Halacha from the Heart

What are the rules of when one does and does not do Nefilat Apayim (putting one’s head down and partially covering it) during Tachanun?

A short summary of the Halacot of Purim

[Periodically, we re-issue our discussion on the proper position of tefillin shel rosh (last time, seven years ago). Many people do not realize that tefillin extending too far forward is a far more severe problem than being slightly off center. In Living the Halachic Process, I:G-1, we develop the halacha that the end of the tefillin must not go beyond the roots of the hair of the hairline. Upon visiting different shuls, from various elements of society, it pains me to see great numbers of fine Jews who are definitely donning their tefillin wrong and many others about whom it is hard to tell, especially when they have receding hairlines. Since even some talmidei chachamim get it wrong, I assume that knowing how to apply the halacha to one’s head is a big problem. We will focus here on tricks to figure this out.]

Animals and interactions between Jews and non-Jews both figure significantly in this week’s Parsha, which I use as my excuse to discuss: Say “Cheese!”