The Torah commands us to put a Mezuza on all our doorposts except for washrooms. The Mezuza needs to be affixed to the top third of the doorpost – but not in the top 1 Tefach (~9 cm; 3.5″). Every Mezuza needs to be checked twice in seven years. A Mezuza on public buildings only [...]
The 2 days of Rosh Chodesh Adar-I start on Thursday (today) evening. One increases joy when Adar begins. Adar is a good time to deal with court cases involving non-Jews. I have not been able to establish if – during a leap year – the above is also valid for Adar-I (being the “real” Adar; the [...]
This year is a Jewish leap year; the 12th month (starting on Shabbat) will be Adar-I (“Adar-Alef” or “Adar-Rishon”) and the 13th month will be Adar-II (“Adar-Bet” or “Adar-Sheni”). Girls and boys born in Adar (12 and 13 years ago) do not become Bat/Bar Mitzva until Adar II. Girls born in either Adar-I or Adar-II [...]
After eating grapes, dates, pomegranates, olives and figs one says the “short 1-in-3 Birkat HaMazon” (often referred to as “Al HaMichya“) with the עַל הָעֵץ ועַל פּרִי הָעֵץ – “on the trees and the fruit of the trees” option. If one ate grapes and mistakenly used the עַל הַגֶּפֶן ועַל פְּרִי הַגֶּפֶן – “on the [...]
The correct Bracha before eating grapes is בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הָעֵץ – “who creates the fruit of the tree”. The correct Bracha before drinking wine is בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגֶּפֶן – “who creates the fruit of the vine”. If one mistakenly says בּוֹרֵא פְּרִי הַגֶּפֶן on grapes, one can eat the grapes without making another Bracha, since [...]
One is not allowed to chop down fruit bearing trees without a good reason. Besides for the transgression of wasting, doing so is also considered to be dangerous. If a tree is preventing other trees from growing, then it may be chopped down. If lots of trees are growing together in a small area, then [...]
Writing and drawing is forbidden on Shabbat – even if it’s temporary. One may not use one’s finger to write or draw on the condensation a window. One may not write or draw using the water that spilled on a table. One may not use one’s nail to make a mark on page, to enable one to [...]
One is not allowed to hit one’s servants, even as a means to force them to obey. One may hit one’s own children – including adopted children – if done in a way that will educate them to be upright people. Before hitting, one should first try explaining the issue; if that fails and one must [...]
It is forbidden to hit a fellow Jew. One who hits another Jew has transgressed a Torah prohibition. Even one who simply lifts his hand with the intent to hit, is called “wicked” as we learned in Parshat Shmot; “[Moshe] said to the wicked one: Why are you going to hit your friend?” – even before [...]
If one is happy when seeing a very dear friend (including spouses, parents, siblings and teachers) after not having seen them for 30 days, one makes the Bracha of Shehechiyanu: “Blessed… who has kept us alive, sustained us and permitted us to reach this occasion.” בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה’, אֱ-לֹקֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם שֶׁהֶחֱיָינוּ וקִיְּמָנוּ והִגִּיעָנוּ לַזְּמָן [...]
There are few apps in AppStore with the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch. You can find there iPhone apps with just Hebrew text (created by Dovid Zirkind from JewishContent.org; $2.99), Hebrew with English translation (by RustyBrick; $14.99 + $9.99 English Upgrade) and free one, Hebrew with Portuguese translation (created by Natan Rolnik). The first translation of the [...]
This Friday – 10 Tevet – we fast to commemorate the beginning of the siege against Jerusalem. Almost 2,000 years ago the wicked King Nebuchadnezzar laid siege against Jerusalem which culminated in the destruction of the first Bet Hamikdash, a year and a half later. This is the King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon in whose court [...]
You can learn Halacha on the way. This app contains all Kitzur Shulchan Aruch of Yalkut Yosef. Yalkut Yosef (in Hebrew ”Collation of ~the works of Ovadia~ Yosef”) is an authoritative, contemporary work of Halacha, providing a detailed explanation of the Shulchan Aruch as based on the halachic rulings of the former Rishon LeTzion Rav Ovadia Yosef. It was written by [...]
Oil that was put in the Chanukah Menorah and was not burnt, as well as wicks that were used and candles that didn’t burn fully should be burnt after Chanukah. Since they were set aside for the Mitzva of Chanukah they cannot be used for any other purpose. If one had the explicit intention to [...]
The Torah Reading for tomorrow – the last day of Chanuka – has 39 verses. It starts from ביום השמיני in Parshat Naso and continues all the way past the end of the Parsha and ends with the first paragraph of Parshat Beha’alotcha which talks about the daily lighting the 7-branched Menora in the Mishkan [...]
