HALACHOS OF THE WEEK – Matzah and Maror
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Basic Halachos
1. In order to properly fulfill the mitzva from the Torah of eating matzah on the night of the 15th of Nisan, it is necessary to measure the shiur of the k'zayis (the amount that is necessary to eat), to be at least equivalent the amount of the volume of half of an egg (Mishna Brurah, siman 486, seif alef, seif-katan alef).
2. It is necessary to eat the k'zayis within the amount of time of "kdei achilas pras"(Mishna Brurah, siman 475, seif vav, seif-katan tes). Ideally this is within two minutes; up until three or four minutes is still acceptable according to most poskim (Piskei Tshuvos, siman 475 ois yud).
3. In regard to maror as well, one should ideally (l'chatchilah) try to have the volume equivalent to that of half an egg. If he is weak and this is difficult for him, he can still fulfill his obligation (b'dieved) by eating an amount that is equivalent to a third of an egg (Mishna Brurah, siman 486, seif alef, seif-katan alef). To facilitate the fulfillment of this mitzva even more, one may chose a type of maror that has a more mild taste like romaine lettuce, and eat it slowly throughout the amount of time of "kdei achilas pras"1 "(Mishna Brurah, siman 473, seif-katan mem-alef and mem-gimel).
- In regard to maror d'rabbonon, this can be up until 5 minutes (Piskei Tshuvos, siman 475 ois yud) (some say until 9 minutes). ↩
HALACHOS OF THE WEEK – Burning of the Chametz, Siman 445
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Basic Halachos
1. On the fourteenth of Nisan, Erev Pesach, each person needs to burn all the chametz that he found in his bedika (search) [as well as all the chametz that remains from what he set aside to eat for after the bedika and in the morning], before the end of the fifth hour of the day1 (Shulchan Aruch and Rama seif Alef, MB seif-katan vav).
2. The chametz needs to be burnt until it becomes coals2(MB seif-katan alef).
3. If one has Aravos ("Hoshanos") left from Succos, it is good to burn them together with the chametz. The reason is, because once an object was used for one mitzvah, it is appropriate that it should be used afterwards for a second mitzvah as well (MB end of seif-katan zayin).
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- This year is special because of the requirement to recite Bircas HaChama when the sun renews its original path of orbit once every 28 years – that falls b'hashgacha on this coming erev Pesach, April 8. Bircas HaChama is essentially one bracha that needs to be recited within the first three hours of the day, upon seeing the sun after its rise. Many Jewish communities, however, have a custom to gather together the entire congregation and to add additional prayers before and after reciting the bracha. This custom may likely take up time on the morning of erev Pesach, and therefore it is espcially important this year to plan ahead wisely, so that sreifas chametz – the burning of the chametz – takes place with ample time to complete the burning and to say the bitul before the end of the fifth hour. ↩
- This is necessary so that the chametz will in no way be usable any further for human or animal consumption. It is therefore appropriate to cut or break the large pieces of chametz into smaller pieces, so that it will be discernable as to whether all the chametz has been totally burnt (Piskei Tshuvos, ois alef). ↩
HALACHOS OF THE WEEK – Siman 581: Slichos and Erev Rosh Hashana
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Halachos of Slichos:
1) It is the custom to rise early to say slichos and supplicatory prayers from Rosh Chodesh Elul onward until Yom Kippur (Shulchan Aruch 1, Mishna Brura 6).
2) The custom of the Ashkenazic community, is to get up early to say slichos on the Sunday that is before Rosh Hashanah. (If Rosh Hashanah falls on Monday or on Tuesday of that week, they begin [saying slichos] from the Sunday of the week before) (Rama 1).
3) The reason why it became the custom to begin [to say slichos and blow the shofar] from Rosh Chodesh [Elul], is because it is a favorable time [for requesting forgiveness]. Similarly, the end of the night is a favorable time [for requesting forgiveness] (Mishna Brura in the introduction to the siman).
4) Even an individual may recite slichos (Shulchan Aruch 4).
5) If one says the slichos as an individual, he should skip saying the thirteen Divine Attributes (Mishna Brura Ibid).
6) If one says the slichos as an individual, he should not say those requests which are in the Aramaic language (Mishna Brura Ibid).
Minhag to Blow Shofar:
7) From Rosh Chodesh Elul it is the custom to blow the shofar every day after the Shacharis prayer (Rama 1, Mishna Brura 3).
8) It is the custom to say daily after the end of the prayer service, morning and evening, "L’Dovid Hashem ori v’yishi" (Tehillim 27) (Mishna Brura 2).
Finding a Shliach Tzibur for Yomim Noraim:
9) [The community] should be meticulous to seek out both for the praying of the slichos and for the praying on the Days of Awe a person to lead the davening who is the most worthy and the most distinguished in Torah knowledge and good deeds that can be found (Rama 1).
10) It is appropriate that the leader of the prayers be thirty years of age, because that is [the time] when a Levite descendant is fit for service in the Beis Hamikdash, and prayer corresponds with the [sacrificial] service. In addition, when [one reaches] this age his heart is [more disposed to becoming] broken and subdued (Shulchan Aruch Ibid, Mishna Brura 12).
11) It is appropriate that the leader of the prayers be married, similar to the Kohen Gadol whom they would prepare another wife for him [in case his wife died], and also that he should have a wife to guard him from sin (Shulchan Aruch Ibid, Mishna Brura 13).
12) If two candidates are available, one who is a man of Torah, fearful of sin, who does not satisfy these details, and the other is a common person who is married and more than thirty years old, the man of Torah has precedence (Mishna Brura Ibid).
13) However, any Jew is eligible to serve as the prayer leader, just that [the main thing is] that he be acceptable to the congregation (Shulchan Aruch Ibid).
14) There are localities where it is the custom that the person who prays the slichos prayers [as prayer leader, be the one to] pray as prayer leader that entire day (Shulchan Aruch Ibid).
Laws of Erev Rosh Hashana:
15) It is the custom to fast on Erev Rosh Hashanah (Shulchan Aruch 2).
16) This [fast] does not need to be accepted beforehand, and need not be completed [meaning, that one may fast only until chatzos (midday)] (Mishna Brura 16).
17) On Erev Rosh Ha-Shanah, an increased number of slichos are said (Rama 1).
18) We do not fall on our faces in supplication on Erev Rosh Hashanah at the prayer service, although we do fall on our faces in supplication earlier during the saying of the slichos (Shulchan Aruch 3).
19) We do not blow the shofar on Erev Rosh Hashanah (Rama ibid).
20) There are localities where it is the custom to go to graves on Erev Rosh Hashanah and to say many supplicatory prayers there (Rama 4).
21) One should launder his clothing and cut his hair on Erev Rosh Hashanah in honor of the Yom Tov, to demonstrate that we have confidence in the lovingkindness of Hashem, may He be blessed, Who will decide our judgement positively (Shulchan Aruch 4, Mishna Brura 25).
22) It is customary to immerse oneself on Erev Rosh Hashanah (Rama 4).
Filed under Halacha of the Week | Tags: Halacha, Rosh Hashana | Comment (0)
HALACHOS OF THE WEEK – Hadlokas Nairos, Siman 263
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Basic Halachos:
1) The custom is to light two candles in order to fulfill the Mitzva D’Rabbonon of lighting Shabbos candles (Shulchan Aruch seif alef). At the minimum a person must light at least one (Mishna Brura seif katan gimel).
2) The time to light is from the time of "Plag HaMincha" until the Shkiah (Shulchan Aruch seif daled). After the Shkiah one may not light (Shulchan Aruch siman 261, seif alef).
3) Both men and women have an obligation to light candles (Shulchan Aruch seif beis) [One per household]. It is a mitzvah that is incumbent upon the woman of the household to be mindful of – even more than the man (Ibid, seif gimel). One reason for this is, that by lighting the candles a woman rectifies in some small way the overall darkness in the world that was caused as a result of Chava having convinced Adam to eat from the prohibited fruit (Mishna Brura seif katan yud-beis).
4) The custom of the Sfaradim and Taimanim is to first say the brocha and then to light. The custom of the Ashkenazim is to light first, then to cover one’s eyes so as not to benefit from the light, to say the brocha, and then take one’s hands off their eyes and take pleasure in the light (Rama seif heh).
5) The brocha is "Baruch …Asher Kidishanu B’Mitzvosav V’tzivanu L’hadlik Ner Shel Shabbos" (Shulchan Aruch seif heh).
Not Such Well-Known Halachos:
6) The purpose of the candles is to light up the house so that a person take pleasure in his food and that he not stumble over anything in the dark. (Mishna Brura seif katan mem-alef). The optimum place to light is by the table where a person eats, but anywhere in the house that he lights and can receive the benefit of "not stumbling", is also an acceptable place to light and to recite the brocha (Rama seif yud, Mishna Brura seif katan mem-heh).
7) If one lights the candles in a place where he receives no benefit whatsoever, e.g. he lights in a corner of his house and then totally leaves that area to go to eat and sleep somewhere else, he cannot recite the brocha when lighting (Shulchan Aruch seif tes). It is also unacceptable to recite the brocha when lighting in such a place even though his intent is to afterwards move the candles to a place where he does benefit (Mishna Brura seif katan mem-ches).
8) One must receive some sort of pleasure from the candles once it is already nighttime (Mishna Brura seif katan lamed) or at his Shabbos meal (Mishna Brura seif katan mem).
Filed under Halacha of the Week | Tags: Hadlokas Nairos, Shabbos candles | Comment (0)
Bs"d by Rabbi Nachum Chaimowitz Another statement that one should just never say: 3. Never compare yourselves to any other couple. The person that Hashem has introduced and ultimately united you with, is someone who is exactly what you need in order for you to reach your highest level of completeness. Realize that [...]