Parashat HashavuaSeries'LibraryPiskei Din (Hebrew)Test YourselfAs you may have read, a shocking tale unfolded this week in Yerushalayim: a man who acted as a Rabbi, a Sofer, a Mohel and a Kohen was found to (allegedly) be a non-Jew, who came to Israel to missionize Jews to Christianity. If true, what, now, must be done to "undo" the religious ceremonies he performed? The boys upon whom he performed a circumcision must have "tipat dam brit," a small drop of blood drawn from the area of the brit. Any couples he married must go through the ceremony again; the same applies to any Pidyon Ha-Ben at which he served as the "Kohen." The Tefilin & Mezuzot he wrote are invalid & must be replaced with kosher ones. As for his wife, who passed away & was buried in a Jewish cemetery, it is not absolutely required that she be re-interred in a non-Jewish cemetery; a divider may be placed around her grave, separating it from the other graves. And while it certainly is valid to financially assist both Jews & non-Jews, because money for the family was raised under false pretenses, those funds should be returned to the donors, if at all possible.
The people fasted for a number of days, however no rain fell. Then Rabbi Tanchuma went and spoke to them. He said, “My children, fill yourselves with compassion for one another, and the Holy One, blessed be He, will be filled with compassion for you.”
"The day of rainfall is as great as the day on which heaven and earth were created." The sages liken rain to the creation of the world: Just as the expression "gevura," might, is used in relation to Creation, so is it used in relation to rainfall.
After the destruction of the First Temple, the Prophets and the Sages of Israel legislated fasting on the Tenth of Tevet, for it was on that day that Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylon, and his legions placed Jerusalem under siege.