Rabbi Dunner’s series exploring Pirkei Avot (Ethics of the Fathers). In this shiur, Rabbi Dunner examines the first mishna of the first chapter in Pirkei Avot, focusing on the concept of “mesorah” — the transmission of Judaism and Torah from one generation to the next. Why is “mesorah” considered the underpinning of Jewish tradition and … Continue reading “PIRKEI AVOT 2 – UNDERSTANDING THE CONCEPT OF “MESORAH” (VIDEO)”
Rabbi Dunner’s series exploring Pirkei Avot (Ethics of the Fathers). In this shiur, Rabbi Dunner examines the first mishna of the first chapter in Pirkei Avot, focusing on the concept of “mesorah” — the transmission of Judaism and Torah from one generation to the next. Why is “mesorah” considered the underpinning of Jewish tradition and … Continue reading “PIRKEI AVOT 2 – UNDERSTANDING THE CONCEPT OF “MESORAH””
Rabbi Dunner’s series exploring Pirkei Avot (Ethics of the Fathers). In this first class, Rabbi Dunner looks at the idea that every Jew has a place in Olam Haba – the world to come! What does it mean? Why is it relevant to us? And why is Jewish ethics and morality so different from the … Continue reading “PIRKEI AVOT 1 (VIDEO)”
Rabbi Dunner’s series exploring Pirkei Avot (Ethics of the Fathers). In this first class, Rabbi Dunner looks at the idea that every Jew has a place in Olam Haba – the world to come! What does it mean? Why is it relevant to us? And why is Jewish ethics and morality so different from the … Continue reading “PIRKEI AVOT 1 – ‘EVERY “YISRAEL” HAS A PLACE IN OLAM HABA’”
(For the SoundCloud audio, scroll down) Socrates is supposed to have said: “Education is the kindling of a flame, not the filling of a vessel.” And he didn’t just toss out this aphorism to sound clever—he literally lived it. One day, in ancient Athens, a group of young aristocrats gathered around Socrates, who cut a … Continue reading “BUILDERS OF BUILDERS”
“Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?” Those nine words were spoken more than eight hundred years ago by King Henry II of England — and they changed history. Henry was a brilliant, forceful monarch who ruled in the twelfth century, a time when kings and popes wrestled for supremacy. Henry was determined … Continue reading “THE WORD MADE WORLD”
This article is adapted from the Hebrew introduction to “Ohr Hayasher al Masechet Shabbat”, republished, edited, and annotated by Rabbi Pini Dunner (Otzrot, Jerusalem, 2024). Over the past three years, I have been working on a project to produce an annotated edition of Rabbi Shmuel Yitzchok Hillman’s “Sefer Ohr Hayashar” on Masechet Shabbat. I am … Continue reading “A GREAT RABBINIC LIGHT SHINES AGAIN”
The nineteenth-century humanitarian iconoclast, Clarissa “Clara” Harlowe Barton (1821-1912), is best remembered for providing much-needed supplies to the Union Army during the American Civil War following which she founded the American Red Cross. Although her early life was marred by shyness and timidity, as a young adult Barton determined that if she was ever to … Continue reading “THE BEST CURE FOR DEFIANCE”
