The kedushah of the Tefillin is very great, for so long as the Tefillin are on a person’s head and hand he is humble, he has yiras Shamaim, and he is not drawn after frivolity, empty chatter or evil thoughts. He turns his heart to truth and justice. (Rambam Hil. Tefillin. 4:25) While wearing Tefillin,…
All income that a person receives, even as a gift or an inheritance, should be tithed after deducting all expenses, such as taxes, traveling expenses, salaries paid to workers, damage caused to merchandise by theft, fire, etc., when the loss is not covered by insurance. (Money received from an insurance company in compensation for damaged…
If a bird flies into the house and a window, a second door or skylight is open through which it could escape, there is no issue of trapping it and the door may be locked. Otherwise, it is forbidden. If the room is small, it is forbidden by the Torah. If it is large, it…
It is preferable to use a loaf of bread that is at least the size of an olive. But, since, according to most of the poskim, the mitzvah of lechem mishnah is rabbinical, it seems to me that it is possible to use a smaller loaf when necessary. Two loaves of bread that stuck together…
On a fragrance from a tree we say the blessing borei atzei b’samim. On herbs: borei isvei b’samim. A person cannot fulfill his obligation to recite a blessing on a fragrance from a tree by reciting the blessing for fragrant herbs. Nor can he fulfill his obligation to recite a blessing on fragrant herbs by…
If a person will have to prepare for Shabbos after reaching his destination, the poskim disagree whether he may leave for another city if he will arrive after one third of the day has passed. But the Bach holds that a person can depart for another city even after chatzosif he estimates that he will…
When one thread of the tzitzis is torn off in a way that the tzitzis remain kosher, some are machmir not to change the tzitzis even though they are now lacking one of the 32 strands. Since they are still fit to fulfil the mitzvah of tzitzis, it is considered better not to untie them….
When tithing income, 10% should be tithed precisely, for in this 10% there is a profound mystical meaning. Any tithe in addition to this 10% should be made separately, after designating the initial 10%. The tithe should be taken on the condition, which should, it seems, be stated verbally before tithing, that it may be…
Tashmishei kedushah are objects which serve a holy object (such as a Sefer Torah), They contain a holy object or cover it and are in immediate contact with it. The law of tashmishei kedushah applies even to objects which are used more to protect than to show respect for a holy object (e.g. the ark…
It is a mitzvah to start each of the Shabbos meals – the third meal as well – with two whole loaves of bread. The two loaves (lechem mishnah) commemorate the double portion of manna that was collected on erev Shabbos while the Jews wandered in the desert after the Exodus, as it is written,…