All Torah Minutes
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It says in the Ethics of the Fathers: "Who is the one who is mighty? The one who subjugates his inclination. As it...
Tuesday, May 8, 2012/Iyyar 16, 5772
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If one inadvertently forgot an object that is Muqseh (Muktzah - that which may not be handled on Shabbath) on top...
Friday, February 17, 2012/Shebat 24, 5772
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One may not sit within four Ammoth (cubits) of someone who is praying the 'Amidah, not in front of him, behind...
Monday, February 13, 2012/Shebat 20, 5772
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The Ben Ish Hai mentions that it is a Miswah (Mitzvah) to lengthen the prayer on Saturday night, because of the...
Friday, February 10, 2012/Shebat 17, 5772
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The order in which one recites the blessings on various foods only applies if one wishes to eat all of them. If...
Tuesday, February 7, 2012/Shebat 14, 5772
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If we had to select one place, where love, peace and harmony are most commonly found and practised, we would...
Friday, January 27, 2012/Shebat 3, 5772
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How do we react to people who we consider to be unattractive? What do we think when we see a person whose outer...
Thursday, January 19, 2012/Tebeth 24, 5772
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Why Care for Others? (Rabbanith Ruth Menashe)
Why should I care about others' feelings? What do I have to do with them? Why should I trouble myself for the...
Friday, November 11, 2011/Heshwan 14, 5772
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We all want our children to treat us with respect. Honoring one's parents, as we all know, is one of the Ten...
Friday, October 28, 2011/Tashri 30, 5772
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As is well known, there is a difference of opinion between Sephardim and Ashkenazim concerning whether women...
Wednesday, October 12, 2011/Tashri 14, 5772
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There is a custom to read the book of Tehillim over the two days of Rosh Hashanah. Hakham Yosef Hayim, 'a"h,...
Monday, September 26, 2011/Elul 27, 5771
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G-d commanded the prophet Jeremiah (Yirmiyahu 18:1-4) to go to a potter's house, where he observed the potter...
Friday, September 23, 2011/Elul 24, 5771
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The Rama states that it is forbidden to wash one's hands with soap on Shabbath (soap used to be made from animal...
Friday, September 16, 2011/Elul 17, 5771
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This past Monday, the thirteenth of Elul, people across the globe commemorated the 102nd passing of Hakham Yoseph...
Friday, September 16, 2011/Elul 17, 5771
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We mentioned that one should avoid making vows (Nedarim). If someone made a vow in an optional matter (where there...
Monday, September 5, 2011/Elul 6, 5771
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"For it is a sign between Me and you, for your generations"... (Exodus, 31,13). The word "for your generations" in...
Friday, September 2, 2011/Elul 3, 5771
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לא תטה משפט לא תכיר פנים "You shall not pervert judgement" (Debarim 16:19). One of the...
Thursday, September 1, 2011/Elul 2, 5771
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Even though the Torah permits squeezing liquid out of hair on Shabbath, because hair is not an absorbent material,...
Friday, August 26, 2011/Ab 26, 5771
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How does a matron greet a king? She beautifies herself and adorns herself with her royal attire and crown. What...
Friday, August 26, 2011/Ab 26, 5771
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Even if one did not eat a meal but merely measured or touched salt or ate foods, that one normally sprinkles salt...
Tuesday, August 23, 2011/Ab 23, 5771
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The Gemara of Hullin says that Mayim Aharonim may not be done with Scalding water. There are those who say that...
Monday, August 22, 2011/Ab 22, 5771
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Maran z"l states in the Shulhan 'Arukh that one must wash for Mayim Aharonim up to the second joints of the...
Sunday, August 21, 2011/Ab 21, 5771
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Any permitted Shabbath labor (Melakha) may be forbidden if it is done as a preparation for after Shabbath....
Friday, August 19, 2011/Ab 19, 5771
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Why is it that a mother teaches her child to say the words "Abba" and "Imma" (Mum and Dad) as her child's first...
Thursday, August 18, 2011/Ab 18, 5771
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Rabban Shim'on Ben Gamliel said there were no happier days in Israel (among the Jewish people) than the fifteenth...
Sunday, August 14, 2011/Ab 14, 5771
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If one's clothes became wet on Shabbath one may walk in them and not be concerned that one may come to wring them...
Friday, August 12, 2011/Ab 12, 5771
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Washing oneself on Tish'ah Be-Ab is forbidden, whether in hot or cold water. Even dipping one's finger in water is...
Monday, August 8, 2011/Ab 8, 5771
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Somehow, when women and speech are mentioned, many people associate these words with a wide selection of jokes....
Friday, August 5, 2011/Ab 5, 5771
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ראה נתתי לפניכם את הארץ באו ורשו את הארץ... לתת להם ולזרעם...
Thursday, August 4, 2011/Ab 4, 5771
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As is well known, from Rosh Hodesh Ab till after Tish'ah BeAb, the custom amongst all Jews is not to eat meat and...
Sunday, July 31, 2011/Tammuz 29, 5771
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Opening Pistachios on Shabbath
Borer (separating something that one does not want from items that one...
Friday, July 22, 2011/Tammuz 20, 5771
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Umbrellas and parasols are very much part of everyday life to protect us from the rain as well as the sun. Their...
Friday, July 15, 2011/Tammuz 13, 5771
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In Shahrith, if one is in the middle of the Shema' and its blessings, and one knows that one can complete the...
Wednesday, July 13, 2011/Tammuz 11, 5771
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One of the most well known phrases in Parashath Balaq is "How goodly are your tents O Jacob, your dwelling places...
Friday, July 8, 2011/Tammuz 6, 5771
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One may not eat a large meal or banquet during the day on Friday, of the type that one does not ordinarily eat on...
Friday, July 8, 2011/Tammuz 6, 5771
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The Qaddish that is said just before 'Aleinu Leshabbeyah (or right after 'Aleinu in the Askhenazi Nusah) is...
Wednesday, July 6, 2011/Tammuz 4, 5771
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One is forbidden from stealing even the smallest amount from anyone, Jew or non Jew. If, however, the amount of...
Tuesday, July 5, 2011/Tammuz 3, 5771
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Due to the sensitivity and emotions involved with the following topic I have not addressed these matters in the...
Monday, July 4, 2011/Tammuz 2, 5771
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ויקח קרח "And Qorah took" (Bamidbar 16:1). What did Qorah take? In the Gemara of Sanhedrin (109b) it states...
Thursday, June 23, 2011/Siwan 21, 5771
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Looking further at the laws of Ribbith (interest/usury), let us consider the following scenario. A Jewish...
Wednesday, June 22, 2011/Siwan 20, 5771
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The laws of Ribbith (interest/usury) are numerous and complicated. These Halakhoth are being provided to make us...
Tuesday, June 21, 2011/Siwan 19, 5771
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Let us look at a case of a Jewish individual who sells an item to another Jew but does not require immediate...
Monday, June 20, 2011/Siwan 18, 5771
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The Shulhan 'Arukh states that women are obligated in Habdalah in the same way that they are obligated in Qiddush,...
Friday, June 17, 2011/Siwan 15, 5771
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שלח לך אנשים ויתרו את ארץ כנען אשר אני נתן לבני ישראל "Send men to spy...
Thursday, June 16, 2011/Siwan 14, 5771
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The Rama states in his gloss on the Shulhan 'Arukh that from when one recites the Shema' before going to sleep at...
Sunday, June 12, 2011/Siwan 10, 5771
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בהעלתך את הנרת "When you kindle the lights" (Bamidbar, 8:2). Rashi, quoting Midrash Tanhuma, asks why...
Friday, June 10, 2011/Siwan 8, 5771
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וכל תרומה לכל קדשי בני ישראל אשר יקריבו לכהן לו יהיה, "And all Terumah...
Thursday, June 2, 2011/Iyyar 29, 5771
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We mentioned on a previous occasion that there is a difference of opinion whether a woman should say the Berakha...
Tuesday, May 31, 2011/Iyyar 27, 5771
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The Shulhan 'Arukh states that Habdalah should be recited while seated. The Rama comments in his gloss that there...
Friday, May 27, 2011/Iyyar 23, 5771
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"Asarah Nissim Na'asu LaAbothenu Bebeth Hamiqdash" (Ten miracles were wrought for our forefathers in the Temple)....
Wednesday, May 25, 2011/Iyyar 21, 5771
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When three people eat bread together they become obligated to make Zimmun (lit. invitation) before reciting...
Sunday, May 22, 2011/Iyyar 18, 5771
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If one finishes S'euddah Shelishith (third meal) on Shabbath after it becomes certain night, when one comes to say...
Friday, May 20, 2011/Iyyar 16, 5771
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Hakham Yoseph Hayyim, 'a"h, in Hasdei Aboth, quotes the Gemara which recounts that Hillel Hazzaqen was walking...
Thursday, May 19, 2011/Iyyar 15, 5771
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The adage "Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise", is attributed to Benjamin...
Monday, May 16, 2011/Iyyar 12, 5771
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It seems to me that if one searches through a book for jokes about mothers-in-law and daughters-in- law, one would...
Friday, May 13, 2011/Iyyar 9, 5771
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One should not open one's mouth to the Satan. This means that one should not say something bad lest it happens. A...
Tuesday, May 10, 2011/Iyyar 6, 5771
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It says in the Gemarra of Niddah (17a) that Ribbi Shim'on Bar Yohai states that there are five things which cause...
Monday, May 9, 2011/Iyyar 5, 5771
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The following story from the Yalqut is mentioned in Me'il Sedaqa written by Hakham Eliyahu HaKohen, 'a"h.
Thursday, May 5, 2011/Iyyar 1, 5771
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Any Melacha (forbidden labor) that is forbidden on Shabbath is similarly forbidden on Yom Tob (a holiday). The...
Sunday, April 24, 2011/Nisan 20, 5771
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One is forbidden to eat even the smallest particle of Hames (Hametz) on Pesah (Passover). Therefore, after one...
Monday, April 11, 2011/Nisan 7, 5771
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וכבס המטהר את בגדיו וגלח את כל שערו ורחץ במים "The person being purified shall...
Thursday, April 7, 2011/Nisan 3, 5771
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What does one do if one forgets to eat the Afiqomen? If one forgot to eat the Afiqomen and did Mayim Aharonim (the...
Wednesday, April 6, 2011/Nisan 2, 5771
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One must not do Melakha (work) on 'Ereb Pesah (the eve of Passover), from midday (Halakhaic time). This refers to...
Sunday, April 3, 2011/Adar B 28, 5771
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A large portion of the preparations for Pesah (Passover) revolves around food: buying, preparing, cooking and...
Friday, April 1, 2011/Adar B 26, 5771
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Everyone is obligated to send Mishlowah Manoth (gifts of at least two food portions) to at least one friend on the...
Tuesday, March 15, 2011/Adar B 9, 5771
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Everybody is obligated to hear the reading of the Meghillah. Women are obligated because they were also part of...
Monday, March 14, 2011/Adar B 8, 5771
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G-d commands us to be holy. This means that the physical dimension of who we are should be purified to such an...
Thursday, March 10, 2011/Adar B 4, 5771
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Laziness and haste are two complete opposites. Is it possible that there is a common factor or connection between...
Thursday, March 10, 2011/Adar B 4, 5771
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One should not eat garlic or onions if they remained overnight fully peeled. If they were only partially peeled,...
Tuesday, March 1, 2011/Adar A 25, 5771
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There is an opinion that Qiddush may only be made where the Shabbath lights were kindled, whereas another opinion...
Friday, February 25, 2011/Adar A 21, 5771
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ויבאו כל איש אשר נשאו לבו וכל אשר נדבה רוחו אתו "Every man whose heart raised...
Thursday, February 24, 2011/Adar A 20, 5771
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Periodically, someone will come to me in a very disturbed state about a dream that he or she had. They always...
Sunday, February 20, 2011/Adar A 16, 5771
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Unlike Friday night when, if there is no wine available, one makes Qiddush on the bread, if one does not have wine...
Friday, February 18, 2011/Adar A 14, 5771
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We are told in Parashath Ki Thissa, that Shabbath is a sign between G-d and the Jewish people. Hakham Yoseph...
Friday, February 18, 2011/Adar A 14, 5771
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If one has no wine at all for Qiddush on Friday night, the Qiddush is made on the bread as follows:
Friday, February 11, 2011/Adar A 7, 5771
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Ribbi Yehoshua and Ribbi Eliezer met and angel carrying a bright, shining robe, a spiritual robe which clothes the...
Thursday, February 10, 2011/Adar A 6, 5771
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וחשב אפדתו אשר עליו כמעשהו ממנו יהיה "The finely made belt of the Ephod (apron)...
Thursday, February 10, 2011/Adar A 6, 5771
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When we say that a son is obligated to honor his parents by feeding them and clothing them (see
Honoring one's parents includes feeding them with food and drink, clothing them and taking them in and out. It...
Monday, February 7, 2011/Adar A 3, 5771
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The Shulhan (table) in the Mishkan (Tabernacle) had twelve loaves of bread which were baked every Friday and...
Thursday, February 3, 2011/Shebat 29, 5771
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One may not place food or any drink under a bed, because an evil spirit rests on them. This applies even if they...
Thursday, January 27, 2011/Shebat 22, 5771
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The Torah cautioned that when you build a new house you must make a parapet on the roof so that you shall...
Tuesday, January 25, 2011/Shebat 20, 5771
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Some have the custom of roasting eggs on the lid of a pot containing meat, for Shabbath. The question is whether...
Friday, January 21, 2011/Shebat 16, 5771
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There are different customs regarding fasting on the day of the wedding. In general, the Ashkenazi custom is that...
Monday, January 17, 2011/Shebat 12, 5771
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Neither a vow nor an oath may be annulled before the time that the vow or oath actually comes into effect....
Wednesday, January 12, 2011/Shebat 7, 5771
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It is good to be particular not to leave any empty utensils on the table (such as cups, plates, spoons, etc.) when...
Monday, January 10, 2011/Shebat 5, 5771
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Maran Yoseph Caro (Qaro), 'a"h, writes in the Shulhan 'Aruch that the tablecloth and the bread must not be removed...
Friday, January 7, 2011/Shebat 2, 5771
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We live at a time where many of us are preoccupied with our weight. the Western world and American society in...
Thursday, December 16, 2010/Tebeth 9, 5771
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The Mishnah Berurah quotes an opinion that one who fasted for the first time on a weekday, on the occasion of the...
Friday, December 10, 2010/Tebeth 3, 5771
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