Matmonim: Daf Yomi by Rabbi David Lapin

Unlike many other faiths, in the Torah there is no power based buearocracy when it comes to spiritual wellbeing of the individual. Each of us is empowered to grow, make choices and repair mistakes.   Source Sheet

For knowledge one needs a good mind; for wisdom one needs a pure soul. Our actions purify or contaminate our souls. This is the meaning of yir’at cheit – fear of sin.  Source Sheet

Counter intuitively we learn that it is our thoughts that should manifest themselves to others, while our actions should be hidden. Source Sheet

Forgetting something, being unable to recall it, does not mean the information is eradicated from our minds. But certain distractions can eradicate even profound wisdom from our minds. Source Sheet

The uniqueness of the relationship between the Jewish People and their G-d lies in the absolute and reciprocal unconditionality of their bond. Source Sheet

There is a difference between an entrance and a gateway. It is a gate that can be closed that creates a private domain, not an entrance that is always open. Source Sheet

Our relationship to sefarim is not merely an intellectual one, but a sensual one as well. Source Sheet

Kedusha – a bi-directional flow of Divine energy between Heaven and Earth. Source Sheet

What we say springs from deep within us. What we write could be similarly authentic, or it could be palguarized or copied from elsewhere. We need to be clear in our thought and communications whether we are expressing our own, authentic, deepest thoughs or we are communicating the ideas of others. When communicating the ideas of others, perfect accuracy must be insured. Source Sheet

Awe opens deep spiritual pathways that enable wonder. Familiarity closes these pathways. The moment of entrance is when all the drama happens. Source Sheet

Giving one’s produce away to someone in need or to a higher purpose is initself an offering of life force just as throwing the blood is in the case of a zevach , an animal offering. Source Sheet

The Tzitz can effect change in the status of an object, but cannot correct the thoughts of a person. Source Sheet

When two things (or individuals, or communities) are connected, each retains their own separate identity. Their chommer remains separate but together they create a different tzura . When they are joined rather than connected, both are part of something new and different from each of them. Not only their tzura but even their chomer is changed. One connects through transaction. One joins through inv...

When a Ben Torah looks at sameness and difference, he views it through the lens of conceptual similarity and difference not an empirical one. Conceptual similarity and difference manifests through how each is treated in Halacha. Source Sheet

What we do in life is ever-changing and needs to be attuned to circumstance and environment. How we do it is never-changing ; it is governed by our covenant with Hashem. The Korban Oleh veYored is a circumstantial korban that is attuned to the socio-economic level of the individual, it is about the person’s product and therefore it is variable. How it is brought is governed by the never-changing B...

The service of G-d is not about self-sacrifice, it is about elevating one’s life to the higher purpose of the service of Hashem ( Korban ). Self-sacrifice is just a necessary means to being able to offer one’s life to the service of G-d. When elevating our production to Hashem, sacrificing of that production is at the core of the service. Source Sheet

The term Kometz has connotations both of abundance and scarcity. Source Sheet

Clarifying the term Mincha and its relationship to the prayer of Mincha .   Source Sheet

A compromise between two positions, denies the validity of both.   Source Sheet

Demanding higher standards of a person is a compliment for that individual, not a criticism. Source Sheet

In giving gifts to Hashem our intention is not to change His mind but to transform ours. Source Sheet

We explore the degree to which units of time – hours, days etc. – are absolute ideas or relative to human experience. Source Sheet

Taking steps to prevent people from viewing us with unfounded suspicion is a uniquely human quality. It is not about being sensitive to other people’s opinions of us, it is about building and preserving connection.  Source Sheet

There are two ways to view statements that contradict reality. They could be seen as irrelevant and void, or as blatantly false.  Source Sheet

We often say “the thought is what counts.” But this is not always so. Sometimes the action is what counts.  Source Sheet