Jumping Ship

Posted on: June 6th, 2013

No one lives in a vacuum. No, that doesn’t mean we didn’t get sucked up through a vacuum cleaner hose in the pre-Pesach cleaning frenzy, it means that whether we like it or not, our environment—the people and things around us—makes a big impact on who we are.

Searching For A Single Home

Posted on: June 6th, 2013

According to biblical law, once an area has been converted in to a reshut hayachid by enclosing it with a halachically acceptable eruv, one may carry inside the enclosed area. But according to rabbinical law, it is simply not enough to enclose an area in which one wants to carry with an eruv. This alone will not permit carrying from the home into the street or vice versa. Neither will it alone permit carrying from a condominium apartment into the lobby or other common areas.

Mikveh Building Fund

Posted on: June 6th, 2013

Yidsville had a small but dedicated Jewish community. There was one Orthodox synagogue, led by Rabbi Well, a day school, women's mikveh, kosher butcher shop, pizza store and restaurants.

Pidyon Haben: Debt Or Mitzvah?

Posted on: June 6th, 2013

In this week’s parshah the Torah tells us that Hashem told Aharon to redeem every firstborn child. This is known as pidyon haben. The Rema, in Yoreh De’ah 305:10, rules in the name of the Rivash that one may not appoint a shaliach to perform pidyon haben. Many Acharonim argue with this ruling and posit that one can appoint a shaliach to perform pidyon haben.

The Breakfast Of Champions (Part I)

Posted on: June 6th, 2013

Dear Readers: You may remember how we once did an experiment with a story (about a monster fire in Arizona) without Jewish protagonists, but containing a universal lesson that I believed worthy to record for the readers of Chodesh Tov. We are there yet again, this time directly north in Wisconsin. Please bear with me as we once again record a story we investigated in the hope that the lesson is unique and worthy of our attention. It is going to take us five full columns to complete the tale, and I thank you in advance for your patience.

Daf Yomi

Posted on: June 6th, 2013

Elevated Train Tracks And Eruvin (Eruvin 94b)

Q & A: ‘The Scepter Shall Not Depart From Judah’ (Part IV)

Posted on: June 6th, 2013

(Please note: The question has been modified to reflect amendments suggested by a reader, Yisrael Levi, in last week’s column.)

The Danger Of Machlokes

Posted on: June 6th, 2013

Korach, carried away by jealousy, led two hundred fifty men in rebellion against Moshe and Hashem. These were all great individuals; they had all witnessed Moshe going up to Har Sinai to accept the Torah, and they all heard Hashem speak through Moshe. Yet they willfully and intentionally set out to depose Moshe – to prove he had veered off from that which Hashem had told him. Moshe, recognizing the danger they were placing themselves in, did everything he could to get them to back down. Nevertheless, they remained steadfast in their revolt, and marched to their destruction. In the end the entire congregation – man, woman, infant and child – died a terrible death.

Parshas Korach

Posted on: June 6th, 2013

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Realizing your Potential as a Woman

Posted on: June 6th, 2013

What is it that God expects of us and what is the mission He assigned for us?

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Korach: Power Vs. Influence

Posted on: June 6th, 2013

For the first and only time, Moses invokes a miracle to prove the authenticity of his mission

Walking On A Cloud

Posted on: June 5th, 2013

With so much to do before our recent trip, I was walking on a cloud. It must have been evident to one and all, since my feet barely touched the ground. Who would have believed that I would arrive at this special time – so grateful am I to HaKadosh Baruch Hu?

Shabbos Mevorchim Tammuz

Posted on: May 30th, 2013

On this Shabbos, Parshas Shelach, we bentch Rosh Chodesh Tammuz which falls on the following Shabbos Kodesh and Yom Rishon (June 8 and 9 on the English calendar).

Parshat Shelach

Posted on: May 30th, 2013

One of the most studied intelligence failures of the past fifty years is Israel’s performance in the lead up to the Yom Kippur War. Despite numerous indicators that Egypt and Syria were planning an actual attack, Israel’s intelligence establishment continued to dismiss them as acts of deception. To be sure this failure was not one of “collection.” Israeli intelligence had collected many facts and identified numerous “dots.” Rather, this was a failure of analysis. The question is why did this happen?

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Can A Mechallel Shabbos Be Counted For A Minyan?

Posted on: May 30th, 2013

In this week’s parshah we read about the episode of the meraglim. The meraglim were sent to spy on Eretz Canaan to see if it was militarily feasible for the Bnei Yisrael to conquer the land by defeating the nations that were living there.

The Reason And The Cause

Posted on: May 30th, 2013

One of most tragic events in the history of our people was the sin of the miraglim (spies). When we left Mitzrayim we were exalted and untouchable, feared by all the nations, respected by the world. Forty-nine days later we gathered at the foot of Har Sinai to accept the Torah. The plan was for the Chosen People to then march right into Eretz Yisrael. Had the events transpired as planned, the conquest would have taken root so deeply that we never would have been thrown out.

Daf Yomi

Posted on: May 30th, 2013

Whose Fridge? ‘If the Owner Retains a Holding There’ (Eruvin 85b)

Q & A: ‘The Scepter Shall Not Depart From Judah’ (Part III)

Posted on: May 30th, 2013

Question: As Shavuot is fast approaching – a holiday on which we dwell on the story of Ruth and the origins of the royal house of David – I was wondering if you could help me resolve something. Some people say that Rabbi Yehudah HaNassi, the redactor of the six orders of the Mishnah and a scion of King David, purposely kept any mention of Chanukah and the Hasmonean kings out of the Mishnah because the Hasmoneans improperly crowned themselves and ignored the rule that all Jewish kings are supposed to come from the tribe of Yehudah. Is this true? Menachem (Via E-Mail)

Following The Majority

Posted on: May 30th, 2013

Tradition has it that a bat kol declared that we follow Beit Hillel’s rulings over those of Beit Shammai.

An Internal Tragedy

Posted on: May 29th, 2013

There is a story about a man full of worry who goes to his Rebbe to seek his advice. “Rebbe,” he cries, “I have parnassah problems. Yankel opened the same store as mine just down the block and his business is thriving while mine is going down.”

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