Shalom Paltiel

The seventh of Cheshvan marks the final stage of returning home from visiting the Holy Temple during Sukkos. What is so special about each individual going back to their mundane activities? And what’s the connection to the parsha of Noach?

A fascinating look at the passage in Pirkei Avot on why Hashem spoke ten sentences to create the world, instead of just one. The mishnah’s explanation seems mysteriously negative. Also, why no mention of the Ten Commandments in the list of special tens.

Learn how the verse Torah Tzivah in the last Torah portion, which describes Torah as an unforsaken inheritance, conveys the theme of Simchat Torah. Understanding the level of joy on Pesach, Shavuot and Sukkot, together with the advantage of Teshuvah, shed...

The Chabad Rebbes were exceedingly meticulous in the mitzvah of sukkah, going beyond the letter of the law to never eat or drink out of the sukkah. Learn why sleep is different.

The Talmud identifies the Ten Days of Repentance with the verse in Isaiah: Search out G-d when He is to be found, call upon Him when He is close. What does it mean that Hashem is more accessible and close in this time?

The Talmud derives many laws of prayer from how Chana prayed. Explore what is unique in Chana’s prayer and why it serves as the ultimate model for prayer to bring real change.

The combined parsha of Nitzavim and Vayelech encapsulates two opposite features: Torah’s firm foundation and changing growth, which are both needed in living a life of Torah. They also serve as a preparation for Rosh Hashanah and the entire coming year.

To express gratitude to the source of our blessings, one brings Bikurim, the first fruit, to the Holy Temple as a gift to Hashem. Explore a puzzling Midrash that says it is done immediately upon entering the land, though the Torah clearly states that Biku...

The Torah obligates an employer to pay their day laborer before the following day. When does Hashem reward us and how does it fit with the Torah’s guidelines?

Can a unanimous guilty verdict actually set a defendant free? A legal analysis of Rambam’s ruling on what happens when every judge on the Sanhedrin finds a capital defendant guilty without finding any merit.