Basic Values and Morality

Do the laws of inheritance by the first born apply only to males? The word BECHOR is used only for males in Tanach. The sources don’t explicitly say that a boy is called a BECHOR even if he was preceded…

Is counting people allowed? Counting people directly isn’t allowed; that’s why Moses was told to take a census by collecting a half-shekel from each person and then counting the money (Ex.30:11-12).

How do we know that we should be satisfied with what we have? Since the world belongs to G-d (Psalm 24:1), all our possessions are gifts from Him, and we should be satisfied with what we were given.

Should we shun a person who has sinned? It would make sense for people to shun a person who was guilty of a KARESS offense, so he is “cut off from his people”; but in practice we shun only someone…

What do the Jewish sources say about cruelty to animals? The basic source for the prohibition of cruelty to animals (tzaar baalei chayim) is Ex. 23:5, the commandment to help unload an overloaded animal. The Talmud discusses it in Bava…

Where do we derive the obligation to avoid risky situations? The verse “Guard yourself and guard your spirit”, “hishamer lecha u-shemor nafshecha” (Deut. 4:9), is cited by Maimonides (Mishneh Torah, Laws of Murder and Protection of Life 11:4) as a…

What are the 13 articles of the Jewish faith? In brief, they are: 1) G-d’s existence 2) His unity 3) His incorporeality 4) His timelessness 5) His rulership 6) Prophecy 7) Moses’ prophecy 8) The Divine origin of the Torah…

Where do we get the concept of saving the best for last? The concept is derived from Gen. 33:2, where Jacob (when he met Esau) put his concubines and their children first, and Leah and her children after them, and…