יום חמישי, י״ז תמוז תשפ״וThursday, July 2, 2026
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Although the Torah only commands us to pick up the arba minim, the rabbis require that we wave them in all four directions of the compass as well as upward and downward.
Question: How much time may lapse between Kiddush and the meal?
Is a shomer aveidah considered a shomer chinam or a shomer sachar?
By Rabbi Yaakov Klass and Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum
The Flighty Customer ‘Scribes…Are Exempt’ (Sukkah 26a)
Today was one of those days. Shimshon was standing in the hallway during recess, talking to a friend, when Dan walked over and jumped on him.
By Rabbi Yaakov Klass and Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum
It’s All About The Clouds ‘Have You Seen My Slave, Tabi?’ (Sukkah 20b)
"The Gemara [B.M. 25a] questions whether coins arranged in such a fashion serve as a siman – indicating intentional arrangement – or not," explained Rabbi Dayan. "The question is whether they could have fallen unintentionally in this way. This question remains unresolved in the Gemara."
Question: Do Jews pray for Jewish political independence?
Outside the school, a person stood selling waterproof knapsacks. A sign above him read: "SALE! Only $100 for a knapsack! Limited time offer." Mr. Wasser passed by and was intrigued by the knapsacks. He came over and asked the salesman about them.
The equivalent of the “OU” kashrut certification in England is that of the London Beit Din. There is also a competing kashrut certification called Kedassia. Those who eat Kedassia do not eat Beit Din.
By Rabbi Yaakov Klass and Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum
What Constitutes Schach? ‘Schach Boards’ (Sukkah 14a)
Question: In Havdalah, we note that Hashem separates day from night and Yisrael from the nations of the world. Are these two distinctions similar in nature?
By Rabbi Yaakov Klass and Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum
The Face Of Holiness ‘Inscribed on the Tzitz HaZahav’ (Sukkah 5a)
"I've got to run," Yossi said to his friends. He turned to Nachman, who lived a few doors away from him. "Someone asked me to watch his backpack, with a laptop inside," he said. "Can you please take it home? I'll pick it up in the evening."
Question: The Talmud (Berachot 33b) notes that it is improper to implore G-d: “Just as You have shown mercy upon a bird’s nest [with the mitzvah of shiluach ha’kan], so, too, may you have mercy and compassion on us.” Why is this prayer improper?
When we are on the move in life, exiled from place to place, we turn to God, our Partner, for the protection of His cloud. When we are given the luxury of settling down, God turns to us, His partner, for the protection of our walls.
If karet is premature death at the hand of God, until what age can it strike and at what age can one celebrate emerging from the danger zone?
By Rabbi Yaakov Klass and Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum
All For The Boss ‘Praiseworthy Is One Whose…Sins Are Covered’ (Yoma 86b)
By Rabbi Yaakov Klass and Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum
Point Of Ingestion “The Size of an Egg to Satisfy…” (Yoma 79b)
Jonathan needed some extra cash, about $30,000 for his business. He applied to a number of banks for a loan, but they were being tight on issuing him credit and were also asking for more interest than he wanted to pay.
The two sons of Aaron, Nadav and Avihu, who, according to some commentators, ventured past the outer altar in a state of intoxication, paid for it with their lives.
Question: Is it okay to recite Kaddish silently?
Mr. Brand was walking home one evening when he saw his neighbor, Mr. Moses, getting into the car with his family. "Where are you heading with the whole family?" he asked.
By Rabbi Yaakov Klass and Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum
Worming Out Of This One! ‘Twisted Scarlet Wool’ (Yoma 71b)
Question: Is it permitted to sit during Keriat HaTorah or must one stand?
By Rabbi Yaakov Klass and Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum
To Be Or Not To Be “Appointed…Designated From The Previous Day” (Yoma 66b)
A sick person who is told by a doctor (or feels on his own) that refraining from eating and drinking on Yom Kippur will or may aggravate the sickness to the point of danger, is required by halacha to eat and drink on Yom Kippur.
Question: Is there special significance to the blessing Yaakov gave his grandsons?
Shlomo arrived at the bus station half an hour early, whereas Kalman got delayed on the way. As departure time approached, Kalman called Shlomo. "I'll be there in ten minutes," he said. "Get on the bus meanwhile and save me a seat next to you towards the back."
"Boruch's vort [engagement celebration] is tonight," Chaim said to his friend, Yoni. "How are you getting there?" "I'm not sure," said Yoni. "I'm looking for a ride with someone. Any chance you're driving?"
The Egyptians lived through the most powerful manifestation of Hashem’s might. For months, they were afflicted while Hashem “played with” Mitzrayim. Two points were made clear: Hashem is the Master of Creation, and Moshe was the messenger of Hashem. Everything Moshe said would happen, happened – with precision and exactness.
By Rabbi Yaakov Klass and Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum
The New And The Old “The Kohen Gadol, Due To Fatigue…” (Yoma 56b)
Question: Is it halachically permissible to give presents to a chatan or bar mitzvah boy on Shabbat?
He must be a very important person to get such an important mitzvah, I heard them say, as Mr. Loewenstein, the local assemblyman, stepped up to recite the Torah blessing before the reading of the Ten Commandments. And Mr. Kleppish was too embarrassed to tell his wife that he only got third galilah on Shabbat Rosh Chodesh Chanukah. Meanwhile, in the neighborhood shtiebel, Maftir was sold for $500 and petichah for $20.
Question: Is it proper to decorate a shul with trees?
By Rabbi Yaakov Klass and Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum
A Line Of Demarcation ‘…Until He Came… Between The Two Curtains…’ (Yoma 51b)
"Yossi is getting married in three weeks," Moshe said to Yehudah. "He mentioned that if a few friends wanted to chip in, he would be happy to get a washing machine as a gift. Are you interested?"
If they would invent a Mah Nishtanah for Shabbat/Yom Kippur, it would go like this: “Why is this Friday night different from all others? On all other Friday nights we enjoy a festive Shabbat meal. Tonight? No dinner!” The question is a good one. According to many opinions, it is a Torah obligation to celebrate Shabbat with three festive meals and it is a Torah violation to fast on Shabbat. Why then, do we not postpone Yom Kippur to Sunday like we do with all other fasts
Mrs. Simon had been teaching for seven years at a girls’ elementary school. The school had expanded rapidly during the previous decade as the local Jewish community grew. Each grade boasted four parallel classes.
By Rabbi Yaakov Klass and Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum
Where Angels Dare Not Tread ‘There Shall Be No Man In The Tent Of Meeting’ (Yoma 43b)
As I headed to work on the subway one morning, two men boarded the train carrying on their shoulders crates of sandwiches and toiletries. They put the crates down and invited anyone who might be hungry or had not slept in their own bed that night to help themselves from the crates. Everybody hid behind his or her newspaper.
By Rabbi Yaakov Klass and Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum
In One’s Grasp ‘Ein Ma’avirin Al Hamitzvos’ (Yoma 33a)
How come Kiddush for Shabbat contains different phrases regarding the Jewish people’s chosenness than Kiddush for Yom Tov?
Mr. Sofer completed his book order with an online company. The vendor offered special, fast shipping for an additional cost, but he opted for regular free shipping. "Delivery within three weeks," stated the site.
Question: Why do women cover their eyes when they light Shabbat candles?
People thronged from all over Israel to take advantage of this opportunity.
At about 4 a.m. on cold and damp autumn mornings in London, Dad would try to wake us in time for Selichot, the pre-Jewish New Year dawn prayers. As we heard Dad’s footsteps mounting the stairs, my brother and I would hide under our covers and mutter our displeasure at being disturbed.
By Rabbi Yaakov Klass and Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum
Chapter And Verse? ‘Has The Time For Slaughter Arrived?’ (Yoma 28a)
Mr. Weiner walked over to the garbage can and pulled it out from under the board. The board fell to the ground with a thud and split. "Serves him right!" said Mr. Weiner. "I've warned him a hundred times not to take my things without permission!"
By Rabbi Yaakov Klass and Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum
Of Kings And Scholars ‘He Forgave The Honor Due Him’ (Yoma 22b)
The first winter snow had arrived. Snowflakes drifted down in swirls, covering the ground with a beautiful blanket of white. As the hours passed the snow slowly accumulated, reaching a depth of six inches.
Question: Why is the ketubah read aloud at a wedding?
By Rabbi Yaakov Klass and Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum
Which Way To Kindle? ‘All One’s Turns Shall Be To The Right’ (Yoma 15b)
Even Moshe Rabbeinu, who spoke with God one on One, was not allowed to see Him during his lifetime. “You cannot see my face, for no man shall see me and live.” Ultimately, we shall all see God one on One and face not just Him but also ourselves and the lives we led.
Dudi was assistant coach of his community's Junior League basketball team, comprised of fifth and sixth graders. Among the players was his younger brother, Dovy, who had just turned eleven.
By Rabbi Yaakov Klass and Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum
Removing Mezuzos When The Lease Is Up ‘For It Was A Residence For The High Priest’ (Yoma 10a)
Question: May one ingest medicine on Shabbat?
The first storm of the winter arrived. The skies turned black and the rain fell heavy. The trees swayed back and forth as the wind howled outside. Here and there, branches snapped off and fell to the ground.
You’ve been too busy to open your mail. When you finally do, it is overflowing with bills and letters. Solicitation letters from the Jewish hospital, a gemach (interest-free loan fund), the yeshiva and the synagogue.
Question: Can you “stand your ground” according to halacha as George Zimmerman allegedly did when he killed Trayvon Martin?
A lot of life comes down to one choice – are we committed to things and behaviors that have real, lasting value, or are we ready to give them up for a momentary thrill?
Question: When a person has an aliyah, should he recite the phrase “Baruch Hashem ha’mevorach l’olam va’ed” together with the congregation or should he wait for the congregation to conclude and then recite this phrase by himself?
The Imahos were all barren. According to a midrash, it wasn’t that they were simply incapable of having children, they lacked the very organs necessary to conceive. Knowing this, Yitzchak and Rivkah davened for a miracle.
By Rabbi Yaakov Klass and Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum
A Cakewalk ‘Through It The Water Trickled Out’ (Shekalim 17a)
The bell rang for afternoon break in Mishpat Emes High School. The boys, who had been learning intensely all morning, headed out to the schoolyard for a half-hour break to get some fresh air and stretch their muscles with physical activity.
Question: Is it necessary to recite a berachah before eating fruit at the end of a meal? I’ve seen different people do different things.
At 5:00 sharp Zvi headed out of the office to the street. He raised his hand and hailed the next available cab. He provided the cabbie his address and was surprised to find that the cab driver was a religious Jew.
By Rabbi Yaakov Klass and Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum
Pristine Exemplar ‘Let Him Fill His Mouth With Water’ (Shekalim 9a)
By Rabbi Yaakov Klass and Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum
In Our Days ‘We Do Not Seize A Surety From Minor Children’ (Shekalim 3b)
Question: In our daily prayers we state that Talmud Torah – the teaching of Torah – is equivalent to all the other mitzvot. What, however, comes under the category of “teaching Torah”? Does someone who teaches students how to behave ethically come under the category of a teacher of Torah?
Last week Am Yisrael suffered a tremendous loss with the passing of Maran HaRav Ovadia Yosef, zt"l. The greatest tribute we can give to such an outstanding talmid chacham is to repeat and share his Torah. The following article is based on a responsa of his in Yabia Omer (vol. II, C.M. #7). May this learning be l'iluy nishmaso.
Continuing with our examination of Pesachim as per the Daf Yomi cycle, the Seder commences with Kiddush recited over the first cup of wine. Whereas Kiddush may be recited before nightfall on Shabbat, it must be recited after nightfall on Seder night. Unlike Shabbat and Yom Tov, on Seder night there is a requirement that each participant drink from his own cup.
Yisrael, Shlomi, and some other teenage friends swam regularly at the local pool, which had special men's hours. They all brought locks with them to secure the lockers, except Shlomi. He would simply put his clothes in the locker, with the wallet in his pants pocket, and shut the locker door.
By Rabbi Yaakov Klass and Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum
A Case Of Mistaken Identity ‘And Two Cooked Foods’ (Pesachim 114a)
Question: The Talmud (Shabbat 12a) notes, “Rabbi Hanina said: One should examine one’s clothes on the eve of Shabbat before nightfall [to ensure that one is not carrying anything] for one may forget and go out [carrying]. Rav Yosef said this is an important law for Shabbat.”
There are lots of back seat drivers at the Seder. Your kezayit (portion) of matzah is not big enough, they chide. Red wine only; shmurah matzot or nothing; don’t start the Seder before nightfall; must finish the meal before midnight; don’t drink wine between the four cups; the Seder plate set in the wrong order. This article is intended as a defensible guide for the brave volunteer who leads the Seder (the ba’al haseder).
It’s 12:30 on a Yom Tov, Monday morning. You are about to leave the synagogue for the third day in a row. As you look around, you notice, even as you try to ignore it, a certain wilting of the spirit. A belabored pace. How good you felt on Friday night, with the onset of Shabbat. An effortless serenity set in then.
Chaim had an old car that he would regularly rent to the fellows of his kollel for a nominal fee. Moshe asked if he could use the car for the afternoon to do a couple of shopping errands. "With pleasure," Chaim said. "However, before you take the car, I'd like you to read this statement of terms."
By Rabbi Yaakov Klass and Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum
An Expression Unique in Shas “I Am Neither Wise…” (Pesachim 105b)
Hashem appeared to Noach and told him the world had turned to wicked ways and was to be destroyed by a deluge. Hashem commanded Noach to build a teivah, an ark, so that he and his family would be saved.
It is important to note that not all names may be designated. There is, for example, a tradition that Ashkenazic Jews do not name their children after a living person. Yet, neither the Bible nor the Talmud make any reference to this prohibition. Indeed, just the opposite. The Lubavitcher Rebbe (Sha’arei Halacha U’Minhag, Yoreh De’ah, Volume III, p.298) notes that from verses in Genesis (See Genesis 11:24-26) it is evident that Terach (father of Abraham) named his son Nachor during the lifetime of his father, Nachor.
After davening on Hoshana Rabbah, Mr. Hadar fondly packed away his esrog. "Maybe I'll fill it with cloves and use it for spices at Havdalah," he thought. "Or maybe I'll make jelly out of it."
Designating proper names for one’s children is not always easy. When my wife, Shoshana, gave birth to our first child in Chicago – a girl – she informed me that according to tradition, the wife is entitled to name the first child. I didn’t agree, but recognizing that this was her tradition and not wishing to cause any controversy or anguish, I readily submitted.
By Rabbi Yaakov Klass and Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum
He Might Extinguish It ‘A Torch Is The Best Way Of Performing The Mitzvah’ (Pesachim 103b)
By Rabbi Yaakov Klass and Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum
The Letter Of The Law? ‘If He Was…Unable to Enter Because of the Camels’ (Pesachim 94a)
Question: Is it proper for Orthodox synagogues to have their parking lots open on Shabbat?
Mr. Sender was the gabbai of Congregation Tiferes Yisrael. He was in change of aliyahs, would organize the siddurim after davening, and make the announcements. His special joy, though, was walking around the shul on weekdays with the pushka (tzedakah box). "Tzedakah tatzil mimavess," he would quietly declare. "Charity saves from death."
Question: Is it proper for Orthodox synagogues to have their parking lots open on Shabbat?
Yossi and Ezra shared an apartment. They had many things in common, which made them good roommates. One thing they shared that sometimes caused problems, though, was identical cell phones.
By Rabbi Yaakov Klass and Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum
Hashem’s House Is No Different ‘Everything…But To Leave’ (Pesachim 86b)
One of the beautiful customs of Rosh Hashanah is to eat an apple dipped in honey and other sweet foods as a way of asking Hashem to make things sweet for us in the coming year. People also wish each other a healthy and sweet New Year. However the best way to make the year sweet for ourselves and for others is to become “sweet” people, remembering to smile and treat each other in a sweet and friendly way.
By Rabbi Yaakov Klass and Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum
Location! Location! ‘On and Off His Forehead’ (Pesachim 77a)
Question: Why does the congregation stand every time the shofar is blown?
Rabbi Dayan asked Ruby and Zev to sit down. "Remind me what the issue was," he said. "It's been a while since we spoke." "Zev sent me a computer virus as an email attachment," said Ruby. "Supposedly, the file was a 'helpful computer program,' which he told me to install. The file was a virus, though; when I clicked on it, it attacked my computer! The repair cost $250. I think that Zev should pay for the repair.”
By Rabbi Yaakov Klass and Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum
Against The Tide? ‘How Do We Roast The Paschal Sacrifice?’ (Pesachim 74a)
Ruby and Zev were classmates but didn't get along well. One weekend, shortly before a test, Ruby asked to borrow Zev's notes and kept them the entire weekend, ignoring Zev's pleas to return them. Not surprisingly, Zev did poorly on the test. He decided to get back at Ruby.
Rabbi Dayan was learning the Daf in his study when his phone rang. "Hello, this is Shmuel," said the caller. "My children found some eggs in our backyard. They did shiluach ha'ken with the chickens and brought the eggs home. Can we eat them?"
By Rabbi Yaakov Klass and Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum
Blood On His Hands! ‘It Is Praiseworthy For The Sons Of Aaron That They Walk In Blood…’ (Pesachim 65b)
Yair was always looking for spare jobs to earn some extra money. Before Pesach he would clean houses, before Sukkos he would build sukkahs, in the summer he would drive people to the mountains.
June 26, 2026 
