Rabbi David Sedley

A repository of written, audio and video Torah classes given by Rabbi David Sedley

Month: May 2012

  • Lag Ba-Omer

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    None of the reasons for celebrating Lag Ba-Omer really make any sense to me. It is not the yahrzeit of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, nor do we normally celebrate yahrzeit’s with bonfires and rejoicing (and it is not mentioned in Chazal, Shulchan Aruch or any of the commentaries). The Talmud (Yevamot 62b) says it is… Read more

  • The End of Chareidi Power

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    This looks to me as though it is the end for the Chareidi parties and their power in the government. In a surprise move, Prime Minister Netanyahu announced at 2:00am that he is withdrawing the bill for early elections, and instead forming an alliance with Shaul Mofaz and his Kadima party. This move has been… Read more

  • Book of Vayikra is not about Mishkan

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    I just wanted to point out something which is very obvious, but often overlooked. The book of Vayikra has nothing to do with the Mishkan! The Mishkan is described and built in the last 5 parshiyot of Shemot. Shemot ends with the Shechina descending on the Mishkan. However, in the last few verses of Shemot… Read more

  • Vilna Gaon and the Eye Doctor

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    There is a story about the Vilna Gaon which I have heard many times about when he met an eye doctor. I’ll quote from the Artscroll book “The Vilna Gaon: The Life and Teachings of Rabbi Eliyahu the Gaon of Vilna” (p. 155): Another area in which the Gaon excelled was in his knowledge of… Read more

  • Rambam on Omnipotence

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    Further to last night’s shiur, here is the full quote from Rambam regarding G-d’s Omnipotence. Rambam clearly writes that G-d is bound by the laws of logic, and that anyone who denies this is only doing so because of religious conviction rather than based on philosophical reasoning.http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifIt is from Guide for the Perplexed (Moreh Nevuchim)… Read more

  • Cockney Cash

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    I’m not sure whether this was an April Fools article, or whether it is real, but it made me laugh (and has absolutely nothing to do with Judaism). Apparently, according to the BBC, cash machines in east London now speak Cockney Rhyming Slang. So you insert you barrel of lard, and enter your Huckleberry Finn.… Read more

  • Acharei Mot

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    I kind of cheated here, because in Israel we read Acharei Mot last week, but outside of Israel it will be read this coming week, so it is still relevant (and I didn’t give a shiur last week because of Yom HaAtzma’ut). In this shiur I try to understand the position of Rabbi Abahu, who… Read more

  • Christians vs. Jews

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    Apparently Jesus doesn’t heal cancer. At least that is the ruling of a judge in New Zealand. A church had a billboard outside stating that Jesus heals cancer, and they were asked to remove it because it caused offence. Look at the full article here A church billboard proclaiming that “Jesus Heals Cancer” has breached… Read more