Divrei Chaim

Last post got a little too long, so I broke this part off.  These parshiyos are rich with topics worth commenting on, so it's hard to pi...

1) Rashi addresses why the command אִ֣ישׁ אִמּ֤וֹ וְאָבִיו֙ תִּירָ֔אוּ וְאֶת־שַׁבְּתֹתַ֖י תִּשְׁמֹ֑רוּ ends off אֲנִ֖י ה׳ אֱלֹקיכֶֽם.  You c...

The picture below (obviously I am not a great photographer), showing 4 cranes on the horizon,  was taken from a window in our hotel room (if...

There are shitos that I think I will never understand, and quite frankly, don't even think it's worth using brain cells to try.  The...

Parshas Ki Teitzei (24:8-9) juxtaposes  הִשָּׁ֧מֶר בְּנֶֽגַע־הַצָּרַ֛עַת לִשְׁמֹ֥ר מְאֹ֖ד וְלַעֲשׂ֑וֹת with the warning/mitzvah of זָכ֕וֹר א...

A naara ha'meurasa who engaged in znus is given skila on her father's doorstep.  However, if her father is no longer alive, in a cit...

The Ben Ish Chai in his Shut Rav Paalim III:32, left side of the page here brings proof from sefiras ha'omer that just like there is an...

Chazal tell us that opening day of the Mishkan was a tremendous day of simcha, as great as the moment of creation.  Why then, asks Ohr haCha...

 Source is here הרה"ג דוב ליאור כ"ג אדר תשס"ב שאלה לפי הנוהג המקובל אצלנו שהבחורים מתגלחים כל יום, האם מותר יהיה להתגלח בחול ...

The Sifsei Tzadik writes that just like we have 4 minim on Sukkos that correspond to four types of Jews, i.e those that have Torah+mitzvos, ...

Way back in 2016 ( here and here )  I quoted the Ran's distinction between dina d’malchusa, fair laws that are necessary for good gover...

My son posted the following question: Rav Chaim explains that the Rambam not count the mitzvah of mentioning yitziat mitzraim on a daily bas...

When we are introduced to Avraham Avinu in Lech Lecha, Hashem promised him  וְאֶֽעֶשְׂךָ֙ לְג֣וֹי גָּד֔וֹל .  That promise would be realize...

“It's a place that is what we call the ‘kibutz galuyot’ [ingathering of the exiles], you gather the masses of Jews from every place arou...

1) The command to take the korban pesach was given on Rosh Chodesh Nissan, even though nothing had to be done until the 10th.  Shem m'Sh...

The shiur for mitzvos and issurim that entail achila is a k'zayis, as ain achila p'chusa mi'kzayis.  However, in truth the shiur...

Only someone who has been out to lunch for the past 15 years would be surprised by the JTA headline telling us that " For the first tim...

 וַתֵּ֕כֶל כׇּל־עֲבֹדַ֕ת מִשְׁכַּ֖ן אֹ֣הֶל מוֹעֵ֑ד וַֽיַּעֲשׂוּ֙ בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל כְּ֠כֹ֠ל אֲשֶׁ֨ר צִוָּ֧ה ה׳ אֶת־מֹשֶׁ֖ה כֵּ֥ן עָשֽׂוּ׃ ...

1) Rosh writes that we eat a k'zayis maror because we say a bracha of "al achilas maror" and the shiur achila is a k'zayis...

After cheit ha'eigel Hashem the Torah reiterates its warning against avodah zarah (34:11-17) and then continues with the mitzvah to obse...