6/1/2025 - SUNDAY EVENING - SHAVUOT BEGINS.
Topics for today: .
1. More on Shavuot...
Learned why flowers on Shavuot...before G-D gave Torah to the people, Sinai was barren. When Torah was given, Sinai bloomed. The dairy part is easy since the Promised Land is the Land of Milk and Honey but the flower custom I did not encounter before.
6/2/2025 - MONDAY EVENING - 2ND DAY OF SHAVUOT BEGINS.
Topic for today:
1. So reading the Talmud, I learned that there is a discussion (among many lol) about the type of love described in the 2nd Blessing before the Shema. Is it Everlasting (Ahavat Olam - AO) or Abounding (Ahava Rabba - AR). Discussion in Berakhot 11B. Below is what I found used in the three Siddurim in the morning and nights.
Mishkan T'Filah: Arvit - AO; Shacharit - AR.
Sim Shalom: Arvit - AO; Shacharit - AR.
ArtScroll: Arvit - AO; Shacharit - AR.
So all three use a non-Hasidic Ashkenazi custom.
6/3/2025 - TUESDAY EVENING.
Topic for today:
1. 19th Blessing of the Amidah...longer version [Sim Shalom] during Shacharit (because Priestly Blessings are recited in the morning) and shorter version [Shalom Rav] during Mincha and Maariv.
6/4/2025 - WEDNESDAY EVENING.
Topic for today:
1. Kedushah:
- so it is the Third Blessing of the Amidah with two versions...1) shorter when no repetition is done [so either praying alone or Maariv], 2) longer when praying with a minyan during Shacharit and Mincha with a repetition.
- I have seen minyans reciting longer Kedushah with no repetition in Reform settings during Shacharit.
- why no repetition for Maariv? ...there is no repetition because even though now Maariv is obligatory, in the past it used to be optional...and to some extent perhaps it carries less importance even though it has become an obligation now. Shacharit and Mincha have always been obligatory thus always had the repetition thus the full Kedushah [Orthodox circles].
- in reform settings per Mishkan T'Filah, longer Kedusha is recited for both Shacharit and Mincha ... I am not sure about the minyan requirement here...will need to check.
6/5/2025 - THURSDAY EVENING.
Topic for today:
1. More on Kedushah:
- so when people mention Kedushah...they mean the longer version per Rabbi Donin.
- Kedusha was prescribed by Ezra.
- Musaf Amidah includes Shema within congregational responses...that originated during the persecution in Persia which prohibited saying of Shema.
- Invitation to recitation of Kedusha varies between Ashkenazi and Sephardic rites.
- When one is in the middle of Amidah but hears the Minyan say the Kedusha, one must stop and listen...thus making this one of the most important parts of Amidah as it prescribes a break in the middle of The Standing Prayer..I am not aware of anything else with that kind of power.
6/6/2025 - FRIDAY EVENING - SHABBAT BEGINS.
Topic for today:
1. Zemirot - new word for me. Hymns and songs for Shabbat.
6/7/2025 - SATURDAY EVENING - WORKING WEEK BEGINS.
Topic for today:
1. Torah Blessings:
So there are three...per Berakhot 11B, all must be recited before the study of Torah.
- Mishkan T-Filah has Laasok B'Divrei Torah & V'Haarev Na right after B'chol Yom.
- Sim Shalom & ArtScroll - have three right before B'chol Yom at the very beginning of the Shacharit.
So my approach now is the following [...and it may change as my understanding grows]:
- apply all three but gradually. Why gradually? Idea that one just does not approach Torah in one step...takes three for Amidah as an example.
- Each step needs to be followed with Torah as fulfillment of the Blessing and as a sign of utmost respect.
- Talmud indicates the third Blessing [Thanks for Choosing us] is the most "outstanding"...thus I say it first after washing hands the second time on the way from the bathroom to the prayer spot. This Blessing is followed by The Great Principle of Torah - Love your neighbor as yourself.
- Laasok B'Divrei Torah is close after B'Chol Yom followed by a passage from Leviticus.
- V'Haarev Na is right after followed by more study.
- ArtsScroll says it is not necessary to repeat throughout the day if one studies at different times. I did decide to to repeat them all after Mincha before reading.
6/8/2025 - SUNDAY EVENING.
Topic for today:
1. Talmud notes:
- So I was thinking today about the discussion in Berakhot 8A...about the need to enter through two doors into the synagogue...and it kinda took me to Maftir because Maftir is this transition between the Torah and everything else really...and one does not go from Holy to regular in one step. Maybe same idea applies to the synagogue.
6/9/2025 - MONDAY EVENING.
Topic for today:
1. Talmud notes:
- Berakhot 12A = discussion about the two Blessings before Shema what happens when one is omitted or recited out of order. Interestingly Leniency is applied here.
- same DAF as above mentioned that if Gemara does not solve a question, Leniency is to be applied.
6/10/2025 - TUESDAY EVENING.
Topic for today:
1. "Hazak hazak v'nithazek":
Be strong! Be strong! and let us be strengthened [in our efforts].
From Donin's Pray As a Jew:
When the last sentence of each of the 5 Books of Moses is about to be read, everybody rises in anticipation of proclaiming at the end of the reading this very phrase. It's a cry of encouragement to continue to read the next Book and to return to This One again in due course. Also it is connected to the four elements in a man that need to be strengthened: Torah, good deeds, prayer and occupation.
6/11/2025 - WEDNESDAY EVENING.
Topic for today:
1. Why is the Final Nun in Numbers 27:5 is Larger?
"The primary reason for this enlarged letter is to emphasize the significance of the request made by the daughters of Zelophehad to Moses concerning their inheritance rights. This marked a pivotal moment where the Torah addressed the rights and claims of women, particularly in matters of property and inheritance, for the first time. The scribal tradition of enlarging the letter "nun" likely served to draw special attention to this landmark decision and the groundbreaking nature of the appeal from the daughters of Zelophehad."
6/12/2025 - THURSDAY EVENING.
Topic for today:
1. The Hidden Power in the Hebrew word: Meod מְאֹד:
You’ve said it countless times in the Shema — “Love God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your meod.” But meod doesn’t mean “might” or “being.” It literally means “very.” In Hebrew, it’s an adverb — not a noun. It doesn’t describe a thing. It describes intensity. To love with all your meod means to love with your veryness — the fullness of your passion, essence, and everything that makes you who you are. This one word transforms the entire verse.
6/13/2025 - FRIDAY EVENING -SHABBAT BEGINS.
Topic for today:
1. Mourner's Kaddish:
https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/text-of-the-mourners-kaddish/
https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/kaddish-a-memorial-prayer-in-praise-of-god/
https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/development-and-history-of-kaddish/
6/14/2025 - SATURDAY EVENING -WORKING WEEK BEGINS.
Topic for today:
1. Pirkei Avot:
https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/pirkei-avot-ethics-of-our-fathers/
https://torahinmotion.org/articles/pirkei-avot/an-introduction-to-pirkei-avot
https://reformjudaism.org/learning/sacred-texts/pirkei-avot
https://www.sefaria.org/Pirkei_Avot?tab=contents
6/15/2025 - SUNDAY EVENING.
Topic for today:
A little more about the Kaddish....The Five Types of Kaddish:
6/16/2025 - MONDAY EVENING.
Topic for today:
1. Random but a very interesting observation:
One of the people who tunes into our Torah Study is Rotem. She is from Austria thus I never thought too much about her name but the other day I came across it while reading the Torah.
In Hebrew, "Rotem" (רותם) is a name that means "juniper tree" or "broom bush", a type of desert plant. It is a gender-neutral name with a meaning rooted in resilience and strength, symbolizing perseverance in the face of adversity.
6/17/2025 - TUESDAY EVENING.
Topic for today:
1. New Word - "Gartel"
A gartel is a belt traditionally worn by Jewish men during prayer, particularly Hasidic Orthodox Jews. The word "gartel" is Yiddish for "belt". It's made of multiple strings wrapped together and frayed at the ends, with the number of strings varying.
Purpose:
The gartel is worn to fulfill a requirement in Jewish law that stipulates a physical separation between the genitals and the heart during prayer.
6/18/2025 - WEDNESDAY EVENING.
Topic for today:
1. Intro to Shomer Negiah:
https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/shomer-negiah/
6/19/2025 - THURSDAY EVENING.
Topic for today:
1. Intro to Shatnez:
https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/shatnez/
6/20/2025 - FRIDAY EVENING - SHABBAT BEGINS.
Topic for today:
1. Zimmun - I thought that Zimmun was a minimum number of people (3) required to recite Birkat Hamazon....but I was wrong...Zimmun is The Invitation to Say Grace right before the Birkat Hamazon....thus one needs three to say that but the 4 Brachas can be recited without a minyan.
6/21/2025 - SATURDAY EVENING - WORKING WEEK BEGINS.
Topic for today:
1. Birkat Hamazon:
https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/birkat-hamazon/
https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/how-to-say-birkat-hamazon-grace-after-meals/
6/22/2025 - SUNDAY EVENING.
Topic for today:
1. Humility while reciting Amidah as expressed by bowing:
So when do we bow?
I used to think that we bow each time "Baruch" is recited...but that is not right.
Lev Shalom:
1. Beginning of the first Bracha
2. The very end of the first Bracha
3. Beginning of Modim. (no knee bending)
4. End of Modim.
ArtScroll adds:
5. Bow at the very end before taking 3 steps back.
6/23/2025 - MONDAY EVENING.
Topic for today:
1. More on Bows and Amidah:
...so we bow straight forward up to 5 times....but we also bow left/right and forward...that takes place at the very beginning of the Kedusha...and also at the very end of the ending supplication. Per Artscroll, after we bow forward and take the 3 steps back, we bow left/right and forward while reciting the last few words of the ending supplication.
6/24/2025 - TUESDAY EVENING.
Topic for today:
Talmudic Notes:
1. As I progress through Berakhot (slowly), I see mentions of "Encumbrance" in the discussions debating additions to prayer life (e.g. 12B). ... Think it's important that as early as Berakhot (the 1st Tractate of the 1st Order), prayer structure is debated. We will come back to this point later on.
2. There was a debate "apparently" in regards to the last part of Shema (third paragraphs about the fringes).
3. So one is obligated to wear the fringes if one is wearing a four corner garment. And interestingly enough there is no obligation to wear such a garment.
6/25/2025 - WEDNESDAY EVENING.
Topic for today:
Talmudic Notes: [Berakhot 13A]
So Abraham was originally a father, a minister and prominent person only to Aram...thus he was called Abram - "father of Aram." Later on he became father of the entire world so he was called Abraham - "father of masses."
Same concept applies to Sarah...she was a princess only to her nation - Sarai means "my princess." But she ultimately became Sarah - "princess of the entire world."
6/26/2025 - THURSDAY EVENING.
Topic for today:
Talmudic Notes: [Berakhot 13A]
So...calling Abraham Abram is or may be equivalent to transgressing a positive ... or a negative mitzvah...some believe....but it's only in some Halakhic literature ... lol. can't get more Jewish than this!
6/27/2025 - FRIDAY EVENING - SHABBAT BEGINS.
Topic for today:
1. Maharsha:
https://inner.org/the-maharsha-advice-for-the-living-and-the-dead/
https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/111910/jewish/Rabbi-Shmuel-Eliezer-Edeles.htm
6/28/2025 - SATURDAY EVENING - WORKING WEEK BEGINS.
Topic for today:
2. Magen Avraham:
https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/112501/jewish/Rabbi-Abraham-Abele-Gombiner.htm
https://zchor.org/GOMBINER.HTM
6/29/2025 - SUNDAY EVENING.
Topic for today:
Talking about another famous Rabbi:
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