Talking Turkey About Shiluach Hakein
I’m sorry if this article about shiluach hakein ruffles people’s feathers, but it’s meant to spark discussion, not to offer psak halacha.
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Tefillah and Berachos
Berachos
Blessings before and after food and mitzvos, and the respect due to a bracha.
The Watermelon Mystery: From Chullin to the Dessert Table
A friend of mine once noticed a peculiar habit of his mother-in-law: whenever watermelon was served for dessert at a Shabbos meal, she would always eat it with a challah.
Shehechiyanu and Kiddush on Yom Tov: A Deeper Look
Shehechiyanu and kiddush on Yom Tov are a beautiful pair. However, we must remember that the second days of Pesach present a unique exception: they are the only nights of yom tov on which Kiddush is recited without…
Make Your Days Count
It was the second night of Pesach. The congregation had just finished their silent Shemoneh Esrei. The chazzan was about to continue the service. Suddenly, Boruch hurried across the shul toward Shimon.
Worth Its Salt
Every Shabbos night seudah at the Cohen household was special. This particular week, the air was thick with the aroma of kugel and roast chicken, but for Uncle Dov, there was one singular, pressing priority.
The Greatest Article Since Sliced Bread?
In the hierarchy of human achievement, there is a very specific, crusty yardstick by which all modern innovation is measured. Forget the moon landing, electricity, or the discovery of penicillin.
Questions and answers from HaRav Chaim Kanievsky zt”l on Birchas Ilanos
(Translated by Rabbi Avrohom Sebrow – Email [email protected] for sources) Rav Chaim Kanievsky zt”l was renowned for his concise, often one-word answers to halachic questions.
Barking Up the Wrong Tree
With Rosh Hashanah upon us, Jewish retailers stock new fruits for us to enjoy. An interesting halacha related to fruits, one to which we don’t give much thought to, is orlah.
Of Giving and Receiving
Occasionally, it happens that a child may give someone mishloach manos and not receive anything in return. This may be because the intended recipient isn’t home, or they ran out of mishloach manos, or for some other…
A Cornucopia of Blessings
The Daf this week and specifically Tosfos’s explanation (Gittin 83a and 84a) deal with a paradox of sorts. The result of an action causes that very action to be invalid, which accordingly negates the result.
Not Saying Hashem’s Name in Vain
The Gemara in Nedarim (7b) says, “Rav Chanin said in the name of Rav: Whoever hears the utterance of the Divine name [in vain] from his friend has to excommunicate him.
Kohen Conundrums
A visitor to the Munkacser beis midrash might see a bizarre sight. He might notice his friend Mr. Katz davening Shacharis there on Monday morning.
Sheva Brachos Shailos
In the first perek of Kesuvos, there is a lengthy exposition on Sheva Brachos. What follows is some selected halachos regarding Sheva Brachos with a focus on the psakim of Rav Moshe Feinstein, zt”l.
What Bracha Do You Make on the Sukkah?
Boruch: Shimshon, do you want to study the daf with me? Shimshon: I’m sorry, I’m studying for a test on the laws of Shehechiyanu on Sukkos. Boruch: A test on the bracha of Shehechiyanu on Sukkos?!? What’s there to study?
Shaking Shailos
Shimshon picks up his lulav and esrog on the first day of Sukkos. However, the pitum is facing the floor. Boruch: Shimshon, your esrog is upside down!
Who Was Rav Papa?
Rav Nachum Bar Papa is mentioned in Yoma (67a) on a daf that was recently learned by Daf Yomi participants. What he was quoted as saying is certainly important. Yet, some commentators chose to focus on the name itself.
Charoses: Bricks, Straws, and Blood
I always marvel at the plethora of new Pesach products that come out every year. Canned charoses is one that I haven’t seen until this year.
On the Way
I once had the “opportunity” to ride on a bus together with a large group of seventh-graders. There was an announcement that the recital of Tefillas HaDerech was imminent.
Coffee Break
Kutach haBavli and espresso-infused chocolate bombs. Seemingly, these two food items have nothing to do with each other. However, kutach haBavli sheds light on an interesting halachic point related to the…
Glimpse of a Gadol: Rav Dovid Feinstein, zt’l
Klal Yisrael suffered a tremendous loss last week with the passing of Moreinu Rav Dovid Feinstein, zt’l. There will be much written, be’H, about the gadol ha’dor.
Attitude Of Gratitude
One makes a berachah of Shehecheyanu on a mitzvah that comes at a specific time of the year. We recite the berachah of Shehecheyanu on every yom tov.
Many Thanks Or Just One?
My brother-in-law, an avid Mets fan, was once rushed to the hospital on a Friday night. The Yankees were playing in the postseason. In the spirit of a bitter Mets fan, he was rooting for the opposing team.
Illuminating The Shabbos Blessing
There is a controversy that has been around for some time, and a passage from our daf may ameliorate it somewhat. There is a mitzvah of hadlakas neiros every Friday before the onset of Shabbos.
She’asah Nissim
The Shulchan Aruch writes that if one passes a place where a miracle occurred to him, he recites the blessing of “she’asah li neis ba’makom ha’zeh.” It is clear from the Mishnah Berurah that the miracle in question has…
Separate And Unequal
Suppose a person has two esrogim, an inferior one that is definitely kosher and a beautiful one of questionable validity (it may have been from a grafted tree).
Wandering Jews
I once had the “opportunity” to ride on a bus together with a large group of seventh-graders. There was an announcement that the recital of תפילת הדרך was imminent.
A Bran Plan For Matzah
Every year around Pesach time, it is obligatory for someone to mention the oft-repeated joke, “Why is matzah called lechem oni? Because it makes the purchaser poor.” With hand matzos selling for as much as $26 a pound…
Hands-On Solutions
An incident that occurred to George Bernard Dantzig became a legendary motivational story. In 1939, he was a graduate student at University of California at Berkeley.
Fruits Of Our Labor
The beginning of this dramatized conversation has its roots in a conversation recorded in the Talmud between two Amoraim: Boruch: I’m in that national berachos bee and I’m really studying hard!
Wandering Jews
The topic of Tefillas HaDerech really comes up later in Maseches Berachos, but I found a way to sneak it in this week. There are many questions surrounding the recital of Tefillas HaDerech.
A Minimalist Diet
I came across an interesting halachah in Halichos Shlomo: A husband is obligated to help his wife. Before husbands get too nervous, I did take the halachah somewhat out of context.
Gemara stories on Berachos
Rav Moshe Feinstein and the Ice Cream Bracha
Asked twice whether ice cream after a meal needs a bracha, Rav Moshe Feinstein first asked what it was made of: milk meant no bracha, but milkfat meant yes.
Rabbi Shimon Eider's Tzuras HaPesach in Camp
At Camp Romimu, the bunks' bathrooms were open to the rest of the room, so brachos could not be said there. Rabbi Shimon Eider found a creative solution.
Yosef's Berachah at the Pit
Returning from Yaakov's burial, Yosef blesses Hashem at the pit where he was saved; his frightened brothers invent a message from their father.
Rav Chaim Kanievsky, the Chazon Ish and the Blossoming Tree
Asked whether the Chazon Ish skipped Birchas Ilanos, Rav Chaim Kanievsky recalls the walk when the Chazon Ish told him to make the beracha.