Is it proper for children to ride on scooters and bicycles on Shabbos?
I spent Shabbat in a Sefardi community, where cycling is common, and saw a teen whose bicycle chain had come off…. I exclaimed: “How great are the words of our Sages!”
Tu B’Av
Hashem, in His infinite wisdom, created our lives and the Jewish calendar so that we live through every day, in a way that will help us deal with whatever comes our way.
Daf Yomi
What Constitutes Schach?
“Schach Boards”
(Sukkah 14a)
Raising The Dough
I told him that the check was not for us, but for Malka's group. I glanced quickly at the check and I read $1,100. Not bad.
An Exemplary Jew: Reb Pinye Korf
To say that he was a Jew who had Ahavas Yisroel is an understatement. He lived the life of all Jews. He felt pain from a fellow Jew’s pain, and rejoiced in a fellow Jew’s simcha.
The Tenth of Av
There is much discussion as to exactly when the first Beit HaMikdash was destroyed. According to one account, it was destroyed on the 7th of Av, while according to another account, it was destroyed on the 10th of Av.
Q & A: Tisha B’Av and Mourning
Question: I was taught that due to our mourning on Tisha B’av, we are not allowed to learn or discuss Torah. Since Torah causes us joy, we are forbidden to lessen our mourning with its study. While I understand why we read from Kinot and Eicha, how do we justify reading from the Torah at Shacharit and at Mincha? A further question, do these halachot apply to an individual during his/her seven days of mourning?
Menachem
Via email
‘A Few Thousand’
My father did mention at one point that he owed you a few thousand dollars, acknowledged the son. That could be anything, though – two, three, four… How can you expect us to pay a large sum of $7,000 without any proof of how much was owed?
How To Cry For The Churban
Many people are not reaching their fullest potential in learning, davening, and avodas Hashem in general. Many people lack motivation and are often in dire need of a spiritual uplifting, but do not know where to get it.
Happy 110th Birthday
Apparently, she is the oldest woman in Israel. So we came to celebrate with her, with the aunt who always fascinated us with stories about the pioneers, the different waves of immigration, and the beginning of modern settlement in our land.
The Three Haftarot Of Rebuke – Part III: As I Sit In Darkness,...
It is sometimes difficult to understand, but when Hashem is “angry” at us or punishing us, He is acting out of love for us because He knows that we have to improve.
The Lion And The Fox
The second Temple was destroyed because of baseless hatred, represented by the fox, which the sages saw emerging from the ruins. With the cunning and guile of a fox, the evil inclination instigates and stimulates baseless hatred, dissent, and strife.
Beyond ‘Who Will Be For Me’
According to the Vilna Gaon, the world currently stands exclusively on the pillar of chesed.
A Thought About Rain
It’s up to us to condition our children that rain is an exciting, life-giving force that satisfies the needs of so very many in a short amount of time.
One Day At A Time
By viewing each day as a world onto itself and not worrying what the future may or may not bring, we make our service of Hashem much more manageable and increase the likelihood that we will be successful.
The Debased Origins of Baseless Hate
The elites – the Kohanim in the Beit HaMikdash and too many others – in their zealous self-righteousness, religious coercion, and insensitivity to the way they were being perceived by others, contributed to a terrible culture of animosity and hatred.
Why Does Yirmiyahu Refer To Tisha B’Av As A Festival?
The Vilna Gaon told his disciples that Moshiach will come after the majority of the Jews in the Diaspora come to Israel. Thus, every Jew who makes aliyah hastens Moshiach’s coming, thereby transforming the fast of Tisha B’Av into a feast.
Routine Feeling
It is axiomatic that in Judaism we don’t merely commemorate or mark historical events. There is little purpose in celebrating or mourning the past.
The Leader As Teacher
Other nations, says Moses, will recognize the miraculous nature of the Jewish story.
Anger Issues
In exploring the etymologies and polysemous usages of just a few of these words, we will shed light on the nuanced differences among some of the words for anger in our list.
Is It Proper?… Assuming the content is kosher, is it proper for one to...
Perhaps one should better go to sleep than engage in these pursuits, if he can't properly engage his focus on the sadness of the day.
Remains Of Our Temple
I opened my eyes and there I was opposite the western wall, no hunger in the air, no Roman soldiers, no fear and no Yirmiyahu. Where were they all?
How Should We Listen?…
As if Our Life Depended on it
Nine Ideas For The Nine Days
No laundries, no showers, no swimming, and no pastrami sandwiches. It seems like the big expression during the Nine Days is: "Just say no!" Please allow me, therefore, to change things up a bit. Here is a list of things you can say "yes" to during this period.
Daf Yomi
The Face of Holiness
“Inscribed on the Tzitz HaZahav”
(Sukkah 5a)
Sealed With Hope
Without the funds at my disposal, I kept procrastinating the inevitable. My to-do list grew longer and hardly anything got crossed off.
A Letter of Chizzuk
May Hashem see and hear the prayers and the tears of our brethren throughout the world and send us the righteous redeemer, Moshiach Tzidkeinu, immediately.
Greeting People On Tisha B’Av
In order to properly understand the prohibition of greeting others on Tisha B'Av and what it entails, one must first understand what the definition of sheilat shalom truly is.
Lives Taken Unintentionally: We All Atone
The guilty were sent to the cities of the Levi’im not to be imprisoned but to be placed in an environment of learning and spirituality, a setting where atonement and self-forgiveness could readily be achieved.