Oath (Shvua)

Swear to yourself, with an unbreakable oath, "I will not relax until we achieve the true purpose of creation, until we get to 'go home to our fathers.'"

Upon hearing the verdict of the bet-din, Rabbi Shlomo turned pale. Never in his life did he imagine that he would be required to take an oath in court!

Perjury is in the news again. In the aftermath of the Baseball Steroids Debacle, Congress is now asking the Justice Department to investigate whether a certain star player lied under oath during the course of a congressional hearing on the matter. If ...

At the time, I thought her a demanding mother, completely oblivious to my limitations. Today I know better. The words, "Yes you can," are not oppressive. They are empowering.

Abstention is a humbling admission of defeat – "There's something in the world that G‑d created for a purpose; other people are capable of using it for that purpose; I cannot."

Our verse implies that our unconditional connection with G‑d is itself conditional! Can that be right?

In this week's portion in which Judah promises the safe return of his brother Benjamin, we look at the severity of oaths and vows, how to know when you've made one and how to be released from it once you have.

Three times in the Torah the word "ha-shvi-i" (the seventh) is missing a letter yud. (The first time is in this week's portion in Exodus 12:15.) When spelled this way, the word may also be read as "shavua" (oath) or "soveia" (satiated.) What is the ...

Once you’ve rolled off the bed, how much of the “Modeh Ani” do you take with you? So you spent eight seconds admitting that you owe your life to G‑d. Does that really affect the rest of the day?