Shabbos and Yom Tov
The laws and ideas of Shabbos from the Daf Yomi: the melachos, kiddush, the Shabbos meals and contemporary Shabbos questions.
It is 5:45 PM on a sticky July Shabbos afternoon in the Catskills. Inside the wood-paneled walls of the main shul, a single window AC unit is fighting a valiant, entirely losing battle against the ninety-degree heat.
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…
I received a question about whether it is preferable to bake five pounds of flour once every three weeks, thereby fulfilling the mitzvah of hafrashas challah, and serve frozen challah for the subsequent weeks, or to…
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 Presidential Autopen The presidential autopen is a clever machine that helps the President manage the huge stack of documents requiring a signature each day.
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.
The Daf this week touched on the practice of covering the challah before the Shabbos meal (Pesachim 100a-b). Three reasons are offered for this practice. Tosfos cites two of them. The first is from Rav Achai Gaon.
The common practice, particularly in Litvishe communities, is to recite kiddush exclusively over wine or grape juice. However, a differing custom is observed among many Chassidic circles, where kiddush is recited over…
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.
Mazal tov on this final countdown to a joyous simcha – the wedding of a beloved son! With excitement swirling like confetti and preparations in full swing, the ultimate wedding day checklist takes shape: clothing for…
It is customary to slice the challah on Shabbos before reciting Ha’motzi. The source of this halacha comes from a wicked king. Discussing the origins of this halacha never grows stale.
Rebbetzin Leah Auerbach, a”h, once visited a glasses store in Yerushalayim to purchase a new pair of glasses. She was considering photochromic lenses, which darken in sunlight and return to their clear state indoors.
Chur occupies a significant role in the Chumash. During the war with Amalek, he, along with his uncle Aharon HaKohen, helped hold up Moshe Rabbeinu’s hands, which inspired the B’nei Yisrael to pray.
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.
Signatures, those seemingly simple scrawls that mark our identity on documents, can reveal a surprising amount about our personalities.
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.
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?
While the Daf continues plowing through Bava Metzia, many monetary topics are studied. Interestingly enough, someone once asked Rav Yaakov Hagiz (1620-1674) a question about whether a singing bird was muktzeh.
As the days become longer, the time for havdala comes later and later. This is a problem for young children. The Mishna Berura says that once a child understands what Shabbos is, he should be trained to hear havdala.
One Shabbos, a woman was at her wit’s end when her baby refused to nurse. Looking for guidance, she went to see the Rogochover Gaon. The Rogochover looked up from his sefer and told her not to worry, “It’s a Yeushalmi.”…
The following stories and the rulings that follow are based on the Chashukei Chemed and Pninei Halacha on Bava Kama. They are not intended to be relied on for practical halacha. 1. Shimshon had a venomous snake as a pet.
The topic of overeating is discussed in the daf this week (Gittin 70a). The Gemara quotes a beraisa that states, “One who fills his belly with anything will become sick.” Rashi explains that eating as much as one…
Wichita Falls, Texas, is home to Sheppard Air Force Base. A Strategic Air Command Operational Wing of B-52 bombers was located there in the ‘60s. The 494th Bomb Wing was located there until 1965.
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.
My brother-in-law Raphael Katz doesn’t live too far away from me, yet practically the only time we spend Shabbos together is during the summers at Pine Knoll in Monticello.
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.
One mantra that is often repeated in halacha is that nothing supersedes saving a life. Therefore, it is somewhat surprising that a recent Gemara (Kesubos 39a) seems to take a contrarian view.
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.
Rav Yitzchak bar Bisna was the gabbai in charge of opening the doors to the beis midrash. He did his job without fail, until one fateful day when he lost his keys.
One fine erev Shabbos, Rebbe Yannai was anxiously waiting for a gift of fruit to arrive. Every erev Shabbos without fail, an employee who worked in his field would dutifully bring a gift of fruit to show his…
Can you find the fallacy in the following story? The Katzenstein family follows all the stringencies of the Chazon Ish. Mr. Katzenstein asks his son Yossele, “Please go to the store and buy some bread; make sure it is…
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.
The pasuk says (Bereishis 18:3), “And he [Avraham Avinu] said: ‘My master, if I found favor in your eyes, please pass not away from your servant.’” Rashi on Shavuos says that the simple explanation of “My master” is…
An Inwood resident was paid $15 (Canadian) a number of years ago to be a waiter at a melaveh malkah in Montreal. The appetizer was gefilte fish balls with an orange-colored sauce.
In the 1970s, one inexpensive gift to give a loved one was a Pet Rock. For those who are unfamiliar with it, a Pet Rock is like you probably imagined it – just a rock.
If you had asked someone 2,000 years ago what “eBay” means, he would have told you “it’s fruit.” Onkelos uses the word “ebay” many times in his translation of Bereishis. Nowadays, eBay is an Internet success story.
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.
Years ago, a Litvishe individual was on his way to Camp Sternberg, a girls’ camp in Narrowsburg, New York. Although there were married men on campus, it was always difficult to find ten men for the minyanim.
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?
A nice Chanukah present might be the FlashTorch. It’s billed as the world’s brightest flashlight, sporting 4,100 lumens of power. Interestingly, it comes with a safety switch.
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…
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.
Over 25 years ago, I walked into Angel’s bakery on Rechov Shmuel HaNavi. My friends and I had gathered funds together to purchase a birthday cake for another mutual friend.
This article is in the zechus of a refuah sheleimah for Minna Chana bas Sara Feigeh. The Daf (Menachos 58a) discusses the prohibition of mixing honey into offerings that were brought in the Beis HaMikdash.
There are no courses offered for a father on how to cut the lechem mishneh on Shabbos. A father has a few moments to cut through and distribute the challah before he has a rebellion on his hands.
Being of Litvish stock, I always insist on making Kiddush on grape juice or wine. However, occasionally I attend a Kiddush where wine and grape juice are hard to come by.
If you enjoy halachah riddles, this article is for you. 1. There is a general rule that if melachah on Shabbos is done in an abnormal manner, there is no transgression of a Torah injunction; if one violates a Shabbos…
There is a question that is frequently heard in yeshivos: “Why are we learning this topic in Gemara? Why is it relevant?” All topics of Torah are connected.
There have been several instances over the past few years of cows running loose through the streets of New York. In fact, a few years ago a cow actually walked past Yeshiva Shaar HaTorah in Queens.
Rebbe Abba says that on Shabbos, one is obligated to recite ha’motzi on two loaves of bread (Shabbos 117b). This is to commemorate the double portion of manna that fell on Friday.
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.
Rabbi Shlomo Kluger, zt’l, was the chief dayan in Brody, Galicia. One Shabbos, someone rode into town with an urgent message for the first Belzer Rebbe, Rav Shalom Rokeach, zt’l.
One Shabbos, a woman was at her wit’s end when her baby refused to nurse. Looking for guidance, she went to see the Rogochover Gaon. The Rogochover looked up from his sefer and told her not to worry—that “it’s a…
The Gemara records a fundamental dispute between Reish Lakish and Rebbe Yochanan regarding damages caused by fire. Is fire to be viewed as a possession that one has a duty to safeguard?
The Gemara in Shabbos explains that various halachos are learned from a pasuk in Yeshayah (58:13). From the words “Mimtzo cheftzecha,” we derive that one should not occupy himself on Shabbos with conducting his business…
If a woman is lighting more than one light for Shabbos, why does she recite “L’hadlik ner shel Shabbos”? Ner is the singular form. Shouldn’t the correct text be l’hadlik neiros?
The Gemara records the story of a man who was deathly ill. He did not have any children and he knew that when he passed away, his wife would be subject to perform either yibum or chalitzah.
Kol Nidrei, the well-known Yom Kippur tefillah, should not actually be said on Yom Kippur, according to the Rema. However, there is some debate as to the exact reason.
What’s black and white and cold all over? A Lakewood bachur in the freezer. It was the first Shabbos after Tu B’Shevat. Someone suggested to a Lakewood bachur that he go on a Shabbos stroll for a first date.
It is generally assumed that commerce is forbidden on Shabbos and yom tov due to a rabbinic decree. If people would engage in regular buying and selling on yom tov, they might mistakenly write down details of their…
The best defense students have against being forced to learn is to try to use halacha against their teachers. For example, there is a dispute whether all parts of Torah may be learned on erev Tishah B’Av afternoon or…
Is a Jewish household allowed to have a metal table? That’s a ridiculous question, right? What could possibly be the problem? But the Gemara (Rosh Hashanah 24a–b) states that one should not make a courtyard…
In the summer months, I often arrive home from shul after making an early Shabbos and find someone dressed in Shabbos clothing looking around for a Jew who hasn’t accepted Shabbos yet.
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…
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.
In a neighborhood where there is no communal eiruv, an eiruv chatzeiros is required to carry on Shabbos from one’s home into a common area. In the Lower East Side there is no eiruv that permits carrying in the streets.
The Gemara in Shabbos teaches us that one is not allowed to expend any effort on Shabbos to feed animals that are not his. The Mishnah Berurah therefore questions the custom some have of feeding the birds on Shabbos…
When I was growing up, my family used to daven at Yeshivas Chofetz Chaim, which was then in Forest Hills. At the yeshiva, all the local children liked to visit “the dungeon.” The dungeon was the lone dormitory room on…
aftR I finishD learning d Daf Yomi on mon I realized dat OMG I had Nuttin 2 wrte bout. Nuttin jumped out @ me. I wz turniN things Ovr n my hed wen d ideas of acronyms hit me. ppl uz dem whIl txtN.
Two weeks ago we learned some interesting topics in the daf that touched on some raging controversies affecting kashrus today. One such Gemara was about the kashrus of sheratzim found in pits of water.
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…
There are certain minhagim that men should keep in their back pocket. One such example is the mitzvah of tasting Shabbos food on Friday.
One of my daughters loves the Shabbos zemer “Ki eshmerah Shabbos keil yishmereini, os hi l’olmei ad beino u’veini…” It was written by Rav Avrohom Ibn Ezra. For some reason, some bentchers leave out this particular zemer.
For a while there has been a prevailing theory in the sports world that it's worth it to lock a budding star into a long-term contract before his value escalates.
Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach's reported last ruling forbade crockpots on Shabbos, and a letter asking if he had changed his mind lay unanswered on his table.
Engrossed in learning by candlelight on Shabbos, Rabbi Yishmael forgets the day and adjusts the wick, then notes he will bring a chatas when the Beis HaMikdash is rebuilt.
A messenger rides into Brody on Shabbos asking the Belzer Rebbe to pray for a dying man. Rav Shlomo Kluger is aghast; the Rebbe's son-in-law defends it.
When fishmongers send prices soaring, the Tzemach Tzedek follows Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel's move against costly korban birds and bans buying fish, even for Shabbos.
A mother whose baby won't nurse on Shabbos gets a cryptic "It's a Yerushalmi" from the Rogochover Gaon. Rav Meir Simcha explains: her Shabbos sheitel.
A new mother faced discharge from hospital on Shabbos. Rav Dovid Feinstein told the couple to offer all their money to stay, to avoid even a rabbinic prohibition.
Rabbi Tarfon bends down so his mother can climb into bed, and when her sandal tears on Shabbos, he places his hands under her feet all the way home.
The Chofetz Chaim made Kiddush right away for hungry travelers and sang Shalom Aleichem later, explaining that angels can wait but hungry guests should not.
A mother phones Air Force chaplain Rabbi Binyamin Samson on Shabbos: her son will be baptized. The rabbi talks him into learning Judaism first, and he stays.
Buying photochromic glasses, Rebbetzin Leah Auerbach is torn: her father Rav Elyashiv avoids them on Shabbos, but her father-in-law Rav Shlomo Zalman permits them.
Leaving the cave, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and his son meet an old man carrying two myrtle bundles for Shabbos: one for 'zachor' and one for 'shamor.'
Rav Huna sees many Shabbos lights in the house of Avin the carpenter and foretells two great sages; Rav Idi and Rav Chiya bar Avin grow up there.
Rabbi Yannai tithes his Shabbos fruit from afar, then dreams of "a splintered reed." Rabbi Chiya tells him the dream means he ruled according to the truth.
The gabbai Rav Yitzchak bar Bisna drops the beis midrash keys on Shabbos. Rabbi Pedas tells him to let children play nearby and lead them back.
