TORAH: DEVARIM

Torah Reading: DEVARIM, Deuteronomy 1:1-3:22 Isaiah 1:1-27. THE BOTTOM LINE As always, we commence the reading of the book of DEVARIM (Deuteronomy), the last of the Five Books of Moses, on the Shabbos preceding the fast of Tisha Be’Av (9th Av) commemorating the destruction of the Holy Temple. Tisha Be’Av is a call to Teshuvah…

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Laws Pertaining to Tisha Be’av

Laws Pertaining to Tisha Be’av There are five categories of abstinence which must be observed on Tisha Be’av: Eating and drinking, washing one’s self, rubbing one’s body with oils or lotions, wearing leather shoes, and marital relations. Our Sages also prohibited learning Torah on Tisha Be’av, for the words of Torah gladden the heart. The…

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Laws of Torah Learning on Tisha B’av

• The study of Torah is prohibited on Tisha B’Av because Torah brings joy to those who study it. One may study Iyov, Eicha and the somber portions of Yirmiyahu (Ta’anit 30a). • It is also permissible to study the laws of mourning (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 554:2). • When studying the appropriate portions, one…

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Matthew 23

2. Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat: [In Moses’ seat, &c.] this is to be understood rather of the legislative seat (or chair), than of the merely doctrinal: and Christ here asserts the authority of the magistrate, and persuadeth to obey him in lawful things. Concerning the chairs of the Sanhedrim…

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Fast of Tisha Be’av / Falls Out on Motza’ei Shabbat

Those Who are Obligated and Exempt from the Fast of Tisha Be’av and their Status when Tisha Be’av Falls Out on Motza’ei Shabbat Someone Ill with a Non-Life-Threatening Illness, An Elderly Person, and a Woman who has Recently Given Birth One who is ill (meaning when one is actually bedridden and the like, even if…

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When Av Begins, We Reduce Our Joy

This coming Friday will mark Rosh Chodesh Av. May Hashem soon change it to a month of joy and celebration. Additionally, this year (5775) when Tisha Be’av coincides with Shabbat, there are some special laws which we must discuss. Thus, let us by beginning to discuss the laws of the month of Av. The Jewish…

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Who Gave the Rabbis the Right

Originally posted on Yeshua Centered Judaism:
Chapter 1, Mishna 1(a) By Rabbi Dovid Rosenfeld “Moses received the Torah from Sinai and transmitted it Joshua. Joshua transmitted it to the Elders, the Elders to the Prophets, and the Prophets transmitted it to the Men of the Great Assembly. They [the Men of the Great Assembly] said…

Wrapping the Tefillin Straps

Wrapping the Tefillin Straps Over One’s Watch-An Incident Regarding the Tschebiner Rav zt”l Question: When one dons the Tefillin in the morning, must one remove one’s watch so that there is no separation between the Tefillin straps and one’s hand or is this not a concern? Answer: The Mishnah (Megillah 24b) states that a separation…

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Parashat Matot-Masei / פרשת מטות־מסעי

LET’S STUDY ONKELOS A Guide for Rabbis, Teachers and Torah Students to Study and Teach the Parashat Hashavua through the Eyes of its Most Important Translator By Stanley M. Wagner and Israel Drazin Based on the five volume, Onkelos on the Torah (Genesis-Deuteronomy), Understanding the Bible Text, by Israel Drazin and Stanley M. Wagner, published…

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Affixing a Mezuzah to One’s Porch

Question: Where should one affix the Mezuzah to the doorpost of one’s porch: On the right of the entrance from the house to the porch or on the right of the entrance from the porch to the house? Answer: The Gemara (Yoma 11b) states that our Sages derived from the verse “On the doorposts of…

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Haftorah – Parshas Pinchas

Parshas Pinchas Yirmiyahu 1:1 This week begins a series of haftorah readings which reflect the inner feelings of the Jewish people during their final months of the year.The series consists of moving visions of the prophets depicting the pending Jewish exile and destruction of the Bais Hamikdash and concludes with an ongoing exchange between Hashem…

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