Divrei Chaim

I admit being noge’ah b’davar, but this (click link) is a nice take on Rosh Chodesh. I would just add that we know that klal yisrael exists...

“Ain bor yarei cheit v’lo am ha’aretz chassid.” What is the difference between a "bor" and an "am ha’aretz"? We once dis...

Based on his chiddush that the chiyuv of ofeh is not when the dough is placed in the oven but only after it bakes, the Afikei Yam raises an ...

R’ Chaim Markowitz discusses an interesting shitas haMordechi here . The Mordechai says that a blind person can be motzi others in Kiddush e...

In response to an e-mail sent privately, let me just clarify: even if Valis is guilty, the secular press does not have license to villify th...

I missed the forest for the trees in citing Tosfos Shabbos 4 and not the gemara itself. The gemara asks why the person who placed the dough ...

I know, I should avoid political discussion, but this stuff bothers me. For those who remember the days of OJ, yes, you are innocent until p...

I asked my son (6th grade) when I got home if he learned what was special about today. He immediatly responded, "Of course!" and ...

Today, as hopefully most of you know, is Yom haShoah. Now, I agree that there is room to debate from a halachic perspective whether such a d...

In the comments to the previous post, Bill Selliger suggested that the case in Shabbos is distinct from the Rambam’s case because in the Ram...

Over Pesach a very bright bachur asked me a kashe on the din that a ger who converts before Pesach has the din of "poreish min hakever...

I realized that the R' Tzadok quoted before Pesach sheds light on the Midrash in the previous post as well. See here for a more complet...

The Midrash records Bnei Yisrael's post-shirah plans (Shmos Rabbah 24:2): "R' Yehudah said - At that time Bnei Yisrael said, ...

If you are looking for a book that explains in a clear and intelligent way the values that are part of basic Jewish thought, I would recomme...

The gemara (B”K 30) offers three opinions of what one should learn if one wishes to become a chassid: hilchos brachos, hilchos nezikin, or p...

The MG”A (siman 491) has a safeik if one is permitted to eat chameitz before ma’ariv and havdalah in the case where one starts a meal before...

WELCOME BACK EVERYBODY!!! I spoke today between mincha-m'ariv at shule, and mentioned the minhag haGR"A (Ma'aseh Rav #185) to...

The contrast between Mitzrayim as the "galus hadibbur" and Peh-Sach is already well known, but what does it mean for speech to be ...

I got home tonight from work at about 7:20. My cheshbon at the time was if I rush to the early ma'ariv (a few minutes after shkiya) I wo...

Trying hard to finish up at work, so I don't know if there will be more postings before Pesach. If not, chag sameiach to all, and more ...