The Fast of Gedalya is on the third of Tishrei, which is the day Gedalya ben Achikam was killed, the remaining flame of Israel was extinguished, and, as a result of his murder, their exile came about. All this is recorded in the book of Yirmiyah (Chapter 40 and on). This year (5775), the third…
Tag: MARAN HARAV OVADIA
The Customary Order of Rosh Hashanah
The Customary Order of Rosh Hashanah It is customary to eat certain symbolic foods during the two nights of Rosh Hashanah which signify good fortune for the entire upcoming year. It is therefore customary to eat black-eyed peas, pumpkin, leek, spinach, dates, pomegranates, apples dipped in honey, and meat of a sheep’s head on the…
Maimonides, Laws of De’os – Chapter 4, Laws 18-23
Maimonides on Life Health Issues, Part III Chapter 4, Laws 18-23 As I stated in the introduction to this chapter, the Rambam’s fourth chapter is devoted almost entirely to health issues. As we saw earlier, the Ramban views maintaining one’s health as a religious obligation; accordingly, he devoted a chapter of his work to medical…
The Greater the Talent the Greater the Responsibility
The Greater the Talent the Greater the Responsibility In the year 5733 (1973), Maran zt”l served as the Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv. On Shabbat Shuva (the Shabbat preceding Yom Kippur), many Yeshiva students gathered in the central Bet Midrash where Maran zt”l delivered the following address which we shall paraphrase: When one stands in…
Requests in the Amida Prayer
Inserting Personal Requests in the Amida Prayer on a Constant Basis Question: You have written in the Halacha Yomit that one may insert personal requests into the blessings of the Amida. Is this permitted even on a constant basis, i.e. adding personal requests in one’s Amida prayer every day? Answer: Indeed, it is permissible to…
Personal Requests During the Amida Prayer
Question: May one add one’s own personal requests into the Amida prayer? What is the correct custom regarding this matter? Answer: Our Sages (Berachot 34a) discuss whether or not one may add personal requests into one’s Amida prayer and said, as follows: “One may never ask for one’s personal needs during either the first…
The Month of Elul
Maran Rabbeinu Ovadia Yosef zt”l writes that Hashem bestowed a great kindness upon his Jewish nation by revealing to them that the Day of Judgment is on the First of Tishrei (for in truth, the other nations of the world are also judged on this day, but since they do not know about this,…
Laws and Customs of Selichot
Today, Tuesday, is Rosh Chodesh Elul (the first of a two-day Rosh Chodesh, today and tomorrow), which is the beginning of the month of mercy and forgiveness. The Source for the Significance of the Month of Elul It is taught in Pirkei De’Rabbi Eliezer: “For forty days on Mount Sinai, Moshe Rabbeinu would read the…
Is it impossible for one to repent?
Question: Is it possible that one can act so sinfully before Hashem that it will be impossible for one to repent? Answer: The Gemara (Chagiga 15a) recounts the story of Elisha ben Avuya, also nicknamed “Acher” (the other one), one of the teachers of Rabbi Meir Ba’al Ha’Ness. He was a tremendous genius in Torah…
Blessings of the Torah
The Law Regarding a Woman Who Forgets to Recite the Blessings of the Torah We have explained in the previous Halacha that if one forgets to recites the Blessings of the Torah and only realizes this after one has concluded Shacharit prayers, one may no longer recite these blessings, for one has already fulfilled his…
Tu Be’av
Tomorrow, Monday, marks Tu Be’av, the Fifteenth of Av. The Mishnah in Masechet Ta’anit (26b) states: “Rabban Shimon ben Gamilel said: There were no better days for the Jewish nation than the Fifteenth of Av and Yom Kippur, for on the Fifteenth of Av the young women of Jerusalem would go out wearing borrowed white…
Eating Meat Following Rosh Chodesh Av
Eating Meat Following Rosh Chodesh Av Eating Meat Following Rosh Chodesh Av The Mishnah in Masechet Ta’anit (26b) tells us that on Erev Tisha Be’av during the last meal one eats before the fast, one may not eat meat, drink wine, or eat two cooked foods, such as rice and an egg. Although the letter…
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