שיעורים

סֵדֶר בְּרִית זוּגִיּוּת מִזְמוֹר לְתוֹדָה הָרִיעוּ לַיהֹוָה כָּל-הָאָרֶץ: עִבְדוּ אֶת-יְהֹוָה בְּשִׂמְחָה בֹּאוּ לְפָנָיו בִּרְנָנָה: דְּעוּ כִּי יְהֹוָה הוּא אֱלֹהִים הוּא עָשָׂנוּ וְלוֹ אֲנַחְנוּ עַמּוֹ וְצֹאן מַרְעִיתוֹ: בֹּאוּ שְׁעָרָיו בְּתוֹדָה חֲצֵרֹתָיו בִּתְהִלָּה הוֹדוּ לוֹ בָּרֲכוּ שְׁמוֹ: כִּי-טוֹב יְהֹוָה לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ וְעַד-דֹּר וָדֹר אֱמוּנָתוֹ: הרב אומר: טוֹבִים הַשְּׁנַיִם מִן-הָאֶחָד אֲשֶׁר יֵשׁ-לָהֶם שָׂכָר טוֹב בַּעֲמָלָם: כִּי אִם-יִפֹּלוּ הָאֶחָד […]

Before we leave the subject of mishkav zakhur I would like to address a very human element into the discussion. It is very simple to make the bald statement that mishkav zakhur is forbidden – and certainly there are many gay men who refrain from anal penetration, most I would guess for reasons which are […]

While it seems to me obvious that our halakhic tradition has always understood the penetration to be anal I take up the challenge to substantiate my claim that our sages throughout the ages have understood those two biblical verses as prohibiting anal penetration of one male by another. This is not as simple as it […]

BET MIDRASH VIRTUALI of the Rabbinical Assembly in Israel HALAKHAH STUDY GROUP Study of Halakhah in the religious climate of Masorti (Conservative) Judaism by Rabbi Simchah Roth August 13th 2009 / Av 23rd 5769 [EI 010] THE SAGES AND ERETZ-ISRAEL 54: We have seen how the sages in Babylon permitted themselves to adjudicate cases involving […]

BET MIDRASH VIRTUALI of the Rabbinical Assembly in Israel HALAKHAH STUDY GROUP Study of Halakhah in the religious climate of Masorti (Conservative) Judaism by Rabbi Simchah Roth July 21st 2009 / Tammuz 29th 5769 [EI 009] THE SAGES AND ERETZ-ISRAEL 45: Towards the end of the last shiur we began looking at a passage in […]

BET MIDRASH VIRTUALI of the Rabbinical Assembly in Israel HALAKHAH STUDY GROUP Study of Halakhah in the religious climate of Masorti (Conservative) Judaism by Rabbi Simchah Roth July 1st 2009 / Tammuz 9th 5769 [EI 008] THE SAGES AND ERETZ-ISRAEL 38: I really must apologise for the long hiatus between this present shiur and the […]

BET MIDRASH VIRTUALI of the Rabbinical Assembly in Israel HALAKHAH STUDY GROUP Study of Halakhah in the religious climate of Masorti (Conservative) Judaism by Rabbi Simchah Roth May 19th 2009 / Iyyar 25th 5769 [EI 007] THE SAGES AND ERETZ-ISRAEL 32: We have noted that there was a certain tension between at least some of […]

BET MIDRASH VIRTUALI of the Rabbinical Assembly in Israel HALAKHAH STUDY GROUP Study of Halakhah in the religious climate of Masorti (Conservative) Judaism by Rabbi Simchah Roth May 6th 2009 / Iyyar 12th 5769 [EI 006] THE SAGES AND ERETZ-ISRAEL 26: We have noted the tensions that arose between Rabbi Zeira and his teacher, Rav […]

BET MIDRASH VIRTUALI of the Rabbinical Assembly in Israel HALAKHAH STUDY GROUP Study of Halakhah in the religious climate of Masorti (Conservative) Judaism by Rabbi Simchah Roth April 20th 2009 / Nisan 26th 5769 [EI 005] THE SAGES AND ERETZ-ISRAEL 21: So far we have studied a passage from the Tosefta whose main burden was […]

BET MIDRASH VIRTUALI of the Rabbinical Assembly in Israel HALAKHAH STUDY GROUP Study of Halakhah in the religious climate of Masorti (Conservative) Judaism by Rabbi Simchah Roth April 2nd 2009 / Nisan 8th 5769 [EI 004] THE SAGES AND ERETZ-ISRAEL 16: We continue our study of the passage from the Tosefta [Avodah Zarah 5:2]. In […]

BET MIDRASH VIRTUALI of the Rabbinical Assembly in Israel and the Masorti Movement HALAKHAH STUDY GROUP Study of Halakhah in the religious climate of Masorti (Conservative) Judaism by Rabbi Simchah Roth March 23rd 2009 / Adar 27th 5769 [EI 003] THE SAGES AND ERETZ-ISRAEL 13: In the previous shiur we began looking at a passage […]

BET MIDRASH VIRTUALI of the Rabbinical Assembly in Israel and the Masorti Movement HALAKHAH STUDY GROUP Study of Halakhah in the religious climate of Masorti (Conservative) Judaism by Rabbi Simchah Roth March 13th 2009 / Adar 17th 5769 [EI 002] THE SAGES AND ERETZ-ISRAEL 7: We have seen that most of the poskim [decisors] follow […]

BET MIDRASH VIRTUALI of the Rabbinical Assembly in Israel and the Masorti Movement HALAKHAH STUDY GROUP Study of Halakhah in the religious climate of Masorti (Conservative) Judaism by Rabbi Simchah Roth March 4th 2009 / Adar 8th 5769 [EI 001] THE SAGES AND ERETZ-ISRAEL 1: In this series of shiurim we shall be studying the […]

מסכת ברכות פרק א א: מֵאֵימָתַי קוֹרִין אֶת שְׁמַע בְּעַרְבִית? – מִשָּׁעָה שֶׁהַכֹּהֲנִים נִכְנָסִים לֶאֱכֹל בִּתְרוּמָתָן, עַד סוֹף הָאַשְׁמוּרָה הָרִאשׁוֹנָה, דִּבְרֵי רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר. וַחֲכָמִים אוֹמְרִים: עַד חֲצוֹת. רַבָּן גַּמְלִיאֵל אוֹמֵר, עַד שֶׁיַּעֲלֶה עַמּוּד הַשָּׁחַר. מַעֲשֶׂה שֶׁבָּאוּ בָנָיו מִבֵּית הַמִּשְׁתֶּה, אָמְרוּ לוֹ, "לֹא קָרִינוּ אֶת שְׁמַע". אָמַר לָהֶם, "אִם לֹא עָלָה עַמּוּד הַשָּׁחַר חַיָּבִין אַתֶּם לִקְרוֹת." […]

BET MIDRASH VIRTUALI of the Rabbinical Assembly in Israel RABIN MISHNAH STUDY GROUP Mishnah study in the religious climate of Masorti (Conservative) Judaism by Rabbi Simchah Roth 12th January 1998/14th Tevet 5758 [Berakhot 167] TRACTATE BERAKHOT, CHAPTER NINE, MISHNAH SEVEN: In the Bet Mikdash, all who concluded a benediction would do so with the words […]

BET MIDRASH VIRTUALI of the Rabbinical Assembly in Israel RABIN MISHNAH STUDY GROUP Mishnah study in the religious climate of Masorti (Conservative) Judaism by Rabbi Simchah Roth 9th January 1998/11th Tevet 5758 [Berakhot 166] TRACTATE BERAKHOT, CHAPTER NINE, MISHNAH SIX: One should not behave with levity towards the East Gate, which is orientated opposite the […]

BET MIDRASH VIRTUALI of the Rabbinical Assembly in Israel RABIN MISHNAH STUDY GROUP Mishnah study in the religious climate of Masorti (Conservative) Judaism by Rabbi Simchah Roth 6th January 1998/8th Tevet 5758 [Berakhot 165] TRACTATE BERAKHOT, CHAPTER NINE, MISHNAH FIVE: A person must praise [God] for bad things just as for good things, as it […]

BET MIDRASH VIRTUALI of the Rabbinical Assembly in Israel RABIN MISHNAH STUDY GROUP Mishnah study in the religious climate of Masorti (Conservative) Judaism by Rabbi Simchah Roth 4th January 1998/6th Tevet 5758 [Berakhot 164] On the occasion of his third Yahrzeit, today's shiur is dedicated to the memory of Shmuel ben Lev vHana (Sam S. […]

BET MIDRASH VIRTUALI of the Rabbinical Assembly in Israel RABIN MISHNAH STUDY GROUP Mishnah study in the religious climate of Masorti (Conservative) Judaism by Rabbi Simchah Roth 1st January 1998/3rd Tevet 5758 [Berakhot 163] On the occasion is his Jahrzeit, today's shiur is dedicated to the memory of Pinhas Eliyas ben Shim'on haKohen z"l by […]

BET MIDRASH VIRTUALI of the Rabbinical Assembly in Israel RABIN MISHNAH STUDY GROUP Mishnah study in the religious climate of Masorti (Conservative) Judaism by Rabbi Simchah Roth 31st December 1997/2nd Tevet 5758 [Berakhot 162] TRACTATE BERAKHOT, CHAPTER NINE, MISHNAH FOUR: When one visits a city one should pray once upon entering and again upon leaving. […]

BET MIDRASH VIRTUALI of the Rabbinical Assembly in Israel RABIN MISHNAH STUDY GROUP Mishnah study in the religious climate of Masorti (Conservative) Judaism by Rabbi Simchah Roth 29th December 1997/30th Kislev 5758 [Berakhot 161] EXCURSUSON EVIL IN THE WORLDConcluded: We conclude our excursus on Evil in the World with some of your comments and my […]

BET MIDRASH VIRTUALI of the Rabbinical Assembly in Israel RABIN MISHNAH STUDY GROUP Mishnah study in the religious climate of Masorti (Conservative) Judaism by Rabbi Simchah Roth 26th December 1997/27th Kislev 5758 [Berakhot 160] EXCURSUSON EVIL IN THE WORLDContinued: We conclude our excursus on Evil in the World with some of your comments: Sherry Fyman […]

BET MIDRASH VIRTUALI of the Rabbinical Assembly in Israel RABIN MISHNAH STUDY GROUP Mishnah study in the religious climate of Masorti (Conservative) Judaism by Rabbi Simchah Roth 24th December 1997/25th Kislev 5758 [Berakhot 159] EXCURSUSON EVIL IN THE WORLDContinued: So far in this excursus we have noted that Rambam creates three categories for perceived evils […]