by Rabbi Sender Haber | Jun 17, 2015
I officiated at a funeral this morning for a woman named Martha Shapiro – Masha bas Yosef ע”ה – who had passed away at the age of 107. Although I did not have the privilege of knowing Martha, I remember reading her article in the paper last December and...
by Rabbi Sender Haber | May 22, 2015
Our Chapter “The Sages taught in the language of the Mishna”. The sixth chapter is not really a part of Pirkei Avos. It is a Braisa entitled “The acquisition of Torah” that was appended by Rav Meir after the sealing of the Mishna. The theme of this chapter is Torah...
by Rabbi Sender Haber | May 22, 2015
We know that the Jewish people were never counted directly. Each Jew would give a half-shekel coin and that Half-shekel coin would be counted. This is the halacha until today. We do not count Jews. We can count hats and lists of names and possibly noses or fingers –...
by Rabbi Sender Haber | May 22, 2015
Yehoshua Ben Perachia and Nitai Ha’arbeili Once again we encounter a Jewish nation with two leaders. Yehoshua ben Perachia was the Nasi based in the metropolis of Jerusalem, although he was exiled for a time by his Sadducee neighbors. Nitai was the head of the court...
by Rabbi Sender Haber | May 17, 2015
Ten Utterances The Mishna teaches us that the world was created with “Ten Utterances”. G-d made ten verbal statements that brought the world into being. This is to teach us that the righteous who uphold the world will get reward and the evildoers who destroy it will...
