יום רביעי, א׳ כסלו תשפ״זWednesday, November 11, 2026
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"Excuse me for asking," said Yehuda. "But is that okay? It sounds a little like ribbis to me."
The primary reason that we gaze at our fingernails as part of the blessing over the fire is to ensure that we benefit somehow from the light of the fire.
The prizes speak for themselves, but the hype generates the excitement that propels the event to a different level.
Is it proper to give an aliyah to one who has a seirev issued against him by a reputable beis din? Generally how should one interact with such a person?
"I'm very happy for you and your family," said the director, "but I can't let you go without first getting someone else. You know that swimming is one of the most essential parts of the camp day."
A Grafted Esrog “Passul When Missing Even a Tiny Bit” (Sukkah 34b)
There are those who interpret the ruling of the Rema in a manner that would allow bread to be declared mezonot as long as the liquid component of the dough consists of more fruit juice than water.
The Gemara relates that one of the signs of the times for the generation prior to Moshiach is that there will be a proliferation of chutzpah.
I hear your words as if you are standing here at my side. You will not be silent. “The world is on fire and we are sleeping! Wake up! Hashem is talking to us.” There was never a moment that you would rest.
Where it can be arranged such as a designated pray area away from the public’s way, then there should be no problem with forming a minyan for prayer. In fact doing so offers the public at large... great spiritual protection, as our prayers are not only for us, but for humanity at large as well.
The Flighty Customer ‘Scribes Who Write Torah Scrolls And Mezuzos …Are Exempt From Kerias Shema And Prayer…’ (Sukkah 26a)
Mr. Feder checked his initial communication with the agent. He had written the correct dates, and the error was clearly the agent's. "Why should we have to pay the surcharge?" Mrs. Feder asked her husband. "It was the agent's error, not ours!"
If it looks like bread, tastes like bread, and is used like bread, then it must be treated like bread, regardless of its level of sweetness.
There exists an unfair balance in our world between building and destroying. While building needs planning and painstaking attention, and is accomplished step by step and layer by layer, destroying is easier and quicker.
Is it proper for a husband/father or wife/mother to leave their family for an extended period of time?
It is entirely permissible for parents to find out the gender of their baby should they choose to do so. There is also nothing wrong with parents revealing to their friends and family their baby's gender.
I spent Shabbat in a Sefardi community, where cycling is common, and saw a teen whose bicycle chain had come off…. I exclaimed: “How great are the words of our Sages!”
What Constitutes Schach? “Schach Boards” (Sukkah 14a)
There is much discussion as to exactly when the first Beit HaMikdash was destroyed. According to one account, it was destroyed on the 7th of Av, while according to another account, it was destroyed on the 10th of Av.
My father did mention at one point that he owed you a few thousand dollars, acknowledged the son. That could be anything, though – two, three, four… How can you expect us to pay a large sum of $7,000 without any proof of how much was owed?
It is axiomatic that in Judaism we don’t merely commemorate or mark historical events. There is little purpose in celebrating or mourning the past.
Perhaps one should better go to sleep than engage in these pursuits, if he can't properly engage his focus on the sadness of the day.
The Face of Holiness “Inscribed on the Tzitz HaZahav” (Sukkah 5a)
In order to properly understand the prohibition of greeting others on Tisha B'Av and what it entails, one must first understand what the definition of sheilat shalom truly is.
"But I told you that we pay $12," replied Mrs. Sander. "When you said that you could babysit, I assumed you meant at the price I mentioned."
Ultimately, Yirmiyah was painfully vindicated. At that point, as the shamed nation was being led into exile, they cried. But by then it was too late.
I would be comfortable with nature hikes, short family trips, small gatherings – activities that are more contemplative in character and that do not undermine the character of these days.
All For The Boss ‘Praiseworthy Is One Whose Transgression Is Forgiven, Whose Sins Are Covered’ (Yoma 86b)
Furthermore, you deserve $10 for your effort on my behalf. I'm not giving the $10 because you laid out the money.
In some communities, Shalom Aleichem is not recited at all due to the halachic issues regarding addressing or praying to angels.
Creating an atmosphere of respect is more than teaching good manners. It is about transmitting a sense of kavod, honor and dignity within our home.
Is it proper to be overly familiar and casual with one’s parents?
Our lives have constant turbulence causing our internal selves to be constantly shifting. Because our lives are so transient and in flux, being strong in our convictions and beliefs is a formidable challenge.
A person who took several suits or dresses to a dressing room to try on might not even be considered a borrower, but a lesser guardian, since he has no clear intention of buying the item.
As the Shulchan Aruch does not discuss any requirement regarding how one should recite borei nefashot, it might just be that the manner in which one recites it is not important.8
To trigger a requirement for all Jews to fast, it would have to be that the Jewish people as a whole were experiencing shmad, which certainly did not exists in the Ramban’s day.
To our generation Rabbi Akiva might have said...vahavta lachem k'reiacha - love yourself like (you love) your friend.
Is it proper for an adult to change his/her given Hebrew name?
Point Of Ingestion “The size of an egg to satisfy… of a big date to recover…” (Yoma 79b)
Named for my father’s brother who had been taken away by the Nazi’s, I feel as if I am finally able to give my father a small nechama for all the pain he had suffered.
Worming Out Of This One! “On the hem they made pomegranates…twisted scarlet wool” (Yoma 71b)
Women more naturally live with a sense of tomorrow.
The summer wore on, but Rafi never bothered to pick up the book. Most of the course was online, and when he needed the text, he borrowed it from another friend.
Complicating matters even more is the prohibition against beginning a meal within a half-hour before nightfall.
Is it proper to pressure family members of a get refuser?
To Be or Not To Be “Appointed…Designated From The Previous Day” (Yoma 66b)
"I have money saved away, and you are still working," Mrs. Tamar said. "We would own the house jointly." "That arrangement is fine with me," agreed Shimon.
I was speaking about my Bubby and Zeide and referred to their coming to America after the war. One student asked, "Would that be the Civil War, Korea, or Vietnam?"
Contrary to widespread misconception, most authorities permit a husband and wife to accept Shabbat at different times, i.e., one spouse is permitted to make "Early Shabbat" while the other spouse accepts Shabbat "on-time."
Is It Proper To Have A Favorite Child?
The New And The Old “…The Kohen Gadol Due To His Fatigue…” (Yoma 56b)
If they thought that the person should be spared, they would reply, “L’chaim.” If, however, they thought that he deserved to die, they would reply, “L’mita,” – to death.
Is it proper to publicly announce donors' names and contribution amounts in shul?
A Line Of Demarcation ‘Until He Came…Between the Two Curtains’ (Yoma 51b)
Reuven called Mr. Lewis again. "Are you sure we didn't pay?" he asked. "One of the roommates claims we paid when we moved in."
Is it presumptuous for a regular frum Jew to disagree (not face to face, obviously) with a great rabbi on a particular matter in Jewish thought or public policy?
Where Angels Dare Not Tread ‘There Shall Be No Man In The Tent Of Meeting’ (Yoma 43b)
Baruch drove the family to the airport, and then drove home and parked the car near his house. A few days later, there was a thunderstorm, and a branch broke off a tree and landed next to the car, smashing one of the side-view mirrors.
If a Jew who knows better intermarries, how should one treat his or her spouse? Coldly? Warmly? Somewhere in between?
After considering the question, Rabbi Dayan said, "Since foreign currency is halachically considered a commodity, a loan of foreign currency is subject to the rules of commodity loans.
In One’s Grasp ‘Ein Ma’avirin Al Hamitzvos’ (Yoma 33a)
Rav Hershel Schachter suggests that nowadays, Yom Tov candles actually should not be lit at all on the second night of Yom Tov (or on Motzei Shabbat) since their light is not really needed.
Is it proper to use the title “Rabbi” when referring to someone who received rabbinic ordination from a Reform or Conservative institution?
He deeply appreciated it but said to his wife that borrowing dollars and returning shekels might be a violation of the laws of ribbis.
Torah was given amidst smoke and fire to teach us that forever we must keep the passion, the flame burning within alive.
Chapter And Verse? ‘Has The Time For Slaughter Arrived?’ (Yoma 28a)
Should a person who desperately wants to make aliyah do so even if his or her parents object?
Of Kings And Scholars ‘He Forgave the Honor Due Him’ (Yoma 22b)
I’m not sure if you should ask for it back, but if you do, I wonder if halachically you would be believed that it’s yours, Mr. Schnall replied.
When visiting a shiva house, is it appropriate to repeat divrei Torah that seek to explain tragedy or death?
Since the computer desk and eating table are different items, one of you should set a price on either one, separately, and the other can buy or sell at that price.
Which Way? ‘All One’s Turns Shall Be To The Right’ (Yoma 15b)
Should one take sides in a family fight? If yes, under what circumstances?
A person who doesn’t uphold his verbal commitments is termed untrustworthy – ‘mechusar amana’ – and the Sages are not pleased with him.
Removing Mezuzos When The Lease Is Up ‘For Therein Was A Residence For The High Priest’ (Yoma 10a)
Some people insist that Hebrew and Lashon HaKodesh are two different languages. Is the assertion correct and is the motivation behind making this assertion commendable?
Giving Tzedakah At Night ‘Rabbi Chinena’s Mitzvah Performance’ (Shekalim 22a)
Is it appropriate to discuss politics at the Shabbos table?
A Cake Walk ‘Through It the Water Trickled Out’ (Shekalim 17a)
Is being on time a Jewish value?
Pristine Exemplar ‘Let Him Fill His Mouth With Water’ (Shekalim 9a)
Chametz this year has to be sold on Friday since Chazal prohibited transactions on Shabbos, and some say that you can’t even sell on Friday with the stipulation that the sale take effect on Shabbos.
Rabbeinu Tam has an ingenious solution for how to have Seudah Shlishit on Erev Pesach: eat matzah ashirah [egg matzah].
Is it appropriate to introduce “gimmicks” at the Seder (like 10 toys for the 10 makos) in an effort to make it more fun for children? Or should the Seder be more dignified and formal?
In Our Days ‘We Do Not Seize a Surety From Children’ (Shekalim 3b)
Although yearly statements may show gains, there is no obligation to give maaser until shares are redeemed.
The Shulchan Aruch does not even mention the opinion of the Rif and Rambam and states explicitly that the requirement of guarding applies only to the matzah used for the Seder.
Is listening to rap or heavy metal music appropriate?
A Case Of Mistaken Identity ‘And Two Cooked Foods’ (Pesachim 114a)
The Gemara [Bava Metzia 117a] discusses a tenant who washes his hand with the water that leaks on a tenant below him.
In looking up a pasuk online, the first result one gets is usually the King James translation or another Christian translation. Can one use this translation if the pasuk isn’t Isaiah 53:5 or something similar?
An Expression Unique In Shas ‘I Am Neither Wise…’ (Pesachim 105b)
We are a nation of miracles. We have traveled through the four corners of this earth. We have gone through every type of persecution. We were told that we would be vanquished, thrown into the sea.
Although a person is usually liable even for accidental damage, Rabban Yochanan explains that, in this case, he is really completely exempt, but the Sages fined people who purposely damage property so that they won’t do so wantonly.
When publishing a deceased person’s writings, may one censor a tiny amount of material in order to vastly increase the number of people who will read it and be influenced by the author?
He Might Extinguish It ‘The Best Way of Performing the Mitzvah’ (Pesachim 103b)
The family suddenly realized that giving on his behalf while he was sedated may not have counted, so they called Rabbi Dayan and asked him.
Should a lawyer defend someone in court whom he thinks is guilty? What if the man is truly despicable (e.g., a child killer)?
Hashem's House Is No Different (Pesachim 94a)
The Gemara then says that certain people – including teachers, shochtim, doctors, and mohalim, whose malpractice cannot be undone – do not need to be warned before being fired since they’re considered to have already been warned.
November 6, 2026 
