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Author Archives: Rabbi Yehoshua Pfeffer

Think Before you Think: Charity Vows by Mental Decision

One of the fascinating things about kodashim – matters pertaining to the sacrificial service of the Temple, and formerly of the Mishkan – is the power of the mind. Whereas in other Torah matters, mental decisions and thought processes usually do not have legal significance, in the area of kodashim they figure prominently in a […]

Halachos of Making a Menorah

ParashasTerumah discusses making the vessels for the Mishkan – among them the Menorah.

The Gemara in three places (Rosh Hashanah 24a; Avodah 43a; Menachos 28b) establishes a prohibition of forming vessels that imitate the vessels of the Mikdash – including the Menorah. Specifically, the Gemara states that it is forbidden to form a Menorah of seven branches – but it is permitted to form a Menorah of five, six, or eight branches.

In the present article we will discuss this prohibition and its details. How is the prohibition defined and what is its severity? Is the prohibition restricted to making a seven-branched Menorah, or is it also forbidden to keep and use one? What changes can be made to permit the Menorah?

These questions, among others, are discussed below.

Liability for Expenses Incurred in Legal Proceedings

More often than not, when two parties are involved in a legal dispute of any kind, expenses will be incurred. These expenses can include legal fees (payment to attorneys), loss of work, travel expenses, and others. Secular law (in the great majority of countries) recognizes some of these expenses as valid legal claims. In a […]

“For Bribery Blinds the Wise” – Halachos of Bribes Today

This week’s article deals with the halachic issue of bribery – a prohibition found in this week’s Parashah, which the Torah and Chazal treat with great severity. What king of bribery is prohibited? When does bribery invalidate both judge and judgment? Moreover, does the prohibition apply only to judges, or does it extend to those holding public office? These questions, and more, are discussed in this week’s article.

Damage By a Car in Torah Law

Parashas Mishpatim presents us with an opportunity to discuss Torah monetary law, the basis for which is found chiefly in thus parashah. Specifically, we wish to discuss the Torah laws of damages (tort) – a central part Jewish civil law, which occupies a large part of Maseches Bava Kama.

A question, that was recently raised, will serve as the springboard for our discussion. Driving down a narrow street, Levi inadvertently brushed the side of a parked car, causing a small dent. Yaakov, the owner of the damaged car, was amicable enough, and it was agreed that the damage issues will be settled between them in Beis Din.

What are Levi’s obligations towards Yaakov? How are a damages by a car classified in Torah law? Does Jewish law recognize an obligation to pay for repairs? Does the negligence or otherwise of Levi figure in the question?

These questions, and others, are addressed below.

Abortion in Torah Law

This article discusses the Torah approach to the sensitive issues of abortions. What is the source for the prohibition against abortions, and which particular transactions are involved? When can an abortion be permitted according to Torah law? What is the status of a fetus carrying a genetic disease? These delicate questions, among others, are discussed in the present article.

Bo-Basic Principles of Reading from the Torah

One of the few enactments that Chazal attribute to Moshe Rabbeinu is the requirement to read from the Torah. This basic requirement applies to Monday, Thursday, Shabbos and Yom Tov (Rambam, Hilchos Tefilla 12:1; the primary source is the Mishnah in Megillah 31a, and the Yerushalmi which explains that this is an enactment of Moshe). […]

Medicine and Health-Related Activities on Shabbos

One of the most practical halachic issues on Shabbos is using medicine, and performing treatments or other health-related activities on Shabbos. Although the details involved are numerous and we will not be able to encompass all of them in a single article, we will try this week to present the general principles that govern taking […]

Fridge for Chametz on Pesach

Question: My mother-in-law has a non-Jewish helper. They will both be residing at my sister-in-law during Pesach, this year. The helper brings her own non-kosher (chametz) food with her during Pesach. I have several questions about how she might store it during the week: 1 – Can she store it in the regular Pesach fridge […]

Assault in Torah Law

This article deals with the Torah prohibition against assault, an issue we meet in Parashas Shemos in the “two Hebrew men fighting” that Moshe saw. When is it forbidden to hit others, and when does the prohibition not apply? What is the rule concerning smiting the wicked, and how does this halachah match the narrative mentioned in our parashah? What are the parameters of the prohibition against raising one’s hand against another? We will discuss these questions, and more, in the present article.

Workers Losing their Income due to Competition

Somebody wants to open a shop near another equivalent one. He estimates that the other shop will still stay in business just fine but may have to fire a few of their workers. Can they protest the opening of his shop because for those workers it is Mafsid Chiyusei Legamri? Answer: This is an interesting […]

Asking Forgiveness: How and for What?

In Parashas Vayechi we find that Yosef is asked by his brothers to forgive them for the offenses they committed against him.

The Torah writes (Bereishis 50:15-18): When Yosef’s brothers saw that their father had died, they said, “What if Yosef holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?” So they sent word to Yosef, saying, “Your father left these instructions before he died… I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you badly.”

The Torah says that Yosef wept upon hearing the words, and then replied: “Do not be afraid – for am I in place of G-d? You intended to harm me, but G-d intended it for the good, to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.”

What remains unclear from the verses is the question of Yosef’s forgiveness: Did he actually forgive his brothers, or not?

Rabbeinu Bachya (50:17) gives the following answer: “Whoever has hurt another is not forgiven until the victim is appeased, even though he has repented. Now, even though the verses mention that Yosef comforted them and spoke to their hearts, which gives the appearance that Yosef forgave them, we nevertheless do not observe anywhere that in fact he did forgive them and put aside the wrong they had done to him. They thus died with their sin, without Yosef’s forgiveness. It is for this reason that their sin required some type of release, which occurred with the [death of the] Ten Martyrs.”

The passage teaches us the importance of procuring forgiveness from one’s fellow after harming him or causing him hurt, and in the present article we will focus of the halachic aspects pertaining to requesting forgiveness.

For which sins is there an obligation to ask forgiveness from one’s fellow? Is there a concurrent obligation to confess and to repent before Heaven? What is the nature of the request for forgiveness, and is there a need to detail the sins? These questions, among others, are discussed below

Matters of Custody: Best Interest of the Child

In Parashas Shemos we learn of the heroic deeds of the Hebrew maidservants, Shifra and Pu’ah, who decided to refrain from performing the wicked decree of Pharaoh. The king of Egypt had declared that they should kill all Hebrew infants. They, however, were not prepared to do so, and rather “revived the infants” (Shemos 1:18). […]

Shemos: His Name in Israel Shall be…

This week’s parashah, and with it the book of Shemos, begins with a listing of the names of the Children of Israel. Several sources indicate the importance of names in Jewish tradition, and this week’s article is dedicated to matters of naming children. Why should one avoid the names of wicked people? Is it proper to name a child by non-Jewish names? When, in naming a child after somebody, should one be wary of ‘evil omens’? When is it right to change a name? These questions, and more, are discussed in this week’s article.

Performing Mitzvos for Personal Benefit

It is very common that people sponsor learning, seforim or perform Mitzvos for Siyata Dishmaya. take challah and the like for:shidduchim, business,or refua of people not desperately ill. It seems from the Chochmos Odom that this is only appropriate in the case of the deceased or ill in life threatening situations. Please could you clarify […]