A Snag in the Plans
Boruch stepped into the shared backyard, hammer in hand, ready to build his beautiful sukkah. But as he looked up to map out his airspace, he noticed a major snag.
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Shabbos and Yom Tov
Sukkos
The sukkah, the arba minim and the joy of Sukkos.
A More Mehudar Mitzvah
Rav Mordechai Finkelman, mashgiach of Yeshivas Ohr Hachaim, received a generous offer from a friend. The friend offered to build Rav Finkelman a sukkah that would be part of his house.
A Sukkah for a Baby
Shammai’s daughter-in-law gave birth over Succos (Yevamos 15a). She was recuperating in the house. Shammai managed to make a hole in the roof over the bed she was resting in and placed s’chach over that hole.
Who is Obligated?
The very first Mishna in Chagigah discusses those who are obligated to make the thrice-yearly pilgrimage to the Beis Hamikdash. The Mishna clearly states that the rule is that everyone is obligated except those…
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.
Why Your Pet Rock is Not Muktzeh
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.
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!
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.
A Snow-Covered Sukkah
Is this sukkah kosher? The snow is severely weighing down the schach (sukkah ceiling) in the center. One potential issue: Has the sukkah become too cramped?
Is Olam Habah for Sale?
The story is related that a Jew, who had only five rubles to his name, was in dire need of a large sum of money for his daughter’s upcoming marriage. He went to his Rebbe for advice.
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?
A Knotty Situation
A well-regarded first-grade rebbe from a local yeshiva laments that many of the talmidim in his class wear tzitzis that are invalid. The first time they wear a given pair of tzitzis they are kosher, but through…
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).
Global Cooling
As the cold snap for our area continues, it might hearten us to know that people elsewhere have it worse. In Chicago, the temperature has already been below zero for 20 days this winter season.
Standing Tall
What do Chanukah and Purim have to do with daf yomi Sukkah? Maseches Sukkah begins with the halachah that a sukkah that is taller than 20 amos (between 30 and 40 feet) is invalid.
Chapter And Verse
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…
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.
The Out-Of-Town Bonus
My first lesson in how people are wary of shadchanim came when I spoke to my uncle about a prospective shidduch for his daughter. I described the bachur as being five-foot-six.
Gemara stories on Sukkos
The Vilna Gaon's Esrog and His Olam Haba
To get an esrog in a year of shortage, messengers promised the Vilna Gaon's reward to the seller, and the Gaon rejoiced at a mitzvah done purely out of love.
Rav Mordechai Finkelman Wants to Schlepp the Boards
Offered a ready-made sukkah built into his house, Rav Mordechai Finkelman said no: he wanted to build his own sukkah every year, out of love for mitzvos.
The Chair Sukkah in Rav Unterman's Old Shul
In an English shul that resists change because 'Rav Unterman didn't do it,' Rabbi Rothberg builds sukkah walls of stacked chairs, and learns who did it first.
Shammai's Sukkah Over a Newborn
When his daughter-in-law gives birth on Sukkos, Shammai breaks open the roof over her bed and covers it with s'chach. But who was the sukkah for?
Rav Henoch Leibowitz and the Spiteful Neighbor
A neighbor shouts that this is the last year Rav Henoch Leibowitz’s s’chach leaves will fall in his yard, and he does not live to the next Sukkos.