A Wedding Menu to Remember
On a crisp, torch-lit night in eleventh-century Baghdad, the air carried more than the usual scent of roasted almonds, cardamom, and the damp clay of the Tigris. It carried the palpable weight of a changing era.
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Beis Din and Halachic Process
Rabbinic Decrees
Gezeiros and takanos: why the Rabbis enacted them and how far they reach.
Kosher Questions
When Ben & Jerry’s announced a few years ago that they would stop selling their ice cream in certain parts of Israel, many kosher supermarkets and community organizations in the diaspora initiated a counter-boycott…
Kesubah Conundrums
An individual was applying for a rabbinic position upon the receipt of his semichah. Apparently, the members of the congregation with the open position weren’t too learned.
Pasta Imposter
Miriam strolled into the pasta aisle, wheels turning on her cart and in her head. Tonight was lasagna night, and she was ready to make a great meal. Her eyes landed on the familiar blue Ronzoni boxes.
Water Works
I was visiting a New Jersey suburb one summer and noticed that all the lawns were brown — save one. The house where I was staying had a luscious green garden in front.
A Sea-rious Story
The following is a dramatized version of a true story. Over time, the populace of a certain town noticed that there was something fishy about the price of fish. It kept floating higher, not the typical ebb and flow.
More Crockpot Questions
Last week’s article generated comments from readers, especially since the article ended with a statement that a blech was recommended for the use of a crockpot on Shabbos.
Crockpot Controversies
When Irving Nachumson filed for a patent in 1936, could he have imagined that his invention would be the center of a major halachic controversy sixty years later?
Neither a Lender Nor a Borrower Be?
If someone borrows a loaf of bread before Pesach, does he have to pay it back after Pesach? After all, if the Jewish lender would have kept the loaf of bread in his possession, it would have become worthless.
Gold Overboard
Yehuda and Tzvi are traveling together on a ship. Unfortunately, they hit turbulent weather and stormy seas. Yehuda is forced to throw his gold bars into the sea to lighten the boat’s load.
Egg-sploring the Halacha
With the enormous amount of responsa that have been written over the past thousand years, there are countless ones about some rather interesting questions.
The Rights and Wrongs of Writing
In 2010, vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin delivered a highly anticipated speech to around 1,100 supporters at a Tea Party Convention. However, she couldn’t get through it without a few notes scrawled on her hand.
Haircuts on Chol Hamoed
The Shulchan Aruch (O.C. 531:1) writes that there is a mitzvah to get a haircut on erev yom tov. The Pri Megadim is unsure if the mitzvah is that one should ensure his hair looks its best in honor of yom tov, or perhaps…
Biblical or Rabbinic: That is the Question
The Torah affords a father the special right to annul his daughter’s vows while she is a naarah. According to the Ran, this permit is limited to vows that cause the daughter some suffering or otherwise affect the…
Draining the Swamp
Very often, the Gemara pairs together totally unrelated topics because they have one common denominator. Recently on the daf, we had a collection of unrelated beraisos.
Wednesday is the Day to Wed
Mazal tov to all those who finished Maseches Yevamos. We began Maseches Kesuvos on Friday. I remember that a few minutes after I was engaged and we had a mock l’chayim ceremony, my future shvigger opened her notebook.
Keeping It In the Family
Sometimes, while learning Talmud and the commentaries, one can uncover new facts about the events recorded in Tanach. Tosfos in Yevamos (21a) states that Dovid HaMelech married the former wife of Shaul HaMelech, Ritzpah…
The Great Tefillin Divide
Rabbi Yisroel Besser once wrote about his experience standing on the other side of the mechitza. He was attending his daughter’s graduation, and the primary event was for mothers only.
Something Fishy
It is a staple at most Shabbos tables: fish. Gefilte fish is most popular, but other varieties persist as well. The prices of fish along with many other staples have risen modestly recently.
Takana Considerations
Rebbe Yochanon Ben Zakkai led the Jewish nation through the tumultuous years immediately following the destruction of the Second Beis Hamikdash. His guidance preserved Torah-true Judaism.
Yolk Tales
An interesting Pesach product that will take on added relevance this year is egg matzah. Is egg matzah kosher l’Pesach? Can egg matzah be used to fulfill the biblical mitzvah of matzah on the night of the Seder?
In Hot Water
The following is based on a true story. Nathan comes home from his out-of-town dormitory. He loudly declares, “I’m starving!” His mother gently reminds him that he managed for a few months on his own and surely he can…
How Far Would You Go for Cocoa Bombs?
Some may know of the latest food craze, hot cocoa bombs. There is something people find comforting about dropping these bombs in hot milk, watching them “explode,” thereby releasing their hot cocoa mix and marshmallows.
Building Blocks of Halachah
A recent weekly periodical dealing with hilchos Shabbos shocked many families. The Hilchos Shabbos Initiative newsletter stated that it is forbidden for adults and chinuch-age children to play with Magna-Tiles on…
Seeking a Shady Exemption
During this pandemic, many minyanim have taken place outdoors. Some of these ad hoc minyanim don’t have enough chairs, and it can be very enticing to lean on a tree for some relief.
When The Sky Is Not The Limit
A year ago, I was asked to keep a group of 40 or so youngsters of varying ages busy on yom tov so that their parents could daven. I elected to tell them a story.
Don’t Despair
Little Johnny watched, fascinated, as his mother sprayed furniture polish on her old dining-room table. “Why do you do that, Mommy?” he asked.
Can You Keep A Secret?
There is a dispute between Rav and Shmuel as to whether or not one is permitted to precisely measure flour on yom tov for the purpose of baking. Shmuel is of the opinion that flour may not be measured.
What’s Cooking?
Many years ago, I heard an interesting trivia question asked on a radio show. “Which berachah is recited only on a Wednesday or Thursday?” I was perplexed, though any homemaker who ever had to cook meals for a so-called…
Seeking A Shady Exemption
After a nice hot kiddush, people like to stand outside of shul and schmooze. It can be tiring and hard on one’s feet. It would be great to find something to lean on.
Gefilte Fish, Cottage Cheese, And Scotch
Recently, there was a boycott started in Israel against local cottage-cheese manufacturers. Consumers complained, “Why should cottage cheese cost 50% more in Israel than in the United States and Europe?” I’m lucky that…
Gemara stories on Rabbinic Decrees
Rabbeinu Tam Stops a Wedding in Provence
A man in Provence was about to marry his father-in-law's ex-wife, with the meal already prepared. Rabbeinu Tam ruled, despite the loss, that the wedding could not go ahead.