Cheshvan: Mikdah vs. Mabul
by Rabbi Ron-Ami Meir “In the eleventh year, during the month of Bul – which is the eighth month – the Beit Hamikdash was completed according to all of its details and halachot. It took seven years [to finish].” (Sefer Melachim I Chapter 6) Radak explains that the month referred to here is Cheshvan, the […]
The Nature of the Na’anuim: Shaking the Lulav
R. Eliezer Kwass A number of curious points in the discussion of shaking the lulav (the naanuim) in the Gemara, Rishonim and Poskim encourage taking a closer look at the issue and point to a complex picture of the naanuim. 3 Questions 1. Common practice is to shake the lulav immediately following the brakha over […]
Taking It to the Streets
by Rabbi Binyomin Adilman On Simchas Torah and for Hakofos Shnios (the night after Simchas Torah) the minhag in Klal Yisroel is to dance and rejoice with the Torah – even in the streets. In Darche Noam this is our minhag as well. On Simchas Torah morning we take the Sifrei Torah out and rejoice […]
Sukkah: A State of Mind
Rabbi Ron-Ami Meir, Yeshivat Darche Noam “Mitz’ta’er”: A Definition Comparing Sukkah to Tefilin A Second Approach Tying it All Together “Mitz’ta’er”: A Definition The Talmud in Tractate Sukkah 25a cites the Amora, Rav, as declaring that a mourner is fully obligated in all of the mitzvot of the Torah (with the exception of one, based […]
Sukkah: The Spiritual Environment
R. Aryeh Feldman A guiding principle in Torah thought is that mitzvot (commandments) require kavannah, intention. Practically speaking, this means having in mind as we are doing the mitzva that we are fulfilling the Diving Will. When it comes to the mitzvah of sukkah, however, this level of kavannah is not enough. We must also […]
Kosher Inside and Out: a Recipe for Teshuva
By Rabbi Yakov Haber Based on a shiur on Tisha B’Av heard from Rav Aryeh Leib Shapiro shlit”a, Menahel Ruchani of Yeshivas Ponovezh l’Tz’irim (any errors are the writer’s alone) Parshas Re’eh reviews the kosher species in the animal, bird, fish, and insect kingdoms. Greater specifics are given for the kosher animals detailing the ten […]
And Rejoice in Trembling: the Mitzva of Seu’dat Erev Yom Kippur
By Rabbi Yakov Haber The mitzvah of eating on Erev Yom Kippur at first glance presents an enigma. The festive nature of the meal seems to contradict the serious mood of the next day which is filled with beseeching, pleading, and multiple confessions repeated ten times in five separate t’filot. Rabbeinu Yona (Sha’arei T’shuva 4:8) […]
From Judgement to Mercy; From Din to Rachamim
by: Rabbi Yitzchak Hirshfeld The Ramban (Vayikra 23:24) calls Rosh Hashanah “Yom Hadin B’rachamim,” the Day of Judgment with Mercy, and Yom Kippur “Yom Harachamim B’din,” the Day of Mercy with Judgment. The Ten Days of Penitence apparently serve as a transition period. What do these phrases mean? Where do they come from? Understanding this […]
Toiling in Torah
by Rabbi Yitzchak Shurin Once again Rosh Hashanah is upon us and it’s time to take stock of our spiritual accomplishments and shortcomings. In which areas were we successful and where do we still need to make more of an effort? In addition, what new challenges are we ready to accept upon ourselves in the […]
Quality of Life
by Rabbi Yitzchak Hirshfeld “Three books are opened on Rosh Hashana, the absolutely righteous are written and sealed immediately to life; the absolutely wicked are written and sealed immediately to death; those who fluctuate between those two poles hang in the balance until Yom Kippur.” (Rosh Hashanah 16b). These words of Rav Kruspedai apparently contradict […]
