תקיעת שופר – טעמיה ומשמעותה

“You shall observe My statutes . . and live by them” (Vayikra 18:5).

What halachic guidelines are invoked to protect the well-being of the ill and infirm on fast days? What medical advice should be sought out in advance, and what questions need to be asked? When ought one resort to ‘shiurim’? How are they calculated?

Reviewed by a Moreh Hora’ah B’Poel

The uncertain ownership that yeshivah students have of their dormitory rooms creates chaos when it comes to Pesach preparations. This paper clears the confusion. Must they do bedikas chametz?  If yes, with or without a brachah? And do they also need to sell the chametz?

One of the the central themes of Chanukah is Pirsumei Nisa, the public display and celebration of the holiday. Around the world, Menorah’s are kindled in Malls, at City Halls and all sorts of public places. May one recite the traditional blessing over the Chaukah lights if they are being lit in the city square and not in the privacy of one’s home or Shul?

This item features a summary
of halachic opinion regarding the use of Shabbos elevators and prepaid trains
and busses. It also surveys the halachic definition of creating “fire,”
and how poskim define the use of electronic devices and appliances on
Shabbos. This package includes an index with 25 copies of original responsa.

The popularity of Smart Sensors is on the rise. As more aspects of ordinary life are administered by electronic mechanisms, many practical questions are raised about how observant Jewish life is impacted by the new technology.

When the stairwell lights only turn on when sensing your presence, can you use them on Shabbos? What about the inadvertent motion that triggers a neighbors’ outdoor lights? Can you be present in a room that is monitored by closed-circuit surveillance cameras?

A summary and index of the major contemporary Poskim on this issue.

See also: “An Uplifting Shabbos” on the general issue of Electricity and Shabbos.

Further restricting an already slimmed down Pesach diet is not something anybody would eagerly embrace. But the Jews of medieval Ashkenazic communities adopted the stringency of avoiding the consumption of legumes throughout the duration of Pesach. The question is, why? How was this ban treated for the centuries that have since passed? Was it adhered to equally in times of prosperity and adversity?