The Question of Omens
Some people go to great lengths to find every siman listed in the machzor. One year, my wife asked me to buy black-eyed peas. The supermarket was sold out of the raw beans, but I managed to find canned ones.
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Shabbos and Yom Tov
Rosh Hashanah
Shofar, the Yom HaDin and the start of the year.
We are Hashem’s Children
This time of year is designated for teshuva. We really should be paralyzed with fear because of the impending judgment. Yet, there is a contradiction. On Rosh Hashana, we enjoy festive meals.
Nezirus and Annulling Vows
R’ Eli Stefansky recently publicized an interview he had with a Nazir Shimshon. Although the Nazir’s wife was not present at the interview, she was a Nazirah Shimshon as well.
Is a Bar Mitzvah Boy an Adult?
The boy spent weeks in preparation for his bar mitzvah. When the moment arrived, he relished the opportunity to read the Torah. He had finally achieved adulthood. He was now a full card-carrying member of the tzibbur.
Rosh Hashana in a Cemetery
The Gemara in Brachos (18b) records a particularly interesting incident. A pious man gave a poor man a dinar on Erev Rosh Hashana during years of famine.
Obviously, Rosh Hashana Falls Out on Rosh Chodesh
A travel company is currently running a marketing campaign with “Captain Obvious” as their spokesman. He utters such phrases as “My enemy’s enemy is my enemy’s enemy.” A researcher was trying to uncover the origins of…
A Sukkah Made Out of Elephants
Commercial sukkos used to be generic and “one size fits all.” Sukkah manufacturers have come a long way. You can now purchase ready-to-assemble designer sukkos.
Mincha Motivation
The Mishna in Yoma (28a) tells of a story that once in the Beis Hamikdash they assumed that it was already considered halachicly daytime. Therefore, they slaughtered the animal designated for the Korban Tamid.
Vital Signs
Some people go all out trying to find every last siman listed in the Machzor. One year my wife told me to purchase black-eyed peas. My local supermarket was sold out of the raw beans, but I found the canned ones.
Your Loss Is Your Gain
The Gemara (Pesachim 87b) records a conversation that Hashem had with Hoshea HaNavi that is not mentioned at all in Tanach. Tosfos and Rashi both explain, however, how this conversation is alluded to in the verses.
Nod If You’re Awake
Is it possible for someone to enjoy his meal in a perfectly kosher sukkah while simultaneously violating the injunction against eating a bread meal outside the sukkah on Sukkos?
Sowing The Seeds For Mitzvos
The mishnah in the beginning of the seventh perek of Pesachim instructs one who is roasting his Paschal lamb to employ a spit made of pomegranate wood.
Find The Missing Word
A Gemara in the middle of Berachos reminded me of a lesson I recently learned in humility and judging favorably. The Gemara says that Hashem’s kingship is mentioned extra times in the fourth blessing of bentching.
Gemara stories on Rosh Hashanah
Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel's Son Skips a Verse
Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel's son, chosen as chazzan for his fine voice, stops before the Rosh Chodesh verses of Mussaf on Rosh Hashanah, and explains why.
The Pious Man Who Slept in the Cemetery
A pious man gives charity in a famine, flees his wife's anger to a cemetery on Rosh Hashanah night, and overhears two spirits reveal the year's decree on crops.