's sins, the confession of transgressions, and the spiritual significance of removing sin through the scapegoat's dispatch.
וְהִתְוַדָּה עָלָיו אֶת־כׇּל־עֲוֺנֹת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל
Sukkot as Manifestation of the High Holy Days
These sources explore Sukkot as the lived realization and crystallization of the spiritual work undertaken during Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. They present the sukkah and the festival as vessels that embody and reveal the purification, unity, and divine closeness achieved through the Days of Awe.
אַחַ֤ת ׀ שָׁאַ֣לְתִּי מֵאֵת־יְהֹוָה֮ אוֹתָ֢הּ אֲבַ֫קֵּ֥שׁ שִׁבְתִּ֣י בְּבֵית־יְ֭הֹוָה כׇּל־יְמֵ֣י חַיַּ֑י
Breslov Avoda of Repentance and Confession
Breslov teachings on Yom Kippur's spiritual work (avoda), particularly the role of viduy (confession) in achieving genuine repentance and liberation of the soul. Sources explore how verbal confession and sincere regret lead to freedom from the impulses of the evil inclination and allow a person to discover his true will.
על ידי התשובה האדם יוצא לחירות, מגלה את רצונו האמיתי
Sephardic Daily Priestly Blessing in the Diaspora
Sources examine the mitzvah of Birkat Kohanim (the priestly blessing) and explain the divergent customs between the Land of Israel and the Diaspora. While the underlying obligation applies daily, communal practice in many Diaspora communities limits the blessing to festivals, whereas Sephardic tradition maintains daily performance outside the Temple.
בַּמְּדִינָה מְבָרְכִין אַחַר כָּל תְּפִלָּה
Rosh Hashanah on Shabbat: Shofar Laws
Rabbinic and later authorities address the halakhic framework governing the sounding of the shofar when Rosh Hashanah coincides with Shabbat, including the distinction between Temple practice and provincial practice, the enactments instituted after the Temple's destruction, and the practical prohibitions in contemporary observance.
יוֹם טוֹב שֶׁל רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה שֶׁחָל לִהְיוֹת בְּשַׁבָּת — בַּמִּקְדָּשׁ הָיוּ תּוֹקְעִין, אֲבָל לֹא בַּמְּדִינָה