יוסיף דעת יוסיף מכאוב

Judaism is a multi-faceted religion with vastly different cultures, but one thing that stays the same throughout all of Judaism is Ksav Ashuri – the script the Torah is written in. This script binds all Jews throughout space and history, dating back, unchanging, for thousands of years – or does it? How far back does it really go? Has it not evolved over time? Study the origins of the Torah’s script.

Explore the origins of Taamei HaMikra and discover when and where
unconventional trop is applied. This paper also includes a discussion of the
interplay between dikduk and trop.

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 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?

Why
are some words in the Torah spelled one way but pronounced another? Why does
the Hebrew word for “she” have conflicting spellings? What is the
reason for these anomalies- and do they threaten the validity of the Torah?

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.