Rabbinic Mitzvot, The

How rabbinical commandments -- like lighting the Chanukah menorah -- derive their power from the Biblical injunction (Deuteronomy 17:11) "According to the law they [the Sages] instruct you... you shall not divert... either right or left."

The Torah gives the Sages the power to enact new laws and observances. We look at the "rabbinical holidays" of Chanukah and Purim.

Did you know that lighting candles on Friday night, setting the seder plate on Pesach, reading the megillah on Purim, and lighting the menorah on Hanukkah are all rabbinic enactments? That may seem surprising, but think about it, can you remember learning...

The Talmud challenges the notion of reciting a blessing on the Chanukah menorah, which is a rabbinic mitzvah, based on different teachings related to agriculture law and tithing.

In this class we examine the biblical source offered for reciting blessings before consuming food, and thereby discover the principle of ‘Asmachta’.