Matmonim: Daf Yomi by Rabbi David Lapin

We explore the reason for and meaning of the study of Kodshim 

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In doing, our bias should be to action. In judging our bias should be to caution. When it comes to errors in judgement, fear of the full consequences of error is crucial.  

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Leadership has a level of responsibility beyond anything of the individual. However, their responsibility doesn’t relieve the individual of his own accountability. We examine the balance between individual and leadership responsibility for error

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We express our true identities not by what we do but by what we refuse to do. What we do not do defines our boundaries, and our boundaries define our identities – as individuals, families, communities, nations and faiths. 

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How does the law of bittul - nullification (when something forbidden gets mixed with something permitted, if the quantities are small enough so that there is no felt experience of the forbidden substance, then it is nullified) work? Does the mixture take on the identity of the dominant, permitted substance, or does it retain its identity but may be ignored halachikly because its effect is not experienced?

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Choices that are not motivated by any extrinsic factors are different from those that are made in response to an extrinsic event

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When managing people, it is essential to clarify the degree of their authority, ownership and responsibility 

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“We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.” – Anaïs Nin

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When a religious person is careful about certain areas of halacha but not about others, it doesn’t necessarily signify hypocrisy, it is more likely simply inconsistency, something we are all somewhat guilty of.

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Sometimes two objects that look identical are defined differently. How does the Torah view these two objects, as similar or different?

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The purpose of debate is not only to persuade others but also to reinforce our own ideas and beliefs

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One who does not keep the Shabbat does not allow the space and the time to explore their soul. They deny its existence, much like the idol worshipper denies the existence of an inner spiritual world. 

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Disgust is often an instinctual reaction to something that repels us. But disgust can also be a conscious choice we make that is a reinforcement of our values 

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Some prohibitions (especially Rabbinic prohibitions) attach to the action of an individual. Others attach to the object. In the case of Avodah Zarah the object is so contaminated that even Rabbinic Prohibition can attach to the object. 

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We have an example of how the great Poskim solve human and social problems within the guardrails of Halacha by fully understanding the context of the circumstance

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Every choice we make entails a cost, a sacrifice. Some choices are made from an inner place of fear, others from a deeper place, from a place of soul, of Emunah. These are the choices that are transformational

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We explore how the differences between hands and feet extend beyond physiology and even halacha, to kabbalistic ideas as well 

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Medicine plays a critical role in health care – but there are other factors too, and science goes far beyond what we know in any given age

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Leadership greatness entails the combination of character and wisdom.

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Defiling that which is holy, corrupting that which is authentic, is one of the most serious transgressions

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Seeing to the essence of things and discerning the differences between that which appears similar

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The negative force of idolatry contained in an object cannot be transferred but it can contaminate other objects. Destroying the contaminated object can at times destroy the negative force in its entirety

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Parents are obligated to do their best in how they raise their children. But if their children turn out bad, how responsible are they?

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The source of idolatry is neither in the object of service, nor in the subject serving it. The source is in a corrupted value system.

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There is so much sanctity in the words of torah that even thinking about them in inappropriate places is forbidden

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One can be attached to an object or to its commercial value. In the same way one can be attached to an idea embedded in that object. Idolatry is an added layer of value embedded in a worshipped object

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There is a widely held assumption that if one is forbidden to benefit from a certain object, it has no value and therefore is not subject to the laws of ownership. However, probing more deeply we discover ownership is not determined by one’s rights to an object but rather by one’s responsibility for it.

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Unlike other faiths, the Torah does not bifurcate the spiritual and the material, they are fused into one.

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Intimacy is not only about who is in the inner, intimate circle; it is also about who is not. Boundaries create social intimacy  

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Truth and reputation are not always loving siblings. There are times when truthfulness can impair reputation thereby reducing an individual’s future effectiveness. But sometimes we have to listen tour reputation and challenge our inner beings and deeper motivations

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Faithfulness to tradition assures authenticity. Innovation avoids rigidity and fundamentalism. How do we balance the two? 

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To be a nation of learners, as we are, we need first and foremost to be a nation of teachers. Teaching is not just a means of enabling the next generation with the knowledge and skills they need, teaching is also a form of learning by which the teacher can access higher levels of understanding than he would merely as a scholar.

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Time has a diluting effect both on memories and on the impact of events and even materials.

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Wine is a vehicle both of social connection and of connection to Hashem. Dilution of Jewish society through intermarriage dilutes our relationship to Hashem as well.

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Have we paid too high a price for the release of our hostages or is no price too high?

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In some areas we are expected to master and overcome our natural urges. But there are areas, the areas of basic human character, where virtue is innate – we simply need to nurture and develop it. 

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When using Hashem as a strategy to gain trust which is then broken, the transgression is not just monetary, but one of faith as well 

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We need to be mindful not only of what we say but also of what our words imply, even if not said

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The synthesis of empathy and grace applies to Hashem uniquely

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