A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily GemaraDi Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

The centerpiece of Rosh Hashana is the Misva of Shofar. In Parashat Nisavim, there is a Remez (allusion) to this Misva. The Pasuk warns the Jewish people, "Pen Yesh Bachem Shoresh Poreh Rosh V'La'Anah"- Perhaps you will have amongst you a root of someone who wants to throw off Hashem's yoke and rebel. In the Hebrew text, these words form the acrony…

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily GemaraDi Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

The Shulhan Aruch (Orah Haim 589) writes that the obligation of Shofar on Rosh Hashanah falls under the category of "Misvot Aseh She'ha'zman Gerama" – affirmative commands that apply only at specific times – and, as such, women are exempt from this obligation. Strictly speaking, then, women are not required to hear the Shofar on Rosh Hashanah. Howe…

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily GemaraDi Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

We find an allusion to the Misva of Shofar in Parashat Nisavim, where the Torah warns, "Pen Yesh Bachem Shoresh Poreh Rosh Ve'la'ana" – "Lest there is among you a root of evil of rebellion" (Debarim 29:17). The first letters of the phrase, "Shoresh Poreh Rosh Ve'la'ana" are "Shin," "Peh," "Resh" and "Vav" – the letters of the word "Shofar." This al…

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily GemaraDi Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

It is customary to blow one hundred and one Shofar sounds on each of the two days of Rosh Hashanah. We blow thirty Shofar sounds before the Musaf service, and then, according to our community's custom, thirty sounds are blown during the silent Amida prayer of Musaf. Another thirty sounds are blown during the Hazan's repetition of the Amida, and the…

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily GemaraDi Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

There is a Misvat Aseh (affirmative command) from the Torah to hear the sounding of the Shofar on Rosh Hashanah. In order to fulfill this Misva, one must pay close attention to the sounds of the Shofar. Unfortunately, it often happens that people's minds wander during the Shofar blowing, and they do not concentrate on the sounds. The best way to pr…

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily GemaraDi Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

In the third chapter of Hilchot Teshuva (Halacha 4; listen to audio for precise citation), the Rambam (Rabbi Moshe Maimonides, Spain-Egypt, 1135-1204) discusses the symbolic meaning of the Misva of Shofar. He writes that although the sounding of the Shofar is a "Gezerat Ha'katuv," a Biblical command like any other, which we perform for its own sake…

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily GemaraDi Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily GemaraDi Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

It is customary among Sepharadim to recite Selihot each morning during the month of Elul, ideally around the time of dawn. One should recite the morning Berachot before reciting Selihot; in particular, one must ensure to wash his hands with the Beracha of "Al Netilat Yadayim," and recite Birkat Ha'Torah, before Selihot. It should be noted that acco…

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There is a custom to recite ten chapters of Tehillim each day during the month of Elul after the morning Shaharit service. By reciting ten chapters each day throughout the thirty days of Elul, one completes the entire 150-chapter book of Tehillim twice, reading a total of 300 chapters. Three hundred is the numerical value of the word "Kaper" ("aton…

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily GemaraDi Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

During the month of Elul we are to prepare ourselves for the period of the High Holidays, which begins with Rosh Hashana, continues with Yom Kippur, and reaches its culmination on Hoshana Rabba, when the final judgment is rendered. It was on Rosh Chodesh Elul when Moshe ascended Mount Sinai to beseech the Almighty to forgive Benei Yisrael for the g…

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily GemaraDi Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

If a person recites Selihot privately, or if fewer than ten men came for Selihot and those who are in attendance must pray Selihot without a Minyan, what is the proper procedure to follow? As discussed in a previous edition of Daily Halacha, the section of the "Yag Midot" (the thirteen divine attributes of mercy) may not recited as prayer without a…

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily GemaraDi Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

The primary section of the Selihot service is the "Yag Middot," the recitation of G-d's Thirteen Attributes of Mercy, which was established by the Ansheh Kenesset Ha'gedola (Men of the Great Assembly). The Kaf Ha'haim (Rav Yaakob Haim Sofer, Baghdad-Israel, 1870-1939) writes (581:5; listen to audio recording for precise citation) that it is forbidd…

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily GemaraDi Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

It is customary to conclude the Selihot service with "Kaddish Titkabal," the Kaddish which is normally recited after the repetition of the Amida. This Kaddish includes the phrase, "Titkabal Selot'hon U'ba'ut'hon De'chol Bet Yisrael," in which we ask the Almighty to accept the prayers we had just recited. It is therefore normally reserved for after …

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily GemaraDi Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily GemaraDi Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

When Sisit are tied to a garment, it is customary to wrap one of the strings around the others in between the five knots of the Sisit, and different customs exist concerning the number of wrappings that one should make. The Shulhan Aruch (Orah Haim 11:14) writes that one wraps the string seven times after the first knot, nine after the second, elev…

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The Sisit strings are comprised of two parts: The P'til, which is the loose strings and the G'dil, which is the upper part made of knots and coils. From Torah law, it is not mandatory to have the intricate sequence of knots and coils that we customarily wear. It is sufficient to merely tie the strings in a double knot at the edge of the Tallit, wra…

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When buying Sisit, a person should know what to ask for. Some features are integral to the Misva and some are Humrot-stringencies to enhance the Misva. The Shulhan Aruch clearly states that the strings must be spun L'shma-for the sake of the Misva. Therefore, strings manufactured by non-Jews, even if a Jew oversees the process, are invalid. However…

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily GemaraDi Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

The Shulchan Aruch (Siman 8) clearly rules that if a person takes off his Tallit in the middle of Tefila, for example, to go to the bathroom, he must make a new Beracha when putting it back on. This ruling is based on a large contingent of Rishonim (early authorities) cited in the Bet Yosef. They argue that since he was "Doche B'Yadayim"- actively …

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily GemaraDi Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

The Shulhan Aruch (Siman 8) states that one should wear his Tallit Katan over his garments. The Torah explicitly required: "U'r'eetem Oto" (and you shall see the Sisit); hiding them under the clothes would seemingly defeat the entire purpose of the Misva. The Hafetz Haim (Rav Yisrael Meir Kagan of Radin, 1839-1933) in his Mishna Berura gives a stin…

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The Shulchan Aruch Rules (OC:9) rules that one should check the strings of his Sisit each day to assure that none of the stings are torn, and prevent one from making a Beracha L'vatala (reciting a Beracha in vain). At first glance, this seems to be a mandatory Halachic requirement. However, upon examining the source of this Halacha, the Rosh (Rabbe…

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily GemaraDi Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily GemaraDi Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

If a husband or wife accepts Shabbat before the required time, is the other spouse bound by that acceptance? For example, if a woman has in mind when lighting the Shabbat candles that she accepts Shabbat, is the husband now bound by the prohibitions of Shabbat? This question also affects the reverse situation, when a husband attends an early Minyan…

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Many communities have the practice of accepting Shabbat and reciting Arbit before sundown on Friday afternoon during the summer months. Rather than waiting until after dark to recite Arbit, as we normally do, these communities recite Arbit and begin Shabbat after Pelag Ha'minha (approximately one and a quarter hours before sundown). If one begins S…

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When during the Friday night prayer service do the laws of Shabbat take effect? At one specific point during the service does it become forbidden for a person to perform Melacha (forbidden activity)? This issue is subject to a dispute between Maran (Rav Yosef Karo, author of the Shulhan Aruch) and the Arizal (Rav Yishak Luria of Safed, 1534-1572). …

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Most sinks today have an insert, a strainer, that is placed over the drain to prevent large solid objects from going into the drain. Often, a liquid with large pieces is poured into the sink, and the insert catches the large pieces while allowing the liquid to fall down the drain. The question arises as to whether one may pour liquids into a sink t…

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Halacha forbids deriving benefit from a Melacha (forbidden activity) performed on Shabbat. Thus, if a person cooked food on Shabbat in violation of Halacha, it may not be eaten. This prohibition was enacted by the Sages. As far as Torah law is concerned, food that was cooked on Shabbat is permissible for consumption; it was the Sages who enacted th…

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily GemaraDi Rabbi Eli J. Mansour