אחת המגבלות הספיריות המקובלות בתוקף במהלך ספירת העומר היא איסור התספורות. בגלל מות תלמידיו של רבי עקיבא, אנו מקפידים להימנע מתספורות בחלק מהזמן שבין פסח לשבועוס. זו הסיבה שהמספרות כל כך עסוקות בתקופה שלפני פסח, ומדוע יש להם כל כך מעט עסקים בשבועות הספירה. השנה, בגלל משבר הקורונה, אנשים רבים לא הצליחו להגיע לתספורות […]
Author Archives: Rabbi Yehoshua Pfeffer
Davening Alone: Laws and Details
The trying period that we are currently going through has led to the closing of Shuls around the world. The continued spread of coronavirus, and the regulations enacted in countless locations to protect the public, do not allow for communal gatherings, and this includes gatherings for the purpose of Torah and Tefillah. We have […]
The Pitfalls of Dairy Bread
One of the hallmarks of modern consumption is variety. Even in baked goods we enjoy a huge range, and any given bakery will supply an impressive range. Yet, aside from basic kashrus issues, a specific halacha applies to bread that some are unaware of: dairy bread, which is a halachic issue in itself. In […]
Mitzvah Performance for Doctors at Work
Last week we opened a discussion concerning healing and halacha, discussing the basic questions of whether it is a mitzvah to heal, whether a physician is permitted to take payment for his healing, whether a person can refrain from receiving treatment and related issues. In this article we will continue our discussion of the […]
Healing in Halacha
Concerning a case of damages, in which a person assaulted and injured somebody else, the Pasuk teaches that there is an obligation to pay for his healing: “and heal shall he heal” (Shemos 21:19). The Gemara (Bava Kama 85a) cites Rabbi Yishmael, who derives from the Pasuk that it is generally permitted for a […]
Reciting Shecheyanu on New Fruit
As we approach the day of Tu Bi-Shevat, it is an appropriate time to discuss the laws of reciting the Shehecheyanu blessing over new fruit. The custom is to eat a plethora of fruit on Tu Bi-Shevat, and we often have cause to make the Shehecheyanu over a new fruit that we haven’t eaten […]
Shaming in Halacha: The Prohibited and the Permitted
Next week will be Parashas Vayeishev. The parsha includes the story of Yehuda and Tamar, which culminates in Tamar’s trial and the birth of her twins from Yehuda. One of the twins, Peretz, fathered the Davidic lineage from which Mashiach is destined to descend. The verses describing Tamar’s trial (Bereishis 38:24-26) tell that Yehuda […]
Time for Shnayim Mikra Ve-Echad Targum
This week’s article deals with the issue of when to read shnayim mikra ve-echad targum. From when can this weekly mitzvah be performed, and when is the last time for reading shnayim mikra? Are there special halachos concerning the reading of Vezos Haberachah and Bereishis? What are the laws concerning reading at night? These questions, and more, are discussed in this week’s article.
Pidyon Haben: Payment or Redemption?
Parashas Korach includes the Torah obligation to redeem firstborn sons: “Every first issue of a womb of any flesh that they offer to Hashem, whether man or beast, shall be yours; but you shall surely redeem the firstborn of man, and the firstborn of an impure beast you shall redeem” (Bamidbar 18:15). There are […]
To Borrow or Not to Borrow? – Borrowing Mitzvah Items
One of the prerequisites for fulfilling the mitzvah of tzitzis is that the garment on which the tzitzis are hung—the tallis we wear in shul, or the tallis katan we wear throughout the day—must belong to the person wearing it. This condition results in an important question concerning a borrowed tallis: Can the mitzvah […]
Pricing in Torah Law
Most countries in the world today have certain elements of price control—a policy of setting prices (usually a maximum price or price cap) by a government agency or regulatory authority. This is done for several reasons such as to ensure that basic goods and foods, such as bread and milk, are affordable even for […]
Mitzvah Performance: At Which Cost?
Parashas Tazria teaches us to perform Bris Milah on the eighth day of an infant’s life: “On the eighth day you shall circumcise the flesh of his foreskin.” The Avnei Nezer (Yoreh De’ah 321) was consulted concerning a child who was born with a crooked leg. Expert physicians advised that the leg be straightened […]
Coercion: Enforcing Performance of Mitzvot
The book of Vayikra begins with instructions for the korban olah (Elevation Offering): “If one’s offering is an elevation offering from the cattle, he shall offer an unblemished male; he shall bring it to the entrance of the Tent of Meeting, voluntarily, before Hashem” (Vayikra 1:3). On the words “he shall bring it,” Rashi […]
Electricity on Shabbos: A Halachic Overview
In this week’s parashah we find the Torah injunction to refrain from lighting fires on Shabbos: “You shall not kindle a fire, in all of your dwellings, on the Sabbath day” (Shemos 35:3). While in the past fire was the primary form of energy for human matters, today its place has been taken by […]
When is it Permissible to Go to Court?
In the previous article we discussed the basic prohibition against taking a legal dispute to non-Torah or secular courts of law. As we saw, doing so involves a particularly severe transgression, which includes a desecration of the Name of Hashem, and which the Rambam describes as “raising a hand against the Torah of Moshe.” […]
Going to Court? Better Think Twice
Parashas Mishpatim begins with the words: “And these are the ordinances that you shall set before them” (Shemos 21:1). Based on the Pasuk, the Gemara (Gittin 88b) cites the following teaching: “R. Tarfon said: Wherever you find gentile courts, even if their law is the same as Jewish law, you must not turn to […]
Birthday Celebrations: A Halachic Appraisal
The day of Yetzias Mitzrayim, our redemption from Egypt, is a birthday: the national birthday of Klal Yisrael. This is stated by the Pasuk in Yechezkel: “And as for your birth: On the day you were born your umbilical cord was not cut, nor were you washed with water to smooth, nor were you […]
Chanukah Lights for Guests and Travelers
Lighting Chanukah candles is a mitzvah of the home. In the words of the Gemara, the mitzvah is defined as ner ish uveiso—“a candle for each man and his household.” Indeed, we know that Chanukah is a family festival. It gives us the opportunity, even on regular working weekdays, to gather together and bask in […]
Paying Ransom: Which Price is Too High?
Perhaps the most famous kidnapping in history is that of Yosef by his brothers, as told in Parashas Vayeishev. Yosef was subsequently sold to an Egypt-bound group of Ishmaelites, which ultimately led to the descent of the entire family to Egypt, from which emerged the Jewish nation. In the present article we will discuss […]
Hosting and Attending a Se’udas Bris
The Pasuk writes, in reference to Yitzchak: “The child grew and was weaned; and Avraham made a great feast on the day Yitzchak was weaned (higamel)” (Bereishis 21:8). Sefer Hamanhig (laws of Milah) notes that this Pasuk serves as a support for the custom to serve a se’udas mitzvah, a celebratory mitzvah feast, after a […]
How to Sound the Shofar
The Torah tells us that Rosh Hashanah is a day of sounding the Shofar: “And in the seventh month, on the first day of the month… a day of teruah it shall be to you” (Bamidbar 29:1). Elsewhere we find that the word teruah refers to sounding the Shofar: “And you shall cause the […]
Halachic Aspects of Taking Photos
The current vacation season, coupled with Pasuk in Parashas Va’eschanan which mentions that the Jewish People “saw no image” (of Hashem), provides us with an opportunity to discuss a topic many are unaware of: the halachic issues of photography. In today’s word of phones and gadgets, photographs are simply everywhere. They accompany us to […]
Endangerment to Save a Life
Dwelling on the heroic, and patently dangerous, deed of Pinchas, the Keli Yekar asks the following question: How was it permitted for Pinchas to place himself in danger? We are obligated to look after our physical body—to ensure, as best we can, our good health, and to avoid danger. He replies that although it […]
Davening in Other Languages
The Gemara (Sanhedrin 105b) teaches that from the blessings of Bilam we know the curses he wished to inflict upon the Jewish people. One of his aims was that the Shuls, places of Jewish prayer, should be destroyed. Instead, he gave the blessing: “How goodly are your tents, Israel” (Bamidbar 24:5). It is thus […]
Birkas Kohanim: Participation of the Congregation
In this week’s parsha we read about the mitzvah of Birkas Kohanim. Sefer Chareidim has an important opinion about the mitzvah of the priestly blessing—Birkas Kohanim. Although the Torah instruction to bless the nation is directed to the Kohanim alone, the Chareidim writes that “the congregation, standing face to face with the Kohanim, […]
Chinuch for Mitzvos: From What Age?
The mitzvah of chinuch, educating our children in general, and specifically initiating them into keeping mitzvos, is among the central elements of the Jewish people. In one of the first encounters between Hashem and Avraham Avinu, Hashem states that He chose Avraham, “so that he will direct his children and his household after him […]
Nichum Avelim: The Mitzvah of Consolation
The Gemara (Sotah 14a) teaches that we are should follow the ways of Hashem—to emulate His traits (midos) as taught to us by the Torah. One of His traits is that he consoles mourners, as the Gemara derives from the death of Avraham Avinu, after which Hashem appeared to his son Yitzchak to bless […]
Counting the Omer: Cases in Doubt
As we count the Omer, many of us will encounter some of the doubts typical of the Omer count. This week we wish to discuss these doubts. There is no shortage of doubts that can arise in counting the Omer. They can involve the number of days that are counted. There are questions in how […]
Damages on Purim: Exempt?
An often discussed halachic element of Purim is the question of damages caused in the course of celebration, drunken or otherwise. Purim damages can be a simple case of boys dancing round a table who brush against a glass and cause it to fall and break. Or it can be a more complex case […]
Parashas Zachor: Halachos and Customs
The annual reading of Parashas Zachor fulfills the obligation of remembering the deed of Amalek as the Children of Israel traversed from Egypt. The memory of Amalek is a Torah instruction, as the pasuk teaches: “Remember that which Amalek did to you on the way, as you went forth from Egypt” (Devarim 25:17). In […]
Indirect Damages: Grama and Garmi
One of the most striking features of Torah tort law is the concept of indirect damage. In contrast to modern law systems, Torah law includes an explicit exemption from indirect damage, known as grama. In fact, the grama exemption from indirect damage goes beyond tort law, and can apply even to cases of murder. […]
Eating Chametz on Shabbos After Pesach
Shalom aleichem Rav Pfeffer, I saw your answer from 3 years ago about eating chometz on Shabbos Motzei Pesach. Can you tell me sources that I can look this up in. Also, le’maasei, what do the gedolim of our generation posken. Shgoiach, Yehoshua. Answer: Rav Ovadya Yosef speaks explicitly about this question (Yecheveh Daas, Vol. […]
The Partition: Laws and Principles of the Mechitzah
When Pharaoh began to crack under the pressure of the plagues that continued to strike him, and wished to allow the Jewish people to leave Egypt to serve Hashem, he asked Moshe the question: Who exactly will be leaving? His intention, as is clear from the ensuing conversation, was that only a part of […]
Distribution of Maaser Money
In the past two articles we discussed the mitzvah (or custom) of giving maaser kesafim, and, following this, the priorities that define how best to distribute charity money. In the present article we will merge the two topics, and discuss the special considerations that arise concerning the distribution of maaser money. What purposes are […]
Returning Lost Property: The Importance of Signs and Marks
Last week we began a discussion of the laws of hashavas aveidah, returning lost property. As noted, these laws are of importance the year round, but come into focus on Erev Pesach, a time when Pesach (and spring) cleaning often reveals lost property. This week, we turn to the topic of a siman, a […]
Selling Chametz for Pesach: Permitted Ha’arama?
In bygone times, the number of Jews who used to sell their chametz on Pesach was relatively small. The enactment of selling one’s chametz does not appear in the Talmud, and it appears that in the distant past there was little need for it. In those times, each Jew would ensure that there should […]
Birkas Ha’Ilanos—Laws and Customs of the Blessing over Trees
The Gemara (Berachos 43a) teaches that one who sees blossoming fruit trees during Nissan recites a special berachah: “Blessed are You… Who did not omit anything from His universe and created in it good creatures and good trees, to benefit mankind with them.” This beracha is parallel to berachos that are recited when seeing and […]
Informing on Others: To Speak or Not to Speak
Acting behind the scenes throughout the dramatic episode of Parshas Toldos, Rivka is perhaps the first biblical example of an informant. The report of Yitzchak’s blessings opens with Rivka overhearing Yitzchak’s instruction to Esav to prepare him a meal so that he will bless him before his death. It concludes with Rivka’s warning Yaakov, […]
Midas Sedom: How the Trait of Sodom Enters Halacha
The Mishnah (Avos 5:10) makes the following statement: “There are four dispositions among men. […] One who says, “What’s mine is mine, and what’s yours is yours”—this is an average personality trait. And some say, this is midas Sedom.” When we reflect on the destruction of Sodom, we are more likely to think about […]
Selling Land in Israel to non-Jews
In Parashas Vayeira we learn of the birth of Yishmael to Avraham Avinu. In the present article we will discuss a particular halachah that relates to non-Jews in general, and to the Arab people in particular: the sale of real property in the Land of Israel to non-Jews. This matter is of special relevance in […]
Parashas Noach – Foreign Languages in Prayer
This week’s article discusses the issue of using different languages for purposes of Keriyas Shema and for prayer in general. When can English, or other languages, be used? Is it preferable to use Hebrew without understanding, or a different language that one understands? Can foreign languages be used even in places where they are not the spoken tongue? These, and other questions, are discussed in this week’s article.
Atonement for Interpersonal Sins: Asking Forgiveness
As we approach Rosh Hashanah and the Ten Days of Repentance, we are confronted by the task of Teshuvah – repenting our misdeeds and bettering our ways in the future. Teshuvah includes three basic components. These are: a deep regret for sinning (charatah), confession (viduy) – an articulation of the sin – and an undertaking […]
Bribes, Gifts and Flattery— Laws of Bribery for Judges and Beyond
The Pasuk (Devarim 16:19) teaches us: “Bribery makes blind the wise and upsets the pleas of the just.” For this reason, the Torah states that it is forbidden to take bribes. As the Pasuk (16:20) continues, it is incumbent upon us to pursue justice: “Justice, justice, you shall pursue, that you may live and […]
May a Dayan (Judge) State Falsely, “I Don’t Know”?
Parashas Devarim includes the imperative to judge with honesty and justice: “Hear the disputes between your brothers, and judge fairly – between a man and his brother and between a man and a foreigner” (Devarim 1:16). One of the core principles of the Torah legal system is the obligation to bring the truth to light, […]
For the Sake of Shalom: When We May Deviate from the Truth
We are prohibited, as we have discussed over past weeks, to lie and deceive. Our words, our deeds and all our ways must be true. In the present article we will deepen our perception of truth, as defined by the Torah and Chazal, extending it even to cases in which it is forbidden to […]
Time Restrictions on Onaah Claims
This week’s article extends the series discussing the laws of Onaah, and will specifically address the time restriction associated with Onaah claims. Why does the Onaah claim, unlike other claims of civil law, have a time limit? Does the time limit vary according to individual circumstances, or is it general and uniform? What happens […]
May Kohanim Visit the Graves of Tzaddikim?
A halachic question that has been asked countless times over the generations, and which is still widely discussed today, is whether Kohanim are permitted to visit the graves of the righteous. Like many, Kohanim wish to visit the graves of tzaddikim, which are not only holy locations but also serve as inspiration to beseech Hashem […]
Born Anew: Laws of the Righteous Convert
Many reasons are given why it is customary to read Megillas Ruth on Shavuos. Some note that Shavuos is noted in the Torah as the Festival of Harvest (Chag Hakatzir), and the story of Ruth took place in thus period of the year (Abudraham). Others mention that the union of Ruth and Boaz initiated […]
Torah Study and Torah Knowledge
Towards the upcoming festival of Shavuos, on which we received (and continue to receive annually) the Torah, we dedicate this article to the mitzvah of Torah study. As we will show, the mitzvah of Torah study breaks all boundaries: boundaries of space, time and personality. We will discuss the two distinct branches of the mitzvah: […]
To Know or Not to Know: Laws of Onaah in the Light of Knowledge
One of the primary considerations in any transaction is the presence of prior knowledge. Continuing our series on the laws of Onaah, this week we will address the question of prior knowledge and the issue of whether and how the Onaah prohibition can be circumvented. Faced with a claim of Onaah, a common counterclaim […]