יום שבת, י״א אב תשפ״וSaturday, July 25, 2026
Follow Us
Question: Are there limitations to the mitzvah of chinuch?
"Yosef, congratulations on your graduation!" said Uncle Sam. "I want to buy you a new bike as a present."
Vol. LXIII No. 3 5772 New York City CANDLE LIGHTING TIME January 20, 2012 – 25 Teves 5772 4:38 p.m. NYC E.S.T. Sabbath Ends: 5:48 p.m. NYC E.S.T. Weekly Reading: Va’era Weekly Haftara: Koh Amar Hashem (Ezekiel 28:25-29:21) Daf Yomi: Arachin 7 Mishna Yomit: Sukkah 4:4-5 Halacha Yomit: Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayyim 3:7-9 Rambam Yomi: […]
By Rabbi Yaakov Klass and Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum
When a Dead Ewe Gave Birth to a Live Lamb ‘We Do Not Wait For Her To Give Birth’ (Arachin 7a)
In this week’s parshah (Shemos 6:6) the pasuk reveals the four leshonos of geulah: v’hotzeisi, v’hitzalti, v’ga’alti, and v’lakachti. Rashi, in his commentary to Pesachim 99b, tells us that the four cups of wine that we are commanded to drink on Pesach at the Seder correspond to the four leshonos of geulah mentioned above.
Question: My son recently stopped wearing a necktie and lace-up shoes on Shabbat. He explained that he doesn’t want to transgress the prohibition against tying knots on Shabbat. Is tying a necktie or shoelaces really forbidden? “A Mother in Israel” (Via E-Mail)
Reb Pinchos, born in Romania, moved shortly after birth with his parents to Vienna. As a teenager, he learned in another city and took his Gemara with him. Pinchos remembered how his rebbe always liked to teach from his Gemara.
I believe in my last column we established that when it comes to shidduchim we cannot rely on our own “seichel” – for while singles may believe they made the right choice, they might just discover the opposite to be correct.
In February we conducted a thorough discussion of the mitzvah of techeilet. The following guest piece by Baruch Sterman, marking 20 years since the establishment of the Ptil Tekhelet Foundation (www.tekhelet.com), is a follow up to that discussion.
A son who is not himself a kohen or a Levi, firstborn to a Jewish mother who is not the daughter of a kohen or a Levi, has the status of a bechor and must be redeemed through a ceremony known as pidyon ha’ben. The performance of the pidyon ha’ben ceremony, which should take place […]
When Moshe came of age, he went out to visit his brothers, to share in their suffering. What he saw caused him great anguish. The oppression, subjugation, and cruelty were present wherever he looked.
Question: Are there limitations to the mitzvah of chinuch?
By Rabbi Yaakov Klass and Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum
Lulav or Shofar on Shabbos ‘It Refers To Tithing In Our Days’ (Bechoros 61a)
After Moshe had agreed to go to Pharaoh to beseech him on Klal Yisrael’s behalf, he began traveling to Mitzrayim with his wife Tziporah and their sons – including the newborn.
Question: My son recently stopped wearing a necktie and lace-up shoes on Shabbat. He explained that he doesn’t want to transgress the prohibition against tying knots on Shabbat. Is tying a necktie or shoelaces really forbidden? “A Mother in Israel” (Via E-Mail)
Could it be she wished to tell you that nowadays many men can be superficial in their search for a life partner, looking for a “glamour girl” rather than an aishes chayil? Could it be she tried to tell you it would be wise for you to be more flexible, more open-minded, and not lock yourself into limiting your options to just a certain “type”?
Here is an amazing story. I recently made a bar mitzvah for my second son. I went to have my daughter's hair done in Flatbush, and had to be at the hall two hours later.
By David Wilder, Tazpit News Agency
Rav Dov Lior is not only a Torah scholar; he is quintessential Jewish patriot, whose allegiance is pledged fully to God, Torah, the People and the Land. His courage in speaking the truth is undeniably tangible, without regard for any public controversy or dispute.
By Rabbi Yaakov Klass and Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum
Lingua Franca ‘The Jordan Is Only From Jericho And Below’ (Bechoros 55a)
The Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, zt”l, notes that Yaakov Avinu’s years can be divided into three periods.
"Do you realize that it's Shaindy's 30th birthday in a month?" Sara asked Penina. "It's amazing how time flies!"
Question: Are there limits to the mitzvah of chinuch?
Yaakov Avinu spent the final seventeen years of his life in Mitzrayim. While there he lived in peace for the first time in many years and remained in that state for the rest of his life. Near the end of his days he called in his beloved son Yosef and made an impassioned request: “Please do not bury me in Mitzrayim.”
The opening pasuk in this week’s parshah states: “Vayechi Yaakov be’eretz Mitzrayim sheva esrei shanah… – Yaakov lived in Mitzrayim for 17 years…” The Gemara in Kiddushin 82a says that Avraham Avinu kept the entire Torah, even the mitzvos that may not have applied.
By dvora
It’s lately become a family joke. During the course of a day, something occurs that touches me. My kids see the wheels turning in my head and ask, teasingly, if I have another idea for one of my columns. It can be a simple kindness, or it can be one of the miracles that Hashem has wrought for us.
For the past few weeks my column has focused on the difficulties singles experience while trying to find their soul mates.
All responsible leaders in our community have roundly condemned the recent violence in Beit Shemesh and Meah Shearim.
Asara B’Teves, the 10th of Teves, commemorates the beginning of the siege of Jerusalem by the Babylonian ruler Nebuchadnezzar that ultimately culminated with the First Temple’s destruction on the 9th of Av the following year.
July 24, 2026 
