Q & A: Sitting In The Sukkah
Question: I hope you will not mind answering several questions regarding the mitzvah of sitting in the sukkah. What is the reason for sitting in the sukkah? Are we required to sit in it whenever we eat? Is one allowed to travel during the week of the holiday to a place where no sukkah is available?
Moshe Jakobowitz
Brooklyn, NY
The Dwellers Above With The Dwellers Below
The Vilna Gaon speaks at length of the kedusha of the malachim in his commentary on the siddur. He explains that the malachim don’t wait for Israel to finish our kedusha below out of respect for us but because they have no right to attest to the glory of Hashem until they hear our mouths doing it – as they have no awareness of any other possible state of affairs.
Listening to Others so God Will Listen to Us
Though many of us remain focused on Israel’s current war, the more general polarization in Israeli society and throughout much of the world that preceded it and continues to serve as its backdrop should be an even greater concern.
Pardon Me
On this great day of Yom Kippur, the Heavenly prosecutors stand before Hashem as well, holding the black list of the Jewish people’s transgressions which they intend to reveal before Hashem. But then they hear the Jewish nation detailing those very sins themselves. When the prosecutors hear this, they feel superfluous and abandon their mission.
What An Unusual Friday!
Is there a mitzvah to eat the night before Yom Kippur? If it is merely in preparation for the fasting, it is questionable whether the night before is that helpful.
A Wealthy Bequest
Yismach Moshe explains that Avraham was concerned about his spiritual heir. If he had no son, the man who would carry on his teachings and his philosophy was Eliezer, his servant. While Eliezer was a righteous person and could have done some of the job, no one can carry on the legacy of a father’s teachings as well as a son.
Pre-Emptive Strategic Decisions
The rabbis clearly concluded that if any information gets into the wrong hands, it can cause harm, but that doesn’t mean that devices or information for the benefit of humanity – or for the protection of innocent people – should never be invented, activated, or shared, even if there will be collateral damages.
The Kittel: When And Why?
On Yom Kippur, the kittel takes on added meaning. In addition to reminding one of the day of one's death and arousing feelings of humility and repentance, kittels are worn to emulate the angels who, we are told, wear white.
All For One And One For All
This successful symbiotic cohesion between the “all,” the “one” and the “One” – the collective, the individual and G-d – was the real secret formula of the Ketoret.
Yom Kippur: Flying Amongst Angels
As we approach Yom Kippur, we recognize that it is unquestionably one of the most important days of the year. And yet, in many ways, it is a mystery.
Is It Proper To Wear Comfortable, Non-Leather Shoes On Yom Kippur?
Shulchan Aruch rules in accordance with the Rishonim who maintain that the prohibition against wearing shoes on Yom Kippur applies only to leather shoes.
One Good Deed Brings Another
After months of packing and many weeks of divesting themselves of furniture and other belongings, they were experiencing decidedly mixed emotions as their departure date approached. We were definitely feeling likewise, and dreading having to say goodbye.
Simcha Hall
There is no issue of ribbis in locking in the rental price through prepayment, certainly here where the price uncrease was not known when paying (see Y.D. 176:6; Taz and Nekudos Hakesef 176:7; Bris Yehuda 26:1[2], 26:4[13]).
Daf Yomi
At First Glance
‘While You Were Feasting On The Dates Of Babylon…’
(Baba Basra 107b)
A Jewish Prayer Encyclopedia: The Minchat Yerushalayim Siddur
The prayers themselves, it should be noted, only appear after no fewer than 100 pages of prior content, and the book’s design is apparently based on the Siddur HaShalem previously published by Eshkol Press.
Virtuosity In Teshuva: Rav Kook On Teshuva (Part VI)
We as individuals and as a nation understand something is wrong and we are driven to fix it, even if we have no idea how to go about it properly. But it is precisely through this process, this “casting about” for something that will salve the pain of uncertainty and inspire us with a sense of purpose, that we connect through our teshuva with our higher purpose.
In Your Blood You Shall Live
We must continue to dream big: The magnitude of the evil perpetrated against us on October 7 was shocking. It turns out, that we can also be surprised by the good.
Raise Your Hands If You Are Proud To Be A Jew
We are allowing others to define us, blood libel us and tell our story. We must give our children Jewish pride, identity and roots.
Q & A: The Five Inuyim (Afflictions) Of Yom Kippur
Question: I am aware that there are five pleasurable activities from which we have to abstain on Yom Kippur. Can you explain them? Are they of equal importance?
Martin Wainman
Via Email
Sophisticated Teshuva
A person, to his chagrin, realizes that he doesn’t say Modeh Ani in the morning. Regular teshuva is to regret this and to strengthen himself to be more careful in the future. A perfect teshuva is when he realizes that the reason why he forgets it in the first place is because he’s not thinking enough about Hashem.
Shana Tova
The only obstacle that could impede the efficacy of this prayer is when it is not said from the heart, but rather in a perfunctory manner. It will not be beneficial then.
Aftermath Of Battle
For soldiers and other personnel returning from combat zones, exposure to the scenes of war can also lead to post-traumatic stress symptoms, even if these personnel were never in a life-threatening situation themselves.
The Three Stages Of The Rosh Hashana Tefillah
On Rosh Hashana, we cry out with a resounding kol, expressing how deeply we yearn to return to our source, to Hashem.
A Rosen By Any Other Name
While it is true that most typically Jewish names are simply taken from Tanach or Chazal (especially male names), not all do.
K-Cup Teshuva
In the physical world, we are often warned that smoke kills before fire. In the spiritual world too, the spiritual smoke generated by our sins is more noxious and damaging than even the sins themselves.
Wine Blessings
If we compare the words in the blessing of Hagafen (He who creates the fruit of the vine) to Hamotzi (He who takes bread out of the ground), we will notice something odd. He who takes bread out of the ground – really?
Is It Proper To Make Up New Modern Simanim?
There seems to be nothing wrong with creating new simanim; the real questions is, what is the significance of the simanim.
Saved By The Call
By the time we all made our way to their prospective new neighborhood, they had pretty much decided on a house to buy, but still wanted our confirmation before signing on the dotted line. So it was more or less a done deal, pending our approval.
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