Shemuel #154 - Chapter 30:26-31 - Sharing the Wealth - Mar 2, 2023 - Dovid sends the spoils to allied communities in Yehudah. Why? And whose spoils does Dovid send? And why is this recorded poem-style? And Review Questions on Perek 30.

Judaism and Intelligent Extraterrestrial Life #3b: Life In Other Planets / Judaism On Other Planets - Mar 1, 2023 - What did the Rambam mean when he declared that stars and planets are alive, with nefesh and sechel? And is Jewish law binding when we live in space, or on a planet other than Earth? A quick exploration of each topic. Geared toward a group including people who lack strong background in Torah text study.

Judaism and Intelligent Extraterrestrial Life #3a: What did Chazal say? - Mar 1, 2023 - Concluding the discussion of what our Sages have said about intelligent extraterrrestrial life: Rabbi Pinchas Horowitz (Sefer haBrit), Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan, the Lubavitcher Rebbe and Rabbi Yosef Dov Soloveitchik. Geared toward a group including people who lack strong background in Torah text study.

Healthy Mishloach Manot? Sociology Explains a Halachah - Mar 1, 2023 - A classic question: Did the Rama really side with Rabbi Shlomo haLevi Alkabetz in validating mishloach manot that are rejected by the recipient, viewing them as a mitzvah bein adam lachaveiro? A new answer: The gesture of mishloach manot is itself an act reinforcing communal loyalty to Hashem, and so it satisfies the bein adam laMakom aspect of mishloach manot.

Mishlei, Week 8: Perek 3 - In Praise of Chochmah - Feb 28, 2023 - Looking at layers in Chapter 3, on the importance and value of pursuing chochmah (as well as other flavours of wisdom), and contrasting the pursuit of chochmah with the pursuit of wealth. And Hashem created the world with chochmah/Torah.

Parshah Questions: Terumah 5783 - And So Shall You Upgrade - Feb 23, 2023 - A quick look at questions on the parshah. Parshat Terumah: If Hashem told Moshe, "As you shall make the Mishkan, so shall you make in future generations" (as per Rashi from Shevuot 15a), why did Shlomo deviate in so many ways in the Beit haMikdash?

Shemuel #153 - Chapter 30:23-25 - Whose Are the Spoils? - Feb 23, 2023 - Two ways to look at why Dovid insisted on splitting the spoils of Amalek evenly among the soldiers who fought and those who remained behind. And why isn't the war in Midian a precedent for what Dovid did?

Judaism and Intelligent Extraterrestrial Life #2b: What did Chazal say? - Feb 22, 2023 - Starting from midrashim and gemara and working our way to medieval times: Did our Sages believe that there could be intelligent extraterrestrial life? Geared toward a group including people who lack strong background in Torah text study.

Judaism and Intelligent Extraterrestrial Life #2a: Are Human Beings the Point? - Feb 22, 2023 - From a philosophical perspective, could Judaism accept the existence of intelligent extraterrestrial life? The classic anthropocentricity debate - are human beings the sole purpose of Divine creation? Rambam's argument, and whether we could be vital for the universe without being its sole purpose. Geared toward a group including people who lack strong background in Torah text study.

Mishlei, Week 7: The Legacy of Mishlei (conclusion) - Feb 21, 2023 - Use of Mishlei, Kohelet and Iyov for Halachah. The influence of Mishlei as a work of mussar and in liturgy, and in communal study. The meaning of "riddles" in Mishlei. Summary of the introduction to Sefer Mishlei.