A Very Hong Kong Chanukah

Posted on: December 23rd, 2011

To explain to my children what Chanukah was like for me as a young girl, I find I am just as inclined to recount what it wasn’t as I am to describe what it was.

Chanukah Fun

Posted on: December 22nd, 2011

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The Fighting Light of Chanukah

Posted on: December 22nd, 2011

As Israel experiences a national rebirth on our native soil, the forces of evil are gathering all of their strength to wage a final war to stamp out our light.

The Mystical Message Of The Chanukah Dreidel

Posted on: December 21st, 2011

Chanukah commemorates our victory over the Syrian-Greeks and the Hellenists – Jews who betrayed their own people in order to curry favor with the gentiles.

When Is A Single Witness Believed?

Posted on: April 25th, 2012

At the end of parshas Metzora the Torah discusses the halachos of when a woman becomes a niddah. The Torah says that a woman who becomes a niddah must count seven days from when she stops seeing blood, and then becomes tahor by immersing in a mikveh.

The Evils Of Evil Speech

Posted on: April 25th, 2012

It was the Septuagint, the early Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible, that translated tzara’at, the condition whose identification and cleansing occupies much of Parshiyot Tazria and Metzora as lepra, giving rise to a long tradition identifying it with leprosy.

The Merit Of Living In Israel

Posted on: April 25th, 2012

Yaakov Avinu received word that his brother Eisav was coming to greet him. He understood fully well that this was not to be a warm family reunion. Eisav came accompanied by a band of four hundred armed men, bent on revenge. The Torah says Yaakov was “very frightened,” so he prepared for war.

Insights From The Plague Of Leprosy

Posted on: April 25th, 2012

Although the tzoraas affliction is no more in contemporary times, it teaches lessons that are eternal. Rabbi Avigdor Miller, zt”l, explains that foremost among these lessons is the greatness of Torah leaders and their wisdom. Another lesson: The opportunity the affliction presented to the afflicted for repentance and seld-improvement.

Reb Elimelech M’Lizhensk (Part V)

Posted on: February 15th, 2012

Baruch, from the village of Radovitz, was a sharecropper who barely eked out a living. His income was at the mercy of the infamously cruel Poritz, who owned the Radovitz environs.

A Shampoo Gemach

Posted on: February 15th, 2012

I thank Hashem that my daughters play “shampoo gemach", and I take pride in our community, which stresses gemachs and acts of gemilas chesed. Families try to find ways to help others, and people go out of their way to search for opportunities to practice kindness.

‘All Your Deeds Are Written In A Book’

Posted on: February 8th, 2012

Recently, I discovered a frum website, www.jewish-e-books.com, that allows one to download hundreds of Jewish books – both in English and Hebrew. Having written a sefer myself, I was able to get it put on their website.

My Packrat Friend

Posted on: February 1st, 2012

My friend Mrs. Rosen (not her real name) asked me to share her story. A widow for several years, she recently moved back to the community where she grew up so that she could help her elderly parents.

More On Shidduch Challenges

Posted on: January 26th, 2012

Some readers may wonder why I’ve devoted so many recent columns to this subject. The answer is that finding one’s shidduch has become a problem that has reached crisis proportions in the Jewish world. And despite all the efforts of individuals and community leaders, the crisis shows no signs of abating.

Shidduch Challenges

Posted on: January 19th, 2012

I believe in my last column we established that when it comes to shidduchim we cannot rely on our own “seichel” – for while singles may believe they made the right choice, they might just discover the opposite to be correct.

Jewish Dating: “Glamour Girl” or Aishes Chayil?

Posted on: January 11th, 2012

Could it be she wished to tell you that nowadays many men can be superficial in their search for a life partner, looking for a “glamour girl” rather than an aishes chayil? Could it be she tried to tell you it would be wise for you to be more flexible, more open-minded, and not lock yourself into limiting your options to just a certain “type”?

Anguish That Does Not Go Away: Reader Responses

Posted on: January 4th, 2012

For the past few weeks my column has focused on the difficulties singles experience while trying to find their soul mates.

Q & A: Hachana (Part III)

Posted on: July 4th, 2003

QUESTION: Is it halachically permissible to pack on the Sabbath or Yom Tov for a trip to be taken on the next day?Moishe Halberstam, Esq.Brooklyn, NY

Q & A: Hachana (Part II)

Posted on: June 27th, 2003

QUESTION: Is it halachically permissible to pack on the Sabbath or Yom Tov for a trip to be taken on the next day?Moishe HalberstamBrooklyn, NY

Q & A: Hachana (Part II)

Posted on: June 27th, 2003

QUESTION: Is it halachically permissible to pack on the Sabbath or Yom Tov for a trip to be taken on the next day?Moishe HalberstamBrooklyn, NY

Q & A: Hachana (Part I)

Posted on: June 20th, 2003

QUESTION: Is it halachically permissible to pack on the Sabbath or Yom Tov for a trip to be taken on the next day?Moishe HalberstamBrooklyn, NY

Q & A: Tying Knots On Shabbat (Part III)

Posted on: January 26th, 2012

Question: My son recently stopped wearing a necktie and lace-up shoes on Shabbat. He explained that he doesn’t want to transgress the prohibition against tying knots on Shabbat. Is tying a necktie or shoelaces really forbidden? “A Mother in Israel” (Via E-Mail)

Q & A: Tying Knots On Shabbat (Part II)

Posted on: January 20th, 2012

Question: My son recently stopped wearing a necktie and lace-up shoes on Shabbat. He explained that he doesn’t want to transgress the prohibition against tying knots on Shabbat. Is tying a necktie or shoelaces really forbidden? “A Mother in Israel” (Via E-Mail)

Q & A: Biblical Blue Fringe: Will the Real Chilazon Please Stand Up!

Posted on: January 18th, 2012

In February we conducted a thorough discussion of the mitzvah of techeilet. The following guest piece by Baruch Sterman, marking 20 years since the establishment of the Ptil Tekhelet Foundation (www.tekhelet.com), is a follow up to that discussion.

Q & A: Tying Knots On Shabbat (Part I)

Posted on: January 11th, 2012

Question: My son recently stopped wearing a necktie and lace-up shoes on Shabbat. He explained that he doesn’t want to transgress the prohibition against tying knots on Shabbat. Is tying a necktie or shoelaces really forbidden? “A Mother in Israel” (Via E-Mail)

Coming To Shul To Think

Posted on: April 12th, 2012

Question: If a person has a number of personal concerns that need to be thought out and analyzed, can he go to shul to do this?

How Much Matzah?

Posted on: April 5th, 2012

Question: How much matzah must one eat at the Pesach Seder?

Daf Yomi

Posted on: April 5th, 2012

Beware Of The Fruit! ‘A Mis’asek Is Excluded’ (Kerisos 19a)

Chametz Credit Card

Posted on: April 5th, 2012

It's 1 p.m. on Friday, Erev Pesach. The rabbi had already sold the chametz at 10 a.m. But I forgot to sell mine. Now the synagogue office is closed and I can't get hold of the form the rabbi uses to sell the chametz. The Torah requires me to remove all chametz from my house on Pesach. But I just cannot bring myself to throw out that Glenfiddich. Is there a way the whisky can remain in my house during Pesach, and would I be able to drink it after Pesach?

Parshas Va’era

Posted on: January 20th, 2012

Vol. LXIII No. 3 5772 New York City CANDLE LIGHTING TIME January 20, 2012 – 25 Teves 5772 4:38 p.m. NYC E.S.T. Sabbath Ends: 5:48 p.m. NYC E.S.T. Weekly Reading: Va’era Weekly Haftara: Koh Amar Hashem (Ezekiel 28:25-29:21) Daf Yomi: Arachin 7 Mishna Yomit: Sukkah 4:4-5 Halacha Yomit: Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayyim 3:7-9 Rambam Yomi: [...]

Parshas Shemos

Posted on: January 11th, 2012

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Parshas VaYechi

Posted on: January 4th, 2012

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Parshas VaYigash

Posted on: December 29th, 2011

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