An ancient 'slice of life.' Today’s daf finds us in the middle of an arcane and uncomfortable discussion. We have already established that a firstborn donkey, which is not kosher, is redeemed with a ...

Welcome to Tractate Bekhorot and the study of firstborns. Even a perfunctory read of the Hebrew Bible will demonstrate that firstborns have special status. In the Book of Genesis, every firstborn son, ...

Deuteronomy 22:6–7 establishes the prohibition of shiluach haken: One may not harvest both a mother bird and her offspring simultaneously. Rather, before collecting eggs or chicks, one must send the ...

Today’s daf meanders into an examination of whether various Jewish laws apply to property that is jointly owned. Let’s look at one particularly famous example: A parapet. Even though the Merciful One ...

Today, we reach the end of Tractate Chullin. Congratulations to everyone who made it through this difficult and “meaty” tractate! The Torah promises long life as a reward for the person who performs ...

In this Torah portion, Moses recites a song to the Children of Israel that serves as testimony of their covenant with God. God tells Moses to head up Mount Nebo to find his final resting place.