Halacha & Hashkafa

When one is riding on cloud nine and feels that longing to be close with their prospective spouse he/she can spend hours working out minute details to enhance the experience even more.

The other purpose of charoset is symbolic. The traditional ingredients of the charoset mixture – nuts, figs, and apples – are used in Scripture to describe the Jewish people.

There are the other components of the Seder which we must consume: the wine, the maror and the matzah. Thus, if one does not consume any meat, fowl and/or fish, that will suffice as regards the evening’s requirements.

We see that the wine for Arba Kosot must be considered chashuv. Rav Moshe Feinstein, in turn, rules that grape juice is not chashuv.

A Hot Air Blower “Whoever Eats Bread Without Wiping His Hands…” (Sotah 4b)

In any case, added Chaim, I assume that if you have a share in the chametz, you can include it in mechiras chametz. I don’t think I can simply sell my stocks the way I sell the liquor that I own, objected Mr. Krumbein.

Four times we mention the word ‘baruch’ – blessed. Because we must know that every child is considered to be ‘baruch’ – a blessing. Yes, even in the most difficult situation, there is bracha to be found. Seder night gives us a new perspective.

Many other sources view the word Mitzrayim as a portmanteau of meitzar (narrow, border, strait) and yam (sea).

The ancient Egyptians worshipped sheep. When they saw that the Jews were tying sheep to their beds, they became enraged and demanded an explanation for this sacrilege.

If consuming these products are an enhancement of one's simchas Yom Tov and done l’shem mitzvah, they can be sanctioned with moderation.

Re-burial In Eretz Yisrael ‘If One Finds Three [Corpses]…This Is A Graveyard’? (Nazir 64b – 65a)

Rabbi Wein recounts that they imparted to his generation the need to appreciate being part of the eternal people and the responsibility it entails. He also speaks of our need to pridefully convey those messages to our progeny.

Many individuals have the custom to cover or remove any knives that are on the table before reciting Birkat HaMazon. This is because knives, reminiscent of swords, are items that shorten a man’s life, while the table, which represents the altar of G-d, lengthens it.

If I understood him correctly, Rabbi Pappenheim differentiates between zavit and pinah by explaining that a zavit refers to the inner part of a corner, while a pinah refers to the outer part of a corner.

In my opinion, what is at stake here is whether one can permit these acts since they represent only a professional interaction with no personal implications.

The whole Jewish nation set their calendars and holidays based on the words of the witnesses. It was even permissible to come on Shabbos from afar to testify.

A Matter Of Health ‘He Who Rounds The Corners Of A Minor[’s Hair]…’ (Nazir 57b)

There is also hilchot treifot. According to the rules of hilchot treifot, we are obligated to check almost every internal organ of an animal. But we don’t. We rely on all types of leniencies and only check the lungs.

The Torah does not merely demand that we ‘do certain things.’ The Torah demands that we develop and foster a passionate connection with it.

Neither conservative or liberal politics represent Torah politics. There are definitely aspects of each which are in line with Torah perspectives and ethics, and definitely aspects of each that are opposed to Torah perspectives and ethics.

Netanel tried to straighten the hat as best he could since it was Shabbos, but the damage was done. The hat had a clear crease in it and would need to be either reshaped or replaced.

Delaying A Funeral To Honor A Deceased A Nazir May Defile Himself for a Mes Mitzvah (Nazir 47a)

In a superficial society so focused on externals this is true on many levels. But perhaps it is never truer than regarding the holiday of Purim.

Let’s be honest. Corn on the cob has always been consumed, along with many other fruits and vegetables that Rav Vaye’s rulings have forbidden (or considerably regulated).

When Maimonides (Laws of Klei HaMikdash 2:4) translates the ingredients for the ketoret into Arabic, he renders tzari as al-balasan (i.e., balsam), but the Biblical term for this ingredient is actually nataf (Exodus 30:34), literally meaning the thing that drips.

Even Queen Esther went to the king, which she was forbidden to do, in disguise. She dressed up. Yes, she was a queen and she dressed up as a queen. However she was Jewish and nobody knew that, so she was dressing up.

Shmuel the Amora rules that although most people buy oxen for work, not meat, we do not follow the majority likelihood in monetary issues.

Curling Peiyos “Hair of a Nazir” (Nazir 42a)

Though we live in times of incredible chaos, and there are layers of darkness obscuring Hashem’s light in this world, there are moments of great light where we see the power of hashgacha pratis, a hug from Above.

When the Beis HaMikdash stood we were keenly aware of our ‘marriage’ to Hashem... In exile however, we are isolated and surrounded by a culture that does not ascribe to Torah values.