All Torah Minutes
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If on a cold Shabbath one forgot to turn on the heating, is one permitted to ask a non-Jew to turn on a heater?...
Friday, January 27, 2012/Shebat 3, 5772
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There are those who say that if a woman's husband is in town (Ba'alah Ba'ir), even though he is not physically...
Tuesday, October 25, 2011/Tashri 27, 5772
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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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Our Rabbis of blessed memory stated that all the Festivals will be cancelled except for Hagh HaShabu'oth (the...
Monday, May 23, 2011/Iyyar 19, 5771
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During the seven days following a wedding it has become customary, whenever possible, to hold the Sheba' Berakhoth...
Tuesday, March 22, 2011/Adar B 16, 5771
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As we mentioned previously, King David forbade a man to be alone with a Jewish woman whom he was permitted...
Wednesday, December 22, 2010/Tebeth 15, 5771
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Even though we mentioned previously that coloring food on Shabbath is permitted (see
A person must be very careful to avoid anger altogether, at all times. Our Rabbis of Blessed Memory told us,...
Tuesday, July 6, 2010/Tammuz 24, 5770
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One may not make use of a tree on Shabbath for fear that we may come to break off part of the tree. As such it is...
Friday, May 28, 2010/Siwan 15, 5770
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One may carry the pieces of a vessel or utensil that breaks on Shabbath, provided the broken pieces themselves can be...
Friday, April 23, 2010/Iyyar 9, 5770
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The holy books mention that the preparations for Pesah should start thirty days before the holiday. Hakham Sasson...
Thursday, March 11, 2010/Adar 25, 5770
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The Shulhan 'Arukh (Code of Jewish Law) prohibits crushing snow or hail on Shabbath. This means that they may not be...
Friday, February 19, 2010/Adar 5, 5770
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Maran states in the Shulhan 'Arukh that one should only give food to a person if he knows that he will recite a...
Tuesday, February 9, 2010/Shebat 25, 5770
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Since a Mezuzah must be placed at the bottom of the upper third of a door post, a Mezuzah which was placed below the...
Monday, February 8, 2010/Shebat 24, 5770
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The importance of paying employees who are paid by the day can be best illustrated by the following story about...
Monday, February 1, 2010/Shebat 17, 5770
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Someone who is having a meal with bread and gets into a protracted discussion with his friend, or went outside...
Tuesday, January 26, 2010/Shebat 11, 5770
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The Shulhan 'Aruch tells us that one should not answer "Amen" to the Beracha (blessing) of a child who is being...
Tuesday, January 19, 2010/Shebat 4, 5770
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"And you shall call Shabbath a delight ('Onegh)". Part of the delight on Shabbath is eating meals with meat and wine....
Thursday, January 7, 2010/Tebeth 21, 5770
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Even though only the first candle that we light each night of Hanukkah is the obligation for the day, nevertheless,...
Tuesday, December 8, 2009/Kislew 21, 5770
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The Shulhan 'Aruch states that it is forbidden to fast on Shabbath until the (end of the) sixth hour, which is midday...
Thursday, November 26, 2009/Kislew 9, 5770
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The Shulhan 'Aruch states that one may not eat meat and fish together because it is considered dangerous to one's...
Wednesday, November 25, 2009/Kislew 8, 5770
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Hatmanah, which is the act of insulating food by covering, is forbidden on Shabbath, when the food is in the vessel...
Thursday, November 5, 2009/Heshwan 18, 5770
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Originally, Rosh Hodesh was to be given to the Jewish people as a Festival (in addition to the Festivals of Pesah,...
Sunday, October 18, 2009/Tashri 30, 5770
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When we finish reading the last portion of the Torah (Wezoth Habberakha) on Simhath Torah, we begin reading Bereshith...
Monday, October 12, 2009/Tashri 24, 5770
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It is forbidden to fast the day before Yom Kippur. On the contrary we are required to eat the amount of food that we...
Wednesday, September 23, 2009/Tashri 5, 5770
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During the 'Asereth Yemei Teshubah (the Ten Days of Repentance between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur), we should...
Monday, September 21, 2009/Tashri 3, 5770
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Let us imagine the following scenario, a group of soldiers betrayed their king and joined the army of the enemy....
Thursday, September 17, 2009/Elul 28, 5769
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There are Synagogues which have two different people to blow the Shofar every year, one on the first day of Rosh...
Sunday, September 13, 2009/Elul 24, 5769
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Many people erroneously believe that Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, falls on the day the world was created. In...
Friday, September 11, 2009/Elul 22, 5769
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If someone stole an item worth, let us say $100, and the value of that item drops to say $50, does he have to return...
Tuesday, September 8, 2009/Elul 19, 5769
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It says in the Mishnah Berurah that the custom is to add a piece of silk to the top portion of the Sissith (Tallith...
Monday, September 7, 2009/Elul 18, 5769
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When a group of people eat bread together, and only one person actually recites the blessing, when saying the...
Wednesday, September 2, 2009/Elul 13, 5769
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We are obligated to recite one hundred Berakhoth (blessings) a day. On Shabbath and Yom Tob as we know, there are...
Monday, August 24, 2009/Elul 4, 5769
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A question that is asked fairly regularly concerns what one should do with one's Mezuzoth (Mezuzah’s) when...
Wednesday, August 19, 2009/Ab 29, 5769
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If a Hakham or an important person who is taking a long time saying his 'Amidah, notices that the Hazzan and the...
Tuesday, August 18, 2009/Ab 28, 5769
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A Mezuzah must be placed in the upper third of the doorpost, irrespective of the height of the door. If a person...
Wednesday, August 12, 2009/Ab 22, 5769
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If a person wishes to open a store in a certain area where there already is an existing store in the same line of...
Wednesday, August 5, 2009/Ab 15, 5769
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A question is asked in Torah Lishmah about someone who had the custom of waiting 24 hours after eating meat, before...
Tuesday, August 4, 2009/Ab 14, 5769
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Under normal circumstances we would assume that another person would be happy if we borrowed an item of theirs...
Sunday, August 2, 2009/Ab 12, 5769
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On Tish'a BeAb (the 9th of Ab) we are only permitted to do Netilath Yadayim (the ritual washing of hands) up to the...
Thursday, July 30, 2009/Ab 9, 5769
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Sewing and the like is forbidden during the week of Tish'ah BeAb, and the custom is to forbid it from Rosh Hodesh. A...
Sunday, July 26, 2009/Ab 5, 5769
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Attaching clothes with a pin or safety pin on Shabbath is related to the Melakha (Shabbath labor) of sewing. It is...
Thursday, July 23, 2009/Ab 2, 5769
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It says in the Gemarra of Ta'anith that if we have a court case or legal dealings with a non Jew, it should be...
Wednesday, July 22, 2009/Ab 1, 5769
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The reading of the Shema' has many Kawwanoth (intents). However, if one did not have at least the basic meaning of...
Sunday, July 19, 2009/Tammuz 27, 5769
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We are not permitted to use a Synagogue as a short cut. So if a Synagogue is in the middle of a block and has one...
Wednesday, July 15, 2009/Tammuz 23, 5769
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Are you permitted to pay a Jewish workman in advance so that he will give you a lower price than the one he would...
Tuesday, July 14, 2009/Tammuz 22, 5769
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We mentioned previously that the Sages of the Anshei Keneseth Haggedolah instituted a Birkath Hoda-ah (blessing of...
Monday, June 29, 2009/Tammuz 7, 5769
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On Shabbath we are obligated to eat three Se’uddoth (meals), one at night and two during the day. (This is...
Thursday, June 25, 2009/Tammuz 3, 5769
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A question was asked in Torah Lishmah concerning someone who loses both parents in one year (R"L). Should the...
Wednesday, June 24, 2009/Tammuz 2, 5769
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The Gaon Hida, 'a"h, writes that according to the Ari z"l, the Qaddish also helps the soul rise in...
Sunday, June 21, 2009/Siwan 29, 5769
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If someone's father (or mother) asks him to do something for them, such as bringing a them glass of water, and...
Wednesday, June 3, 2009/Siwan 11, 5769
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As we know, honoring one's father and mother is the fifth commandment of the Ten Commandments and one that we...
Tuesday, June 2, 2009/Siwan 10, 5769
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Sukkoth is called Hagh Hasukkoth (Festival of the Booths) because of the commandment to dwell in booths. Pesah...
Wednesday, May 27, 2009/Siwan 4, 5769
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We are not permitted to prepare on the first day of a holiday (Yom Tob) for the second day. As such, one may not cook...
Tuesday, May 26, 2009/Siwan 3, 5769
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When making Qiddush on the night of Shabu'oth (in the Land of Israel, or both nights outside the Land of Israel),...
Sunday, May 24, 2009/Siwan 1, 5769
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In the summer months, it is very common for people to start Shabbath early. It often happens, that when someone has...
Thursday, May 21, 2009/Iyyar 27, 5769
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It says in Ben Ish Hai that anyone who is a glutton is considered to be trapped in the thicket of the Evil...
Wednesday, May 20, 2009/Iyyar 26, 5769
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Our Rabbis of blessed memory tell us in the Gemara of Shabbath, that a person's speech on Shabbath may not be...
Wednesday, May 13, 2009/Iyyar 19, 5769
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This week, I would like to share with you something of a different nature to our previous weeks: some unique laws...
Wednesday, May 13, 2009/Iyyar 19, 5769
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From where do we know that utensils that are used for the preparation of food require immersion in a Miqweh?
...
Wednesday, May 6, 2009/Iyyar 12, 5769
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Does a room that is round require a Mezuzah? The answer is, as long as it has the minimum square footage, which is...
Monday, May 4, 2009/Iyyar 10, 5769
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Something that I have noticed over the years is that people are becoming increasingly careless about letting the...
Wednesday, April 29, 2009/Iyyar 5, 5769
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On the first two days of Pesah (Passover) -- the first day for those in Israel -- we say the complete Hallel....
Sunday, April 12, 2009/Nisan 18, 5769
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The order of the Birkath Hahammah (Blessing on the Sun) is as follows:
The congregation should assemble at a...
Wednesday, April 1, 2009/Nisan 7, 5769
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If one performs a commandment through a sin, it is as if he hs not performed that commandment.
A typical case...
Tuesday, March 31, 2009/Nisan 6, 5769
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The Afiqomen has to be eaten at the end of the meal because it is in memory of the Qorban Pesah (the Passover...
Monday, March 30, 2009/Nisan 5, 5769
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Who is obligated to recite Birkath Hahamah (the blessing on the sun)?
Men are obviously obligated to recite...
Wednesday, March 25, 2009/Adar 29, 5769
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According to Rabbenu the Arizal, the entire Qabbalath Shabbath prayer on Friday evening must be prayed facing west....
Thursday, March 19, 2009/Adar 23, 5769
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On Purim we are obligated to give "Matanoth LaEbyonim", gifts to at least two poor people. What if two poor...
Monday, March 9, 2009/Adar 13, 5769
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Even though we are permitted to squeeze the juice of fruits, even the juice of olives and grapes, directly into (a...
Thursday, March 5, 2009/Adar 9, 5769
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As we know, the Halakha is that everybody reads the Meghillah on the fourteenth of Adar, except for cities that had a...
Monday, March 2, 2009/Adar 6, 5769
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We know that on Purim we have to send Mishlowah Manoth (gifts of food) on the day of Purim itself. There is an...
Wednesday, February 25, 2009/Adar 1, 5769
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Ordinarily, on 'Ereb Shabbath (Friday, during the day) we are not permitted to have a large meal of the type that...
Thursday, February 12, 2009/Shebat 18, 5769
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The Torah forbids us from squeezing olives or grapes on Shabbath, because it is considered to be a derivative of the...
Thursday, February 5, 2009/Shebat 11, 5769
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