Yanki Tauber

Vows are the safety fence for abstinence Ethics of the Fathers, 3:13 Somewhere between the good deed and the moral wrong is the permissible indulgence. How is one to approach these (seemingly) neutral pleasures? The Torah's view on the matter appears to b...

Rabbi Elazar of Modi'in said: One who profanes the kodoshim (sacred things), who degrades the Festivals, who humiliates his friend in public, who abrogates the covenant of our father Abraham, or who interprets the Torah contrary to its true intent--althou...

Rabbi Elazar of Bartosah would say: Give Him what is His, for you, and whatever is yours, are His. As King David says: "For everything comes from You, and from Your own hand we have given to You." Ethics of The Fathers, 3:7 The gist of Rabbi Elazar's mess...

Rabbi Shimon would say ... Three who eat at one table and speak words of Torah, it is as if they had eaten at G‑d's table. Ethics of the Fathers, 3:3 On the surface, Rabbi Shimon's message is simple and straightforward: utilize your mealtimes to share the...

Rabbi Chaninah, deputy to the kohanim, would say: Pray for the integrity of the sovereignty, for were it not for the fear of its authority a man would swallow his neighbor alive. Rabbi Chaninah son of Tradyon would say: ... Two who sit and exchange words ...

Know... before Whom you are destined to give a judgment and accounting Ethics of the Fathers, 3:1 Said Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov: When a person comes before the supernal court to account for sojourn on earth, he is first asked to voice his opinion on ano...

Rabbi Akavia the son of Mahalalel would say: Reflect upon three things and you will not come to the hands of transgression. Know from where you came, where you are going, and before whom you are destined to give a judgement and accounting. From where you ...

Rabbi Yosay would say: ...Perfect yourself for the study of Torah, for it is not an inheritance to you Ethics of the Fathers, 2:12 Surely Rabbi Yosai does not disagree with the Torah's own statement, taught to the Jewish child as soon as he/she is capable...

Which is an evil path from which man should distance himself..? Rabbi Shimon said: He who borrows and does not repay. For one who borrows from man is as one who borrows from the Almighty. Ethics of the Fathers, 2:10 We find the same sentiment expressed in...

"Which is the best trait for a person to acquire? ...Rabbi Shimon said, to see what is born" Ethics of the Fathers, 2:10 A cornerstone of the teachings of Rabbi Israel Baal Shem Tov is the doctrine of ``Perpetual Creation.'' Briefly stated, this means tha...