The Scribe’s Code

מעצות התבונה של שלמה המלך אל האדם: ׳יוסיף דעת יוסיף מכאוב׳. על איזה דעת מדובר, ומהו בדיוק הכאב? ליקוט ממגוון פירושים מפרד״ס התורה.

Totafot and mezuzot have variant spellings: should this inconsistency disturb us? Is the Torah trying to convey a deeper message? A sweeping look at why the Torah sometimes spells the same words differently.

The Torah granted executive powers to the Chachomim when It commanded us to listen to them. But do the Rabbis sometimes go too far? The Torah commanded us to perform the Mitzvah of Eglah Arufah – but the Chachomim abolished it because they felt there were too many murderers. How can the Chachomim uproot an express command from the Torah? What about scenarios where the increase in murderers doesn’t make a difference? How far does the power of the Chachomim really reach?

Pardes. A single word that encompasses the wondrous depths of Torah. What does an esoteric discourse have to do with a Halachic debate? How can a Gematriah and a Tosfos be considered equal parts of Torah? Pardes. Every aspect of Torah has multiple facets of interpretation. Delve into the depths of Torah’s wellsprings as a single Mitzvah is explained – on four different levels of understanding.

The thirteen hermenutical principles are at the bedrock of the Oral Tradition, serving as the basis for deducing the laws of the Torah. Are there good sources that define these clearly, and are there some concrete examples of their application?

רגילים אנו לציין לפרק זה או אחר בתורה. אך מי אכן עומד מאחורי חלוקה זו? שקלא וטריא על מקורה של חלוקת התורה לפרקים והתייחסותם של גדולי ישראל בעד או נגד אימוץ חלוקה זו אל תוך ספרות היהודית המסורתית.