Yeshiva
Beit Midrash
- Shabbat and Holidays
- Jewish Holidays
- Purim & The Month of Adar
(Shushan Purim is Sunday), Ta’anit Esther will be
held early, on Thursday. The primary mitzvot of
Purim include: Hearing Megila both evening &
morning; Matanot Levyonim (giving at least 1 gift
to at least 2 poor people); Mishloach Manot
(giving at least 2 ready-to-eat items to at least
1 friend); Seudat Purim, the festive Purim meal
eaten Purim afternoon. On erev Purim it’s
customary to donate Machatzit HaShekel, the
1/2-shekel, giving 3 of the fixed coin of our own
time & place (shekel in Israel, $ in the USA,
etc.). Why 3? Because the pasuk uses the word
"Truma - offering" 3 times. Al HaNisim is added
to the Amida & Birkat HaMazon; Purim morning’s layning is the year’s shortest!
The Gemara says one should drink on Purim so he
is unable to distinguish between "Arur/Cursed
Haman" & "Baruch/Blessed Mordechai." But if this
leads to improper behavior or an inability to
daven properly with kavana/concentration it may
be suspended. One certainly should not drink
before driving home from the Seuda.
The Laws of Purim 12. The Meaning of the Mitzva of Drinking
Chapter 16: The Mitzvot of Joy and Kindness
Rabbis in Midrash
Lessons
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Various Events FOR WHOM NOT TO VOTE
Rav Zvi Yehuda Kook stressed that Israeli politics is G-dly, so I have no problem answering this common question on a Torani blog. Also, Free-Will is a G-d-given right and obligation, to "destine one's fate" (R. Soloveichik, Kol Dodi Dofek, 67), so I obviously don't tell others how to vote. But once not a few (especially young) have already asked, a couple of personal words from experience and thoughts from chazal & Rav Kook which may be of help to others, mainly for whom NOT to vote.
P'ninat Mishpat Fallout from Failure to Install Elevator – part II
based on ruling 85007 of the Eretz Hemdah-Gazit Rabbinical Courts
