שבועות כא
A שקרן remarked: “Isn’t it odd that it’s not those who tell the truth, but those who lie, who are considered בני אדם?” Asked to explain, he said: “ספר תהילים explicitly says כל האדם כוזב.”
שבועות כ
A Jew who was always busy fixing things in his home or running errands was asked by a friend when he has an opportunity to rest. He answered that his wife takes a nap שבת afternoon. “I didn’t ask about your wife, I asked about you,” replied his friend. “Yes, I understand,” said the man.
שבועות יט
One morning after שמונה עשרה, a man walked over to several men and said: שלום עליכם, שלום עליכם. Seeing their puzzled looks, he asked “Why are you surprised? I couldn’t help but notice the distracted looks as you were standing שמונה עשרה. You were in another world. Since you have now returned from your journey,
שבועות יח
The חוזה was once told by an opponent of חסידות that he should leave his post as רבי. When the חוזה asked the מתנגד what he suggests he do, the מתנגד said he should tell his חסידים that he doesn’t know how to learn and then they’ll stop coming. “Good!” said the חוזה, “I will
שבועות יז
When the Rabbi came to visit the mourner sitting shivah, his wife approached the Rabbi and told him that this was a learning experience for her. “How so?” the Rabbi asked. “I learned that שחרית doesn’t take 15 minutes and מעריב doesn’t take two hours,” she replied.
שבועות טז
When a man came to town and presented himself as a צדיק, fasting all day and not looking at women, a member of the קהילה saw that at night he secretly stuffed himself with fine foods and let his eyes wander. “Our visitor is a גלגול of יהושע,” the קהילה member said. “I just don’t
שבועות טו
What did משה רבינו say when פרעה upset him? “רוצה מכות?”
שבועות יד
When the yeshiva of Volozshin was founded, רבי חיים sent משולחים to Jewish communities to raise funds. Before they left, he said to them that first and foremost they should convey his ברכה to those "שאין להם בית." They asked what he meant by this. רבי חיים explained: "תהילים says: בית ישראל ברכו את ה׳;
שבועות יג
The גמרא tells us in reference to the two he-goats of יום כיפור that מצוותן שיהיו שניהם שווים במראה ובקומה ובדמים. This comes to teach that the תורה demands from us at least as much for ה׳ as that which we devote for the mundane things in this world that are לעזאזל.
שבועות יב
A רב once noted that one of the differences between an Orthodox and a Reform סמיכה program is that among the Orthodox there is study of טעמי המצוות, while among the Reform there is study of טעמי העבירות.