Shabbos with a Bang

The shofar is an ancient musical instrument used to call the Jewish people together. It was blown to announce the new month, before the commencement of battle, and other occasions. It is still used on Rosh Hashanah and the closing of Yom Kippur to call the people to repentance. When was the shofar used for the first time?

The Blowing of the Shofar: Reasons and Significance

One of our most festive Holidays, an all-out celebration of the Torah, has neither Scriptural nor Talmudic basis.
These sources trace the development of this custom as well as many others related to Simchas Torah:
The yearly schedule for completing the reading of the Torah, the ensuing celebration and unique liturgy read on this occasion, the custom of dancing and circling the Bima seven times, other celebratory expressions such as marching with candles, torches and much more.
Also includes a collection of anecdotes regarding the importance of experiencing joy during this event.
(Hebrew)

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?

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.

“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