When a Jew sees his tzitzis, he is to remember all of Hashem's commandments and should be encouraged to keep them. How do tzitzis remind us of the mitzvos? Rashi bases his explanation on a gematria: the word tzitzis (in its Mishnaic spelling…
The 20th of Sivan is a longstanding Jewish fast day, initially established by Rabbeinu Tam in 1171 to commemorate various tragedies in Jewish history. It originally memorialized the Martyrs of Blois, the first victims of blood libel in contin…
The Shulchan Aruch (2:6) rules that walking four amos with an uncovered head is forbidden. This is the source for the yarmulka (an acronym of the words yurei malka- fear the king) or kippah. However, why do all males above the age of three wear one?…
Rabbi Yerucham Levovitz, known as The Mashgiach, was a renowned mashgiach ruchani and baal mussar at the prestigious Mir Yeshiva in Belarus. Born in 1873 (5633 in the Jewish calendar) in Lyuban, Minsk Voblast, Belarus, he showed early promise in his…
Parshas Shelach (שְׁלַח) The parashah tells the story of the twelve spies sent to assess the promised Land, commandments about offerings, the story of the Sabbath violator, and the commandment of the fringes (צִיצִת, tzitzis). It comprises 5,8…
The False Messiah Who Betrayed Judaism Shabbetai Tzvi, an Ottoman Jewish mystic and rabbi from Smyrna, proclaimed himself the long-anticipated Jewish Messiah on Sivan 17 in 1648. He amassed followers across the Ottoman Empire, claiming…
Should one who fasts or recites Selichos on Behab after Sukkos and Pesach also do so after the third Yom Tov, Shavuos? This ancient custom dates back to the era of Tosafos (Kiddushin 81a), who mentions it only on Sukkos and Pesach. Let's explore so…
Rav Chaim of Volozhin (21 January 1749 – 14 June 1821), also known as "Reb Chaim Volozhiner" or "Reb Chaim," was born in Volozhin, a part of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Reb Chaim and his elder brother Reb Simcha received educatio…
In the times of Chazal, each morning blessings were recited when the particular benefit for which it was written occurred. Nowadays, it is customary to recite all these blessings at one time only after one has washed his hands. (SA 46.2) Men, wom…
God commands Moshe to instruct Aaron to light the Menorah in the Mishkan. Levites are purified and consecrated to serve in place of the firstborn Israelites. God sets an age limit for Levite service in the Tent of Meeting, retiring them at 50. The P…
