Sunday, October 30, 2016

Making light of mitzvos on social media are we different than the Meraglim?

The Meraglim spoke Lashon Hora about Eretz Yisrael they painted a bad picture with their report back from their trip to holy land. They  brought back unique extraordinarily large fruits to scare the Jews of what lay ahead and show  that the land was abnormal and dangerous. 
The trend on social media is unfortunately to make light of mitzvos as people compete who can come up with a new creative video clip or photo to make fun of a mitzvah. We cant simply show a normal routine act we must emphasize a guy shaking a very large Lulav and huge Hoshaanas. A Lulav as a selfie stick, with a caption "WiFi not working".  A series of  video clips making fun of tzedaka collectors,making fun of lighting shabbos candles, Swinging into a sukka making a bracha again and again etc.. the list goes on and on. 
Some websites proudly post these funny little videos innocently and everyone gets a good laugh. However are we not belittling Hashem's Torah? are we poking fun at the commandments and mitzvos?
 The more you see these silly videos, the more it becomes our sensitivities are dulled and  it cheapens the mitzvos. 
The Meraglim had bad intentions, but are we not doing the same act they did?

Israel moves clocks back one hour tonight

YERUSHALAYIM - The official start of winter is still over a month away, but “winter time” – also known as standard time – returns to Israel Motzoei Shabbos. At 2 a.m. Sunday, clocks will be set back an hour. The time difference between Israel and the East Coast of the U.S. will thus be six hours for the next week, until standard time is instituted in the U.S.

Daylight savings time will return in Israel on March 24, 2017. Out of the 365 days of the solar year, 220 of them are part of daylight savings time, similar to the number in most of Europe.
Israelis were urged to check their cell phones and ensure that they update properly. For various reasons, cell phones, which display the time based on automatic updates by cell phone service providers, tend to display the wrong time or update a week earlier or later. Turning off automatic updates and setting the time manually is recommended for those who use their phones as alarm clocks, to ensure that they wake up on time, officials said. Hamodia

Sunday, October 16, 2016

Nothing Jewish about the "Forward" rag

First was an article encouraging Jews not to go to shul on Yom Kippur, now another ignoramus article telling Jews not to listen to the Torah and ditch the four species for Sukkot. How they consider themselves Jewish just boggles the mind. As a foundation this rag receives funding to promote Jewish content, well its time to ditch this paper and use it to wrap fish.

Erev succos is for men what Erev Pesach is for women

Talk about Erev Pesach the pressure of getting ready for the Seder, making sure there is no chometz, turning over the kitchen, cooking the zeroa, making charoses etc. Men usually have easy chores when it comes to Erev Pesach its the Nashim tzidkaniyos that are the ones knocked out when we sit by the seder.
Its on Erev Sukkos that the men get to feel a bit what it is for the women on Erev Pesach. Talk about the stress of getting the sukkah up, making sure its sturdy, adding 2 new panels, last minute runs to the local hardware store- a screw and bolt here, a light fixture, oops need to run back for an adapter since its 3 prongs, Setting the shabbos clock, putting up the decorations. Then its back to the store for another 6x4 mat for the schach and a fold-able cot for the son in law who sleeps in the sukkah.

Sunday, October 2, 2016

Halachos laws and minhagim for Erev Rosh Hashana 5777

1. Following selichos we say hataras nedorim on erev Rosh Hashana


2. Some have a minhag to purchase a new knife on Erev Rosh hashana as a segulah for parnassah.

3. The minhag is for men to fast on erev Rosh Hashana up to chatzos.

4. Some go to visit kivrei tzadikim on erev Rosh Hashana

5. Minhag is to go to the mikva on erev yom tov.

6. The beracha on candle lighting for Rosh Hashana is lihadlik ner shol yom tov, without mention of Yom Hazikaron

7. We do not blow the shofar after shachris on Erev Rosh Hashana.

For general halachos of Rosh hashana, regarding the simanim, shofar, davening etc.. click HERE

Segulah for Parnassah- purchase a new Knife on Erev Rosh Hashana

                                                החותך חיים לכל חי
Though this is not a common custom, It is brought down in Seforim to sharpen the knives on erev Rosh Hashana and to buy a new knife as a segulah for Parnassah, There is a discussion among poskim if one may buy a sharp knife it as a gift.
One of the reasons given  is that hashem  in charge of everything, yet He does have a whole slew of ministering angels who carry out His orders."Chatach," (חתך), which means "cut," is the name of the angel in charge of livelihood. Consider that the final letters of the Hebrew words, פותח את ידך, "You open up Your hand"  spell "chatach." Additionally, the word that follows in the verse, "u'masbe'a" – "and satisfy [the desire of every living being]" has the numerical value of 428 – the same value as the word "chatach."