Rabbi Moshe Chefetz (or Hefes) 1663-1711
Rabbi Moshe ben Gershom (1663-1711) known as Rabbi Moshe Chefetz (of Hefes) was a rabbinic scholar from Italy. Born in Trieste, raised in Venice,...
ROSH CHODESH CHESHVAN
√ Rosh Chodesh -the beginning of the Hebrew month- is a semi festive day. The hierarchal order of the Jewish festive days is: Shabbat,...
Kapparot, with chicken or with Tsedaqa?
In many communities, there is a Minhag of doing Kapparot. What is the best way to do it: with chicken or with money for...
Teshuba and blame displacement
In Maimonides' opinion Teshuba consists of three steps:
1. hakarat hachet, or admission of our personal responsibility .
2. viduy, or confession with sincere remorse for...
HILKHOT TESHUBA 2:10: Unilateral forgiveness
Yesterday we explained that when somebody apologizes for an offense or for a wrong thing he or she did to us, we should be...
HILKHOT TESHUBA 2:1. Credibility and repentance
What is considered a perfect repentance? When one is faced with the same opportunity to repeat the original transgression, but now he does not...
HILKHOT TESHUBA: 1:1. The ultimate regret
In his monumental book, Mishne Tora, Maimonides dedicates ten chapters to the subject of Teshuba (repentance). In those chapters he describes and explains the...
SHABBAT: Using an elevator on Shabbat
Using a common elevator in Shabbat is not permitted, because the activation of any electrical device is considered a melakha (a Biblical Shabbat prohibition)...
PRINCIPLE 11: God is just
The eleventh principle asserts our belief that God is just. He rewards those who keep His commandments and he punishes those who transgress them.
The...
RELIGIOUS INTEGRITY: Robbing and stealing
Stealing, in Hebrew geneba is when I take something that doesn't belong me without the owner of that object knowing. While robbing, gezela, is...
SHABBAT: Using sound amplifiers on Shabbat
It is not permitted to use sound amplifiers on Shabbat. Some rabbis consider it a Biblical prohibition, and others a Rabbinical restriction. This prohibition...
The Tenth Principle: God knows everything.
The Tenth principle asserts our belief that the Creator knows all the thoughts and actions of man, as it is said, "He who molds...
Rabbi Yehuda Alqalai (1798-1878)
Rabbi Yehuda Chai Alqalai (or Alkalai) was born in Sarajevo, Bosnia. He came to Israel with his parents at the age of 11. At...
RELIGIOUS INTEGRITY: When all depends on the intention
We have explained the prohibition of genebat da'at, i.e., when I falsely pretend that I care or I want to help, just to benefit from...
Fasting on the wedding day
In many Jewish communities it is customary for the groom to fast the day before the wedding. This is because according to the Talmud...
THE 13 PRINCIPLES: # 9. The Tora will not be changed...
The ninth principle asserts that our God given Law, the Tora ( see this), could never be changed or replaced by another set of...
Rabbi Ytzhaq Nissim (1895-1981)
√ A picture of Rabbi Yitzchaq Nissim z'l.
Rabbi Yitzchaq Nissim was the Sephardic chief Rabbi of the State of Israel from 1955 to 1972. He was...
RELIGIOUS INTEGRITY: Leaving involuntarily a false positive impression
The Rabbis defined geneabt da'at (stealing other people mind) as a situation in which I mislead other people to think favorably about me or...
The “best man” or shushbinim
In ancient times, a member of the wedding party was known as the shushbin. We find that when Samson (=Shimshon) was married, he took thirty...
