Like most places in Israel, there are lots of dogs where I live. Some are wild (there is suppossed to be a guy whose job it is to catch them and bring them to the pound) and some are “domesticated”, living in people’s houses. There seem to be lots of families with dogs here, and [...]

I read a passage tonight in Horeb by Rav Hirsch that I feel compelled to share with whomever is reading this. The topic is how we should guard ourselves and overcome unbridled desire (ta’avah) and turn this base character trait into an instrument for happiness and growing close with God. Value your life not according [...]

Rav Gil from Hirhurim gives some aliyah mussar based on current events and a verse in Parashat Matot. He cites the verse: ????? ??? ???? ?? ????? ????? ?????? ???? ?????? ???? ???? ?? And Moshe said to the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuven: Will your brothers go to war and you [...]

Check out this very good article on Lag B’Omer from Aish and the OU. It talks about Lag B’Omer, Bar Kochba, Rabbi Akiva and his students, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and Mashiach. Very worthwhile read.

Let me count the ways: As I write this, our brethren in America still have a few more hours to go on the eighth day of Pesach. So far today I have had regular cereal for breakfast, a falafel in eshtanur for lunch (from the best falafel store in the world, Shalom Falafel) and pasta [...]

I’m tired. But I told myself that I would do it, so…gosh darnit…(2 halachot for today, 2 for yesterday) 9) One is forbidden (from the Torah) to eat or derive any benefit from Chametz from midday on Erev Pesach (the fourteenth of Nissan). To help people avoid messing up, Chazal added two hours onto this. [...]

Had a good Shabbat – leined my bart mitzvah parsha in Shul, met some nice people in the neighborhood. At one of the meals on Shabbat, we were talking about a certain community nearby and how we were trying to make friends with people in the community. One of the people at the meal (who [...]

Just finished washing the crock pot…from last Shabbat. I guess with Purim and all this week, it gives some kind of an excuse to have the crock pot not totally clean all weak (it had to go through several cycles of hot water and soap –> soak –> rinse and repeat though). But with one [...]

There is a halacha that one should begin learning the laws concerning Pesach thirty days before the holiday actually begins. Since the laws are numerous, penalties for messing up are harsh (and since you can’t exactly start planning for Pesach the day before it starts), one must actually start thinking about the laws right after [...]

Chardal posts a story of Rav Avraham Yitzchak haCohen Kook, after being told that in the opinion of some the pioneers in Eretz YIsrael should be related to as sinners who rebel against the word of God, responded with a proof that we are really all brothers (and should treat each other as such).