Q & A: Prayer And Its Origins (Part II)
Question: The Gemara in Berachot teaches that the Sages authored our prayers. If so, it would seem that we did not pray before this time. Did we pray before their innovation or not?
Menachem
Via Email
Q & A: Why Does Hallel Come Before Keriat HaTorah? (Part II)
On days that we recite Hallel, why do we do so before Keriat HaTorah? Shouldn’t the Torah reading come first based on the rule that whenever two matters face us, we do the more frequent one first (tadir v’she’eino tadir, tadir kodem)?
Menachem
Q & A: Attending Weddings During Sefirah (Part I)
Question: My friends are getting married on Rosh Chodesh Sivan. I tried to convince them to do otherwise, as many people have a minhag not to attend weddings until three days before Shavuot. They told me they spoke to rabbis who allowed it. Is this right? May I attend?
Name Withheld By Request
Q & A: Mechirat Chametz (Part III)
Question: I would like to have a better understanding of a practice that I and many others are a party to every year before Passover. How does the sale of chametz to the gentile take effect if it is returned to the original owner within a very short period after the festival’s conclusion?
M. Goldblum
Miami Beach, FL
Q & A: Joshua Marries Rahab (Redux) (Part II)
Question: I am a psychology professor at McGill University who is doing an MA in Jewish studies. My thesis topic is the history of interpretation of the story of Rachav Hazona. In the course of my research I was trying to understand how the Midrash derived that Rahab converted.
Q & A: Selling One’s Chametz
Please explain the concept of selling one’s chametz. Wouldn’t it be simpler just to dispose of all of one’s chametz prior to Pesach? Why go through this charade every year?
Malka Berg
(Via E-Mail)
Q & A: Standing During Birkot Keriat Shema (Part II)
Question: I have noticed that some people stand during the Birkot Keriat Shema. I was always under the impression that one is supposed to sit for Shema and its berachot. Is there a source that allows one to stand during this part of the prayer?
Menachem
(Via E-Mail)
Q & A: Why Does Hallel Come Before Keriat HaTorah? (Part I)
On those days that we recite Hallel, why do we do so before Keriat HaTorah? Shouldn’t the Torah reading come first based on the rule that whenever two matters face us, we do the more frequent one first (tadir v’she’eino tadir, tadir kodem)?
Menachem
Q & A: Tying Knots On The Sabbath (Part I)
My son recently stopped wearing a necktie and lace-up shoes on the Sabbath. He explained that otherwise he fears transgressing the prohibition against tying knots on the Sabbath. I am concerned, as I do not wish that he appear slovenly, especially on the Sabbath, which might not reflect well on him regarding possible shidduchim. Is he correct in this matter?
A Concerned Mother
Via E-mail
Q & A: Birkat HaGomel (Part VII)
Question: I recently returned from a trip abroad and wanted to say HaGomel. When I mentioned this to the officers of my synagogue, however, they told me – as per the instructions of the synagogue’s rabbi – that I would have to wait until Shabbos to do so. I was not given any reason for this and did not wish to display my ignorance, so I quietly acquiesced. Can you please explain why I had to wait?
Name Withheld
(Via E-Mail)
Q & A: Should The Chazzan Say ‘Ga’al Yisrael’ Out Loud? (Part III)
Question: In the course of my travels, I have discovered that some chazzanim say “Ga’al Yisrael” right before Shemoneh Esreh aloud while others say it with their voices fading. Is one practice correct and the other incorrect?
M. Goldman
Q & A: Making Up For What We Missed (Part XI)
Question: The Covid-19 pandemic has put an end to almost all public gatherings; hence, much of Jewish congregational ritual has come to a halt. Is there a way to make up for everything we missed?
M. Goldman
Q & A: Tying Knots On The Sabbath (Part III)
My son recently stopped wearing a necktie and lace-up shoes on the Sabbath. He explained that otherwise he fears transgressing the prohibition against tying knots on the Sabbath. Is he correct in this matter?
A Mother in Israel
Via E-mail
Q & A: Tisha B’Av And Mourning
Question: I was taught that due to our state of mourning on Tisha B’Av, we are not allowed to learn or discuss Torah – a topic that makes us happy and weakens our mournful state. Why, then, are we allowed to read from the Torah at Shacharit and Mincha on Tisha B’Av? Also, does the halacha of not learning apply to a regular mourner as well?
Menachem
(Via E-Mail)
Q & A: Marrying A Girl With The Same Name As His Mother
Question: Please see my personal situation. If you have time to answer that would be great. I am seriously dating a girl who has a similar name to my mother. Would this present a problem?
Name Withheld
Via email
Q & A: Sefirat HaOmer In Shul (Part II)
QUESTION: I enjoy your weekly column. You not only give an answer, but also provide an in-depth discussion of the subject matter, including many different views. My question, which relates to the upcoming mitzvah of counting the Omer, is as follows: In my synagogue, and I assume in most others, we all stand at attention as the rabbi or chazzan recites the blessing of Sefirat HaOmer and then proceeds to count the Omer. How can we recite the blessing afterwards when we already clearly heard it before (and thus, presumably, were yotzei with it)?
M. Goldblum
Miami Beach, FL
Q & A: Standing During Chazarat HaShatz (Part I)
Question: Is one obligated to stand while the shliach tzibbur repeats Shemoneh Esreh? I have observed that some people stand during the whole repetition of the Amida while others sit most of the time.
Menachem
Q & A: Why Does Hallel Come Before Keri’at HaTorah? (Part III)
On days that we recite Hallel, why do we do so before Keri'at HaTorah? Shouldn’t the Torah reading come first based on the rule that whenever two matters face us, we do the more frequent one first (tadir v’she’eino tadir, tadir kodem)?
Menachem
Q & A: Crownlets In The Torah (Part II)
Question: Why do we find crownlets in the Torah on the letters shin, ayin, tet, nun, zayin, gimmel, and tzaddi? And why only these letters?
Avrohom Gruenberg
Q & A: The Tenth Of Tevet Among Other Fast Days
Question: Is there any significance to the fact that the fast of the Tenth of Tevet (Asara B’Tevet) almost immediately follows Chanukah and that it is the shortest of all the fast days? Does this allow us to be more lenient in its observance? I hope you will address this in your column, which I eagerly read every week.
M. Goldman
Miami Beach, Fla.
Q & A: They Live In The Land (Part IV)
Question: I was recently discussing the sorry state of religion in Eretz Yisrael with some friends, noting that unfortunately a majority of the population consists of non-observant Jews. I expressed my view that this fact explains why Moshiach has not yet come. I avidly read your column and am anxious to learn your view of this matter.
No Name Please
(Via E-Mail)
Q & A: Hot Water Thanks To A Shabbos Clock (Conclusion)
Question: Is one permitted to use an electric hot water urn controlled by a Shabbos clock to boil water on Shabbat?
Yisrael W.
Q & A: Offering Tefillin To Passersby (Part IV)
Question: Where I live, I see Chabad shluchim offering Jewish passerby to put on tefillin, is this of any value if they are otherwise non-observant, additionally is doing so in a street – a public thoroughfare proper kavod for the tefillin?
Menachem
Via email
Q & A: Pinchas Not Always Zealous? (Part I)
QUESTION: Recently, as I was studying the weekly portions of the Torah, I noticed a seeming anomaly. In Parashat Balak, Pinchas does what Moses did not do and zealously killed Zimri, a tribal prince who had sinned. We find in the following portion, Parashat Pinchas, that Pinchas was rewarded for this act. Yet after that, in Parashat Mattot, Pinchas is rebuked for not fulfilling Moses' command. Can you reconcile this apparent contradiction in the way Pinchas is described?M. Goldblumvia e-mail
Q & A: Offering Tefillin To Passersby (Part IV)
Question: Where I live, I see Chabad shluchim offering Jewish passerby to put on tefillin, is this of any value if they are otherwise non-observant, additionally is doing so in a street – a public thoroughfare proper kavod for the tefillin?
Menachem
Via email
May Two Siblings Share A Name? (Part II)
Question: Is it possible to give two of one's children the same name? I’ve seen this more than once where a later born child was given the same Hebrew name as an older sibling; however, their English names are different.
A Reader
Los Angeles, CA
Q & A: Ayin Hara (Part VI)
Question: I know there is a dispute in the Gemara regarding ayin hara, the evil eye. Can you discuss the origin of it?
Ben Glassman
(Via E-Mail)
Q & A: More Sefirat HaOmer Questions (Part I)
Question: What if one counted the omer but forgot to utter the blessing – has the obligation been fulfilled?
Why do we recite a blessing for this counting, when we find that for the zayin nekiyim – the seven clean days – there is no such blessing? Is the counting not similar?
M. Goldman
Miami Beach, FL
Q & A: Shemittah And IOUs (Part VIII)
Question: I recently loaned money to a friend who has been able to repay only part of it. This was an interest-free loan. We exchanged a signed IOU, not a proper shtar with witnesses, since I have always trusted her integrity and only wanted a document that confirms what was loaned and what was repaid. Now that shemittah is approaching, what should I do? Should I forgive the loan? And if my friend is not able to repay it, may I deduct the unpaid money from my ma’aser requirement?
Name Withheld
Q & A: Calling One’s Parent By Name (Part IV)
In a previous issue, reader Leonard Ziegler referred to a Daf Yomi Highlights column (January 15, 2021) that explained how Yitzchak was able to bless Yaakov by saying: “May Hashem grant you the blessings of Avraham” (even though one is forbidden from using a parent’s first name) because “Avraham” itself is a “respectful title.”
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