Thursday, September 26, 2024

R' Yochanan's bittersweet tears

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The Chofetz Chaim, whose yahrtzeit is 24 Elul, writes that the mitzvah of  וְעַתָּה כִּתְבוּ לָכֶם אֶת⁠ הַשִּׁירָה הַזֹּאת, which appears im...
Wednesday, September 25, 2024

get divreichaim in your email -- widget fixed

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I should have taken care of this a long time ago, but thanks to a little push from a reader I updated the widget on the site so there is onc...
Tuesday, September 24, 2024

when the big test comes, there are no hints

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R' Shteinman records that R' Moshe Landinski, RY in the yeshiva in Radin, once told the Chofetz Chaim that he was reviewing mishnayo...
Monday, September 23, 2024

simple and obvious

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From here : The reasons for this are so obvious it’s almost embarrassing to have to explain them once again. But it all began during the ad...
Friday, September 20, 2024

hakaras ha'tov for the bad as well

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  אֲרַמִּי אֹבֵד אָבִי וַיֵּרֶד מִצְרַיְמָה וַיָּגׇר שָׁם בִּמְתֵי מְעָט וַיְהִי⁠ שָׁם לְגוֹי גָּדוֹל עָצוּם וָרָב One of the lessons of the...

no hishtadlus required

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  וְהָיָה אִם⁠ שָׁמוֹעַ תִּשְׁמַע בְּקוֹל ה׳ אֱלֹקיךָ לִשְׁמֹר לַעֲשׂוֹת אֶת⁠ כׇּל⁠ מִצְוֺתָיו אֲשֶׁר אָנֹכִי מְצַוְּךָ הַיּוֹם וּנְתָנְךָ ה...
2 comments:
Thursday, September 12, 2024

it all depends on context - the ptur of chaburah shel mitzvah for ben sorer u'moreh

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  כִּי⁠ יִהְיֶה לְאִישׁ בֵּן סוֹרֵר וּמוֹרֶה אֵינֶנּוּ שֹׁמֵעַ בְּקוֹל אָבִיו וּבְקוֹל אִמּוֹ וְיִסְּרוּ אֹתוֹ וְלֹא יִשְׁמַע אֲלֵיהֶם (22:1...

how quickly people forget 9/11

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On 9/11 I was working for a company in lower Manhattan, on Broad Street, and had the unfortunate privileges of having front row seats for th...
Monday, September 09, 2024

matzeivah vs mizbeiach -- the value of individualism

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 וְלֹֽא⁠־תָקִ֥ים לְךָ֖ מַצֵּבָ֑ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר שָׂנֵ֖א ה׳ אֱלֹקיךָ׃ Why do we find this expression אֲשֶׁ֥ר שָׂנֵ֖א ה׳ אֱלֹקיךָ davka here by the i...
2 comments:
Sunday, September 08, 2024

a cause worthy of your support

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I rarely advertise causes to support here, and in this case I am a noge'a ba'davar since my son learns in this kollel, but at the sa...

l'vaker b'heichalo

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לַחֲז֥וֹת בְּנֹעַם⁠ ה׳ וּלְבַקֵּ֥ר בְּהֵֽיכָלֽוֹ׃ Rav Tamir Granot, R"Y of Orot Shaul, explains that the term לְבַקֵּ֥ר here has a simi...
Thursday, September 05, 2024

malchus - Divine right or by consent of the people?

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Why is it that מלך שמחל על כבודו אין כבודו מחול (Kes 17a)?  Rashi explains: שום תשים עליך מלך. ישראל הוזהרו שישימו עליהם שימות הרבה כלומר שת...
1 comment:
Thursday, August 29, 2024

the King does things on a Kingly scale; tzedaka on condition; when she'lo lishma detracts from a mitzvah and when not

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1) R' Zilberstein tells the following story: There was a Jew who lived close to the home of the parents of the king of Morocco who wante...
Friday, August 23, 2024

כֹּחִי֙ וְעֹ֣צֶם יָדִ֔י - can one take credit for doing a good job?

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We read in our parsha (8:11-18): הִשָּׁ֣מֶר לְךָ֔ פֶּן־תִּשְׁכַּ֖ח אֶת ה׳ אֱלֹקיךָ לְבִלְתִּ֨י שְׁמֹ֤ר מִצְו‍ֹתָיו֙ וּמִשְׁפָּטָ֣יו וְחֻקֹּת...
3 comments:
Thursday, August 22, 2024

safeik brachos l'hakeil (2)

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Last post discussed R' Ovadya's psak that if yaaleh v'yavo is omitted in bentching on y"t, one need not repeat.  You only ...
Wednesday, August 21, 2024

omitting yaaleh v'yavo in bentching -- R' Ovadya vs R' Shalom Messas

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Since the mitzvah of birchas ha'mazon is in this week's parsha I want to focus on a question that can come up on shabbos and y"...
Thursday, August 15, 2024

don't settle for a glass half full

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 וָאֶתְחַנַּן אֶל⁠ ה׳ בָּעֵת הַהִוא לֵאמֹר   Why did Moshe pick that specific time --  בָּעֵת הַהִוא -- to daven and not earlier, when Hashe...
Friday, August 09, 2024

koach ha'tefilah to make a difference

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 וַתָּשֻׁבוּ וַתִּבְכּוּ לִפְנֵי ה׳ וְלֹא שָׁמַע ה׳ בְּקֹלְכֶם וְלֹא הֶאֱזִין אֲלֵיכֶם Netziv explains (1:45) that there are two type of tef...
1 comment:
Friday, August 02, 2024

chalukas ha'aretz, arei migrash and miklat, and the requirement to tear kri'ah in Chevron

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1) Rambam paskens in Taanis 5:16 מי שראה ערי יהודה בחורבנם אומר ערי קדשך היו מדבר וקורע. ראה ירושלים בחורבנה אומר ירושלים מדבר וגו'. בית...
4 comments:
Thursday, August 01, 2024

exemptions from the draft

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12,000 soldiers, 1000 from each sheivet, went out to war against Midian.  אֶלֶף לַמַּטֶּה אֶלֶף לַמַּטֶּה לְכֹל מַטּוֹת יִשְׂרָאֵל תִּשְׁלְח...
2 comments: