Q & A: Chazzan And Congregation (Part XIV)
Question: What should the chazzan do when he reaches Kedushah and Modim? Some chazzanim say every word of Kedushah out loud and some only say the last part of the middle two phrases out loud. As far as the congregation is concerned, some congregants say every word of Kedushah and some say only the last part. Finally, some chazzanim and congregants say Modim during chazaras hashatz out loud and some say it quietly. What is the source for these various practices?
A Devoted Reader
(Via E-Mail)
Winning Mitzvos In Las Vegas
Twice a year my apparel company has an exhibition at The Sands Expo Convention Center, drawing buyers from around the world. During the week of the exhibit, we daven at the Venetian Hotel every morning at 6:30.
Daf Yomi
Do Not Add To Them!
‘Shabbos is not a Time for Tefillin’
(Shabbos 61a)
Yom Kippur: Dress Rehearsal Of Sorts
The precision required and the time constraints imposed make the High Priest’s task almost humanly impossible.
Poland: Desolation And Devastation
As an educator, I was always intrigued with the trip on which my high school students would embark in their junior or senior year. The “March of the Living” allows a student to experience in a small way the immense tragedy our people endured during the Holocaust.
Unsuccessful Rescue
The bags had floated off in opposite directions and were already filling with water. Yehuda paddled away to pick up his bag.
Bubbies, Babies and Locksmiths
It was an exceptionally hot and humid day in Toronto. I was driving the car with my bubbie sitting next to me, and baby Shmueli in the back. I suddenly remembered that I needed a small item at the local supermarket. I gently asked my bubbie if she would stay in the car with the baby while I ran into the store. My bubbie warmly replied, "Go, my shefele [sweetheart]."
Limiting Beliefs
While it’s clear to you and to me that a 14,000-pound creature can easily break away from the light ropes holding it, the reality is that it cannot.
The Phantom & The Man
We meet two different Abrahams in the Torah text and the Midrash. The spiritual giant, hero, and Tzaddik of the Midrash is almost a phantom in the written text. Which is real?
Yes, There’s A Presumption That Loans Are Not Prepaid, But Here’s A Receipt To...
The heirs in the present situation are permitted to bring witnesses who testify to the fact that they saw the debtor repay the loan, before the maturity date, when he was still live.
Wear And Tear
Noach felt a tug, and then heard a rip. His jacket had been caught on the nail, and the beautiful suit had a tear.
Incarceration On Shabbos
The pasuk says that since the halacha concerning a Mechallel Shabbos was uncertain, the mekoshesh was placed in custody until the halacha was clarified.
A Sense Of Place
This week's portion, Re'ei, speaks of our need for a sense of place, how difficult it often is to find, and how we must protect others' sense of place. It also guides us in how to manage the experience of no place
Changing Ourselves To Change Others
The time has come for all of us to change, to become the people our Creator meant us to be. Instead of working on others, let us work on ourselves.
For The Miracles That Occur Daily
When a miracle occurs that transcends nature, Hashem has broken the laws of nature to create the miracle.
Q & A: The Chanukah Candles And Danger
Question: The Gemara in Shabbos states that one should ideally place one’s menorah by the side of one’s outside door. In a dangerous situation, one may place it on the table inside the house. If the dangerous situation the Gemara discusses, however, refers to potential anti-Semitic behavior by one’s neighbors, how does placing the menorah indoors help? Can’t non-Jews see the menorah through the window? Wouldn’t anti-Semites potentially search Jews’ houses? Is there any safe place to light in such circumstances?
Menachem
(Via E-Mail)
Daf Yomi
Who’s The Boss?
‘One Hired A Laborer To Assist Him In Yayin Nesech’
(Avodah Zarah 62a)
Anguish That Does Not Go Away: The Singles Problem (Part Three)
The woman in her mid-thirties who initiated this discussion a few weeks ago bemoaned what she considers the indifference and the insensitivity of most people to the plight of singles.
Is Money Everything? (Bava Metzia 47b)
What incentive does the seller have to salvage the object from fire if, at the end of the day, the loss is for the buyer?
Introduction To Toras Kohanim
Besides the lack of appreciation and understanding on the part of knesset Yisrael, Sefer Vayikra has been derided and held in contempt by the nations of the world and other religions.
Daf Yomi
My Plate, My Food
‘My Loaf Is Forbidden To You’
(Nedarim 34b)