Title: Around the Year in Halachah
By: Rabbi Bezalel Rosenthal
Feldheim Publishers
May one work on Purim? May a man dress up as a woman on Purim? Which bone should be used for the zero’a on the Seder ke’arah? Should women count the Omer with a beracha? In his new book, Around the Year in Halachah, Rabbi Bezalel Rosenthal takes readers on a journey throughout the Jewish year, providing them with the answers to these and thousands of similar questions that come up on a regular basis. Starting with Rosh Hashana and going all the way through to the Three Weeks, the book covers topics as diverse as Yom Tov that falls on Shabbos, davening for rain, and working on Chol Hamoed.
One of the beauties of this book is its superb organization. Topics are split up into logical sections with clear titles and footnotes, allowing the reader to quickly locate the answers to everyday questions. An added useful feature is an appendix of halachic measurements that makes abstract figures and terms simple and easy to apply.
But the feature that puts this book into a class of its own is its clarity. Despite being comprehensive and fully sourced, it still manages to be clear and concise. The reader is provided with straightforward instructions, including up-to-date and practical examples. In 45 minutes or less, anyone can learn the halachos of a given Yom Tov and put down the book knowing exactly what to do.
The book provides guidance for all sorts of scenarios, including ones that even an experienced, practicing Jew may not be familiar with. As an example, this year Purim in Yerushalayim will fall on Shabbos (Purim Meshulash) and in the rest of the world on Friday. This gives rise to numerous halachos that are not commonly known; for instance, this year one should start the seudah in the morning in order to honor Shabbos by having an appetite when Shabbos arrives. If it is already chatzos hayom (midday) and one has not yet started his meal, one should first daven Mincha (after Mincha Gedola) so as not to forget to daven. This is the case even if one asked someone to remind him to daven. If a Friday Purim seudah continues until shekiah, the bread should be covered and kiddush should be recited. One should, lechatchila, avoid such a situation – one should be careful to be mekabel Shabbos at the right time, daven Ma’ariv with a minyan, and then make kiddush.
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Rabbi Rosenthal spent six years as a shoeil u’meishiv at the Mirrer Yeshiva Yerushalayim, during which time he gave a halacha shiur to the bachurim. The shiurim gained wide acclaim; their transcriptions became the basis for Rabbi Rosenthal’s newsletter, Around the Year in Halachah, which led to the publication of this book of the same name.
Feedback on the book from early readers has been overwhelming. One father of a special-needs child related to Rabbi Rosenthal that his son came home excitedly from shul one day with the Around the Year in Halachah pamphlet. Father and son have set aside a few minutes at the end of their Avos U’Bonim program to learn a halacha from this publication. Another reader related that in no time she managed to locate the ruling that she may not squeeze pomegranates on Yom Tov as they are not usually squeezed immediately before drinking.
Around the Year in Halachah is a must-read for your Purim seudah, Seder table, Shabbos meal, and classroom.
Rabbi Rosenthal is currently a shoeil u’meishiv at Yeshiva Toras Chaim Yerushalayim, where he publishes a weekly halacha booklet for the yeshiva. Readers can contact him to sign up to his email list or ask any questions they may have at [email protected].
