Shabbos and Yom Tov
The fast, the avodah of the Kohen Gadol and the power of Yom Kippur to atone.
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.
In 1848, a cholera epidemic swept through Eastern Europe, including the Jewish communities of Lithuania. The disease was swift and deadly, and its effects were especially devastating in crowded and impoverished areas.
The photograph accompanying this text captures a moment in the life of Rav Dovid Feinstein, zt”l. Standing solemnly over the East River, he is not simply admiring the view but is engaged in a spiritual act.
What is the mysterious creature known as a Rechesh? At first glance, one might wonder how this relates to Bava Basra. However, Rav uses this enigmatic creature to clarify his position (152b).
Yom Kippur and Purim may seem like two very different holidays, but there is actually a deep connection between them. Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is a solemn occasion on which we fast and seek forgiveness for our…
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…
Rav Shmuel Eliezer HaLevi Eidels, more commonly known as the Maharsha, was Rosh HaYeshiva in Austroha. At one point due to the great influx of talmidim to his Yeshiva, the community decided to erect a larger building.
There was a pregnant woman who smelled food on Yom Kippur. She developed a ravenous desire to eat. If she did not satisfy the craving, it was possible that her life or that of the fetus would be in danger (Yoma 82b).
Boruch: I learned the Daf very well this week, and I can’t really see how it has relevance to practical halacha. Shimon: The Daf doesn’t have to have any practical relevance.
Boruch and Shimon take a day trip to visit some of the quaint bungalow colonies located in the scenic Catskill Mountains. Of course, when newly built, they were a pristine vacation destination.
Rebbi Yose ben Kisma said: Once I was walking by the way when I met a man. He greeted me and said, “Rabbi, where are you from?” I responded, “I am from a great city of sages and scribes.” He said to me, “Rabbi, would…
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.
One particularly moving part of the Yom Kippur Mussaf service is the story of the Ten Martyrs. Ten great tzaddikim were tragically killed by the Roman government, and their deaths serve as atonement for Klal Yisrael.
Every Yom Kippur, Jews all over the world recite Viduy, the confession. Some of the sins listed may be familiar to the person reciting them, and those certainly deserve mention.
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.
Little Johnny watched, fascinated, as his mother sprayed furniture polish on her old dining-room table. “Why do you do that, Mommy?” he asked.
An acquaintance remarked that this year in Judaism is “the year of the cow.” I did not have the faintest idea of what he was talking about until he explained: “This is the year of two udders (Adars).” Since Purim is…
The Gemara (Pesachim 87b) offers numerous explanations as to why Hashem chose Bavel as the destination for the exile. One such explanation is that the language spoken in Bavel, Aramaic, was most similar to Hebrew.
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.
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.
At the inauguration of the first Beis HaMikdash the nation feasts even on Yom Kippur, fears punishment, and a Heavenly voice promises them the World to Come.
During the 1848 cholera epidemic, Rav Yisrael Salanter went up to the bimah in Vilna on Yom Kippur and made kiddush so that his kehillah would eat.
A pregnant woman craves food on Yom Kippur; Rebbi has them whisper that it is Yom Kippur, she holds back, and her son becomes Rabbi Yochanan.
