Cancelled Trip Assistant

Posted on: August 1st, 2013

Eliyahu was enjoying a relaxing summer after an intensive year of learning. He spent time with his family, learned a few hours each day in the community beis medrash, and worked sporadically when the opportunity arose.

Kasher My Kitchen

Posted on: August 1st, 2013

Taste is everything. If the taste of chametz has been absorbed into a cooking vessel, such a vessel may not be used on Pesach unless it undergoes koshering, the halachically prescribed way of expelling the flavor of forbidden food such as non-kosher foods, meat and milk mixtures or chametz on Pesach from utensils and restoring them for use.

Daf Yomi

Posted on: July 25th, 2013

The Case Of The Stumbling Block (Pesachim 37b-38a)

Remnants

Posted on: July 25th, 2013

Rabbi Dayan walked into class and greeted his students. "Good morning! We're nearing the very end of Bava Kama," he announced. "Today we begin the final topic, b'ezras Hashem."

Korban Pesach

Posted on: July 18th, 2013

We popularly refer to the eight-day period, from the fifteenth through the twenty second of Nissan, as the festival of Pesach. The Torah, however, calls this period Chag HaMatzot, during which time we eat matzot and abstain from eating chametz.

Daf Yomi

Posted on: July 17th, 2013

Chametz On Shabbos Erev Pesach (Pesachim 32a)

1

Pledge Transfer

Posted on: July 17th, 2013

Tiferes Torah Synagogue needed a new Sefer Torah and embarked on a Sefer Torah campaign among its members.

Unmarked Stamp

Posted on: July 11th, 2013

Mr. Spitz was going through the mail. "Typical assortment," he grunted. "One third bills and financial documents, one third solicitations, and one third junk mail."

May Tisha B’Av Be Annulled?

Posted on: July 10th, 2013

Question: Does a contemporary bet din have the authority to annul Tisha B’Av considering that the fast day is rabbinical, not biblical, in origin?

1

Daf Yomi

Posted on: July 10th, 2013

The Shoemaker’s Children ‘If One Can Eat, One Can Sell’ (Pesachim 21a)

Catch 22

Posted on: July 4th, 2013

On Shabbat one should eat three meals. The Friday night and the Shabbat morning meals require Kiddush with wine and two challot, lechem mishneh, and the third meal, the seudah shlishit, requires lechem mishneh. The correct time for seudah shlishit is the afternoon. But what if it’s Shabbat Erev Pesach, when no chametz may be eaten after the fourth halachic hour of the day? No problem, some might think. Let’s use matzah for seudah shlishit. But that cannot be done either, because one may not eat kasher l’Pesach matzah on Erev Pesach and though it is Shabbat, it is also Erev Pesach. So if you cannot use challot or matzah for seudah shlishit, what should you do?

Lottery

Posted on: July 4th, 2013

Chaim and Zev had been roommates in yeshiva for a number of years. They had purchased, often jointly, many pictures of gedolim to adorn their walls. One of the most beautiful ones was a hand drawing of Rav Elyashiv, zt"l, that was not easy to find anymore.

An Aliyah For Someone Who Isn’t Fasting

Posted on: July 4th, 2013

Question: May a person who ate on Tisha B’Av receive an aliyah?

Daf Yomi

Posted on: July 4th, 2013

For Want Of A Miracle (Pesachim 17a)

Daf Yomi

Posted on: June 27th, 2013

A Matter Of Resolve ‘The One Who Searches Recites A Berachah’ (Pesachim 7a)

Converted Inheritance

Posted on: June 26th, 2013

Andrew Connor was not born Jewish. He grew up in the Midwest, with almost no Jews around, so Judaism was the farthest thing from his mind. In the course of his military career, though, his unit was served by a Jewish chaplain, Rabbi Hillel. After being seriously wounded and coming close to dying, Andrew had numerous opportunities to discuss the meaning of life with Rabbi Hillel.

Silent Berachot

Posted on: June 26th, 2013

Question: When called to the Torah for an aliyah, may one recite the berachot silently?

Daf Yomi

Posted on: June 20th, 2013

Out Of The Box ‘All May Enter The Heichal To Build, Repair…’ (Eruvin 105a)

On Beginning Pesachim In Daf Yomi

Posted on: June 20th, 2013

As we start Pesachim in the study of Daf Yomi, we see that the Torah commands us to remove leavened bread, chametz, on Erev Pesach, in order to ensure that chametz will be neither seen nor found on our premises during the Yom Tov. The removal of chametz is achieved either by renouncing one’s ownership over it, bitul, or by physically destroying it, biyur. The rabbis established a procedure that combines both bitul and biyur.

Used Car

Posted on: June 20th, 2013

Noam had been driving his Toyota Camry for ten years and decided it was time to sell. The car was in good condition overall, but its age was beginning to show. There was a slow leak in the water, which had to be added to once a month; the padding on one of the seats was wearing through; the car had been in two accidents and the trunk door had been replaced; a seat belt was missing’ there were assorted dents and scratches on the outside; the tires and break pads were showing signs of wear and would soon have to be replaced; and the air conditioning was not as powerful as it used to be and there was a rattling sound when it was turned on, but Noam wasn't sure if there was a real problem there.