Simcha Feuerman

Psychology, Torah and the Daf Yomi

Apply for a Blog

Jan 19, 2025, 6:39 AM

The Two Dead Drivers Were Both Right and More Sanhedrin 32-34

32 The Two Dead Drivers Were Both Right There is an Israeli saying: “The two dead drivers were both right.” Our Gemara on Amud Beis discusses situations where it is morally acceptable for Beis Din to seek compromise, even when strict law...

Jan 14, 2025, 5:30 PM

Sticks, Stones, and Social Scorn: False Testimony and More Sanhedrin 28-31

28 Bound by Marriage, Not by Blood: The Tangled Ties of Machatonim Our Gemara on Amud Beis discusses the status of the parents of children who marry each other (known in Yiddish as machatonim), and whether their closeness disqualifies them from...

Jan 13, 2025, 8:32 AM

False Testimonies, Real Trauma: PTSD and Divine Justice and More Sanhedrin 25-27

25 Betting on Blind Spots: The Psychology of Gamblers and Overconfidence Our Gemara on Amud Aleph discusses why the Mishna needs to delineate the disqualification of two different kinds of gamblers: one who plays with dice and one who bets on...

Jan 7, 2025, 5:44 PM

Becoming Nothing: Prayer and Self-Obliteration and More Sanhedrin 21-24

21 Deferred Desires: Rashi, Tosafos, and the Psychology of Restraint Our Gemara on Amud Aleph discusses the status of Tamar’s mother, Ma’acha, and whether she was Jewish at the time of Tamar’s conception. Ma’acha was a “Captive Woman,” subject to the...

Jan 6, 2025, 1:22 PM

Having a Right Does Not Always Make You Right and More Sanhedrin 17-20

17 The Wisdom of Sleeping on a Decision Our Gemara on Amud Aleph describes the careful safeguards implemented in capital cases. To prevent the court from being carried away by an overly zealous and condemning spirit, an extraordinary safeguard is enacted:...

Jan 5, 2025, 7:53 AM

Does the Study of the Hypothetical Have Practical Value and More Sanhedrin 14-16

14 Turning Over a New Leaf Our Gemara on Amud Aleph discusses an incident where Rabbi Zeira initially declined to accept Rabbinic ordination out of humility but later changed his mind based on a particular teaching: Rabbi Zeira would habitually hide himself...

Jan 1, 2025, 9:32 PM

Simple Piety Versus Calculated Piety Sanhedrin 13

13 Simple Piety Versus Calculated Piety Our Gemara on Amud Aleph-Beis recounts the heroic martyrdom of Rabbi Yehuda ben Bava, who defied a Roman decree against ordaining judges, risking his life to ensure the chain of semicha (ordination) originating from Moshe...

Dec 31, 2024, 6:27 PM

The Subtleties of Collective Responsibility Sanhedrin 10-12

10 Seeing the Divine in the Mundane Our Gemara on Amud Beis discusses the scriptural sources for determining the number of judges required to rule on Jewish calendar calculations: The Gemara asks: Corresponding to what was it determined that the intercalation procedure...

Dec 25, 2024, 6:13 PM

Loving and Living on Edge of a Sword Sanhedrin 7-9

7 Loving and Living on Edge of a Sword Our Gemara on Amud Aleph relates one of my all-time favorite Talmudic aphorisms: When our love was strong, we could have slept on a bed that was the width of a sword. Now...

Dec 22, 2024, 6:51 AM

Study Torah or to Search Torah? and The Importance of Validation Sanhedrin 2-6

2 Lack of Conviction Our Gemara on Amud Beis discusses the principle that a Jewish court must be structured to avoid gridlock, which is why it always has an odd number of judges. This principle is used to determine the number...

Load more

About Me

Rabbi, Psychotherapist with 30 years experience specializing in high conflict couples and families.

Contact Me