Eruv Tavshilin
This year – 5785/2024 – the Yomim Tovim of Rosh Hashanah and the first and last days of Succot (in the Diaspora) fall on Thursday and Friday. We therefore have the opportunity of fulfilling the Rabbinical mitzvah of Eruv Tavshilin a total of three times. Let us try and understand this unique mitzvah. As most […]
JoJo Tanks
An ancient Torah in a modern world may seem like an oxymoron, but it is anything but. In fact, it accentuates the Divine nature of our Holy Torah and its timeless application and relevance. It may be argued that this is more palpable today than in other times in history. With the advent of technology, […]
The Heter Iska
In the vast tapestry of Jewish legal tradition, the prohibition of charging and accepting interest, ‘ribbis’, stands as a testament to the ethical and moral underpinnings of economic transactions within the Jewish community. At its core, the prohibition of ribbis is derived from several biblical injunctions1, which forbid the charging of interest on loans made […]
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Are Women Obligated To Listen To Parshas Zachor?
The Torah instructs us to “Remember what Amalek did to you on your journey out of Egypt, when they attacked you on the way, and you were tired and exhausted…. You must obliterate the memory of Amalek from under the heavens. Do not forget!” (Devarim 25:17-19). According to Rambam (Melachim 5:5), this means that we have […]
Beit Hora’ah -How Does It Work?
Recently, the Beth Din launched a new initiative called “Beit Hora’ah”. Simply put, it is an offering whereby litigants can opt to have their dispute heard by one of the Dayanim, rather than the full bench of three. There would seem to be certain advantages to such a system. Firstly, it is easier to co-ordinate […]
Why Two Types Of Tinned Tuna?
That tinned tuna requires proper supervision is not surprising, but why would Kosher SA under the Hechsher of the Beth Din provide two options for tinned Tuna—the so-called “bishul Yisrael – mehadrin” line and “regular” tuna? What is the difference between the two options? In this article I will offer some background to the topic; […]
Building On Shabbos
I just purchased a house in Glenhazel and am renovating prior to moving in. May the builders work on Shabbos? There is a prohibition on Shabbos of amira l’akum. This means one may not ask a non-Jew to do melocho (work) for a Jew on Shabbos. There are several reasons brought down by the commentators […]
Is A Jewish Will Necessary?
A brief introduction In the section that deals with the laws of inheritance, the Torah states (Bamidbar 27:8) that where there are sons and daughters, it is only the sons who inherit after the parents’ passing. Likewise, the wife, according to Torah law, would not be entitled to receive any of the inheritance from the […]