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Welcome to Daf Aleph, an educational resource on the fundamental topics in Judaism and Jewish philosophy. Covering both timeless subjects, conversations, and debates, as well as more modern and contemporary issues, Daf Aleph was created for anyone interested in learning more about a particular topic in Jewish thought. Founded after the recognition that no such easily-accessible online resource on matters of Jewish thought and machshavah exists, Daf Aleph aims to be just that — a website of Jewish thought for thoughtful Jews.

You can read more about the various Daf Aleph writers on the writers page, and subscribe via RSS or email, Twitter, or Facebook to the right.

If you have a question you’d like answered, or a topic you’d like to see covered, feel free to contact us for any reason, either via email or on Twitter. If you’re interested in writing for, or in some other way contributing to, Daf Aleph please do reach out as well.

Over the coming months we plan on building out our library, adding new topics, series, and essays as we go. We hope you'll join us.


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Daf Aleph Jewish thought for thoughtful Jews

Jun 30
Jun 30 Halacha And Kabbalah (Part 1): Introduction & Overview Of The Fundamental Halachic Process

R. Moshe Shure
HalachaKabbalah

Before one can understand the interaction of kabbalah and halacha, one must understand how the larger halachic process works. Generally, our halacha is determined by the Oral Torah, comprised of the two Talmuds, and the various Midrashim...

Jun 24
Jun 24 Parshas Behalosecha: The Ascension That Torah Causes

Devir Kahan
Parsha

The opening verse of this week’s parsha contains a rather strange word...

Jun 17
Jun 17 Parshas Naso: Chasidic Perspectives On Why Confession Is Rooted In Theft

Devir Kahan
Parsha

This week’s parsha is one of the longest and most repetitious in the entire Torah. This is due to the list of gifts the nesiim bring at the end of the parsha...

Jun 10
Jun 10 Parshas Bamidbar: Who Is The Torah Calling A Bechor?

Devir Kahan
Parsha

There is little question that this week’s parsha is more dry than others, but this affords us the opportunity not to be distracted by an interesting storyline and to instead focus on the nuances of the text itself...

Jun 3
Jun 3 Parshas Bechukosai: Your Very Own Rain

Devir Kahan
Parsha

This week’s parsha opens as follows...

Jun 1
Jun 1 A Guide To The Term “Zonah”

Shoshana Rozenberg
Term Guide

It is a general assumption that when the word “zonah” appears throughout Tanach it is in reference to a prostitute...

May 31
May 31 Ta’amei Ha’Mitzvos (Part 3): Understanding Rambam’s Perspective On The Matter

Devir Kahan
Ta'amei Ha'Mitzvos

We shall first examine the opinion of Rambam on the subject of ta’amei ha’mitzvos. Rambam’s perspective on the matter is often misquoted and misrepresented...

May 27
May 27 Parshas Behar: Shabbos, Shemitta, & Teffila

Moshe Bochner
Israel, Parsha, Tefillah

One of the longest-standing, most complicated, and ideologically driven halakhic debates since the turn of the Twentieth Century, Heter Mechira, has surrounded one of the most oft-repeated mitzvoth in the Torah, Shemitta...

May 26
May 26 The Truth About Lag B’Omer

Devir Kahan
Sefiras HaOmer, Lag B'Omer

Perhaps more so than with any other day on the Jewish calendar, there is much confusion and a great many misconceptions about what exactly the significance of Lag B’Omer is. The goal of this piece is to work through the primary sources and build the day as per said sources...

May 25
May 25 Two Simple & Fundamental Lessons Of Sefiras HaOmer

Devir Kahan
Sefiras HaOmer

There is little question that the period of Sefiras HaOmer is one of the most confusing on the Jewish calendar...

May 24
May 24 What Must Come: A Manifesto

Eliezer Berger
Community, Editorial

Enough sitting around and complaining. Enough romantic daydreaming and blaming our circumstances. It’s time for a new paradigm to shape the Jewish community...

May 20
May 20 Parshas Emor: The Perfection Of The Kohein

Devir Kahan
Parsha

This week’s parsha includes a number of laws that are unique to the kohein. For example, kohanim are not allowed to come into contact with dead bodies and tumah...

May 13
May 13 Parshas Kedoshim: The Challenging Requirement To “Be Holy”

Devir Kahan
Parsha

This week’s parsha opens with God issuing the following command to Moshe...

May 12
May 12 Yom Ha’atzmaut: What’s So Bad About Galus?

Devir Kahan
Holidays, Israel, Yom Ha’atzmaut

Yom Ha’atzmaut, a day that should bring great clarity for the Jewish people, is instead shrouded in controversy, mystery, and misappropriation. Is this day nothing more than a Jewish version of America’s July 4th?...

May 5
May 5 Ta’amei Ha’Mitzvos (Part 2): A Troubling Mishnah & Gemara

Devir Kahan
Ta'amei Ha'Mitzvos

We begin our examination of the sources with the following Gemara...

May 4
May 4 “Not For Your Sake But For The Sake Of My Holy Name” – On Redemption, Ideal, & Otherwise

Levi Morrow
Holidays, Pesach, Nach

Chapter 36 of Sefer Yehezkel is part of the third and final section of the book, the section dedicated to the Redemption of Bnei Yisrael from the Babylonian Exile...

May 3
May 3 From Slavery To Slavery: What It Means To Be The Children Of God

Devir Kahan
Holidays, Pesach

The relationship between the first days of Yom Tov and the last days of Yom Tov on Pesach are somewhat unique relative to Succos...

May 2
May 2 The Half-Hallel Of Pesach

Avi Borgen
Holidays, Pesach

In his Derech HaShem, Ramchal writes that all holidays are connected to the original day thousands of years prior when the events of that holiday first took place...

Apr 28
Apr 28 Parshas Acharei Mos: The Mysterious Cloud Of The Holy Of Holies According To Pshat, Drash, & The Sadducees

Devir Kahan
Parsha

This week’s parsha discusses various laws pertaining to the Beis HaMikdash. Specifically, it deals with when the kohanim were allowed to enter the Holy of Holies, and how they were to do so...

 

Apr 28
Apr 28 What’s The Big Deal With Firstborns?

Shoshana Rozenberg
Pesach, Holidays

The firstborn child is given a lot of credence over the course of Pesach, and in Jewish life in general. What is so special about being the firstborn son of a family?...

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