Response to a reader regarding Kabbala and the Zohar
Shalom Rav There are points on which we agree. Briefly: We are in agreement regarding the period of time the Second Miqdash stood. You...
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Torah
for
Geulah
Teshuvot
Hashkafa
Teaching and Learning Kabbala Today
Question: What do you think of the modern practice of teaching Kabbalah to the masses through Hassidut? Doesn't the Mishna forbid this?...
Will We Follow Beit Shammai in the Future?
Question: There is an idea quoted in the name of the Ar"i (it was actually first written already generations after him) that in the...
Berachot
Oats and Eating Bread on Shabbat
Question: Hi Rabbi, I'm writing now regarding the mitzvah of having seudot on Shabbat and Yom Tov after listening to your explanation of...
Kiddush Levana Customs
Question: When should one recite Qidush L'vana this month? Is there an Inyan of saying it with a Minyan? Answer: One should always recite...
Blessings on Dessert
Question: What types of b'rachoth are appropriate on desserts eaten during a meal with bread? Does it matter what type of dessert is...
Yishuv Eretz Yisrael
Uman for Rosh HaShana
Question: Should I leave Israel to go to Uman on Rosh HaShana? Answer: One should not leave Israel to go to Uman. Rav Kook pointed out...
Voting in Israel?
Statement: I despise the corruption and wickedness of the Knesset and the government of Israel. I don't see the point of voting for such...
Democracy, Voting, and the Media Revolution
Question: Yesterday was election day. Last night I was at a shul not far from my community. Before Aravit a rabbi got up and explained...
Shabbat
Oats and Eating Bread on Shabbat
Question: Hi Rabbi, I'm writing now regarding the mitzvah of having seudot on Shabbat and Yom Tov after listening to your explanation of...
Shofar on Shabbat? Not Yet...
In my article, "The Misswa of Lulav on Shabbath-Getting Back on Track", I presented the Halakhic foundation for taking the Lulav on the...
Transitioning Between Shabbat and Tisha b'Av
Question: Could the Rav please describe the correct procedure for the transition from Shabbat to Tisha b'Av? For example, when does one...
Tefillah
Switching, Changing, and Praying: Nusah Tefillah
Question: May I switch nuschei tefillah on a daily basis? For example, may I daven nusach Ashkenaz today, nusach Eretz Yisrael tomorrow,...
Is it obligatory to say the entire tahanun as printed in the siddur?
Question Is it obligatory to say the entire tachanun as printed in the siddur? Answer Nefillat Apayim is on the one hand a hovah...
P'suqe d'Zimrah - Obligation or Recommendation?
Question: Is P'suqe d'Zimrah obligatory? Answer: It is true that Hazal do not state that P'suqe d'Zimrah is obligatory. This is implied...
Kashrut
Checking Knives and the Kashrut of Meat
Question: I have read in the Rambam's Mishneh Torah regarding the slaughter of animals that the Shochet must inspect the knife before and...
Kashrut and the Halachic Paradigm
Question: I understand that all meat slaughtered by a Shochet who is Jewish and observes the Shabbath and Mitzvoth are kosher regardless...
What counts as Bishul Yisrael?
Question: What standard of bishul yisroel does the Rav hold by? Answer: I hold by the standard usually associated with the Ashk'nazi...
Sukkot
Shaving, and Shaving during Chol HaMoed
Question: I don't understand why we are told (by some at least) that we can’t shave during Hol Hamoed. Would you also say the same? Does...
Eating Mezonoth or Bread Outside the Sukkah
Question: If I go on a day trip with my family during Chol haMoed Sukkot, which involves going to remote areas where there are no...
Rain During Sukkot
Question: If it is raining heavily while I am in the sukkah, though I am exempt from having to stay in the sukkah, is it considered...
Hannukah
שאלה ותשובה מהרב דוד בר-חיים על הדלקת נרות חנוכה לעניין בני זוג במקומות שונים
בשם ה' אל עולם נר ראשון של חנוכה תשפ"ב שאלה מאשה שהדליקה נר חנוכה בביתה, אך בעלה גר בבית אחר עם ילדיו. שלום הרב, שאלה לי אליך: אני הדלקתי...
Lighting a Shamash
Question: Must I light a shamash as part of my hanukkiah on Hanukkah? Answer: There is no such obligation. A shamash historically was...
Moving the Hanukkiah
Question: May I light the hanukkiah indoors and then move it in front of the entrance to my home? Answer: No, one may not do so. One...
Pesach
Shaving, and Shaving during Chol HaMoed
Question: I don't understand why we are told (by some at least) that we can’t shave during Hol Hamoed. Would you also say the same? Does...
Measurements for the Passover Seder
1. Massa One is required to eat one k’zayith (the volume of an average olive) of massa for both Akhilath Massa and for the Afiqoman at...
Are we bound to Ashkenazi custom concerning Kitniyot?
Question: My family made Aliyah from the States in August 2006. We are Ashkenazim. The following Pesach I asked the Rav of our Yishuv if...
All
Oats and Eating Bread on Shabbat
Question: Hi Rabbi, I'm writing now regarding the mitzvah of having seudot on Shabbat and Yom Tov after listening to your explanation of...
Shofar on Shabbat? Not Yet...
In my article, "The Misswa of Lulav on Shabbath-Getting Back on Track", I presented the Halakhic foundation for taking the Lulav on the...
Response to a reader regarding Kabbala and the Zohar
Shalom Rav There are points on which we agree. Briefly: We are in agreement regarding the period of time the Second Miqdash stood. You...
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