Halacha & Hashkafa

What struck me about Rav Chaim’s response was not only the brevity and humility of it, but also that he had taken the time to reply at all.

Should a Jew be concerned about paranormal phenomena such as dybbuks and gilgulim?

Confirming A Gadol’s View ‘Majority Rules’ (Eruvin 16a)

Is It A Penalty? ‘Why Not Deal With False Evidence?’ (Bava Kamma 5a)

Two Talleisim ‘The Residue Of The Blood He Spills…’ (Zevachim 51a)

Some Rishonim write that one may speak lashon hara to prevent potential damage or injury.

Throughout the summer, Sara would keep the receipts of her expenses in a pencil case and submit them at the end of each week for cash reimbursement.

"Do I have to repay the loan?" he asked. "Does Yosef have to reimburse me? What if doesn't have that sum, does he owe me in the future?"

This war is not about territory. It is not about land. It is about our future and the future of our children. The very breath of every Jew who walks this planet.

I can't accept that, said Mr. Mann. If you are not willing to honor the contract, we need to take up the issue in beis din.

"If there were only two possibilities, I understand following the higher amount," said Mr. Meyer. "However, here the pledge could have been any amount from $100 to $360!"

How come Kiddush for Shabbat contains different phrases regarding the Jewish people’s chosenness than Kiddush for Yom Tov?

May a person who wants to eat chametz that everybody else finds inedible do so?

We are coming close to the holy judgment day and we must make sure that we enter that courtroom as clean and as clear as possible.

A Parrot Or A Lie Detector? ‘We Admonish The Witnesses’ (Sanhedrin 29a)

It would behoove one, therefore, to be extra cautious that the material is appropriate. Such material in my mind is learning Torah or the like.

A woman who does not have the custom to drink some of the wine upon which Kiddush was recited is certainly permitted to answer amen to the shehecheyanu blessing.

Question: When a person has an aliyah, should he recite the phrase “Baruch Hashem ha’mevorach l’olam va’ed” together with the congregation or should he wait for the congregation to conclude and then recite this phrase by himself?

Is taking a selfie proper?

Circumcised At The Hand Of Heaven? ‘A Drop Of Blood Must Be Taken’ (Shabbos 135a)

My Plate, My Food ‘My Loaf Is Forbidden To You’ (Nedarim 34b)

David called Rabbi Dayan and asked, "Can a non-Jew and Jew form a partnership and lend money to Jews with interest?"

My glasses! exclaimed Moshe. I hung them on the seat in front and you cracked them.

It is also said in the name of the Rebbe of Ruzin that the deadlines allotted to the various prayers are only binding on those who pray on behalf of their own needs.

The three came before Rabbi Dayan. Avraham described the situation and asked: "How should we divide payment of the rent and various bills?"

As if to emphasize the point, the Torah uses the phrase “be’etzem hayom hazeh” – “on this very day” – both in connection with fasting on Yom Kippur and with brit milah.

You’ve been too busy to open your mail. When you finally do, it is overflowing with bills and letters. Solicitation letters from the Jewish hospital, a gemach (interest-free loan fund), the yeshiva and the synagogue.

If both sets of witnesses have withstood the rigor of the court’s cross examination, why, one might ask, does the beit din believe the evidence of the second set of witnesses more than the first?

One does not have to be superstitious to recognize facts. It is a historical fact that the period between the Seventeenth of Tammuz and the Tenth of Av was plagued by recurring tragedies.

There was silence in the room, as she opened her mouth and recited,; Shema Yisrael Hashem Elokainu Hashem Echad. There wasn't an eye in the room that was left dry. To recite that phrase for the first time as a Jewish soul is the most incredible feeling one can ever imagine.