Eight Questions for Chanuka

Biala Rebbe lights the menorah

1) When should one light eight Chanukah candles, every single day of the eight days Chanukah?

2)When is the Shamash considered a Ner Mitzvah and we may not benefit from it, the same as with the other Chanukah candles ? 

3) Two Shemen Zayis oils, both are of equal burning quality. Both oils are equal status. (i.e.. not one is orlah etc. and the other is not) One is inedible (bitter) the other is edible. When would it be, you have to light the bitter oil ? 4)This oil may be used only for Shabbos candles and not for Chanukah candles. Which oil is it? 5)A house with two entrances, one must light at both entrances. At the first entrance the Brachos are recited. At the second entrance no Brachos are said because the sole purpose of lighting there is (חשד ) people shouldn't accuse him of not lighting the Menorah. When are Brachos recited at both entrances? 6)A house with two entrances creates a (חשד ) in Hilchos Chanukah (light both entrances) In which Halacha, is it the opposite , having one entrance there is (חשד ) and two entrances removes the (חשד ) ? 7)בימי מתתיהו בן יוחנןכהן גדול Who was the Kohen Godol a)Yochanon b)Matisyahu c)Both  d)none  8)The Rambam ( Hl. Chanukah # 3) starts the first two Halachos with the history of Chanukah. No other Yom Tov does the Rambam find it important to teach the story behind the Yom Tov. Why is Chanukah different that the Rambam felt it was important to tell us the story & why we celebrate Chanukah? For Answers Click Here

A Kaporeh-LZ"N HACHOVER AVRAHAM ASHI BEN R. SHMUEL HY"D YAHRZEIT 15 TEVES

A pregnant mother does not drink an additional four kosos of wine at the seder ,

for the baby that is inside her.

A katan   who has not reached the age of chinuch we don’t make him do  mitzvos.

Why is it that the minhag of Kaparos is different and we do Kaparos on infants

and even on unborn children?

Almost all mitzvos and minhagim we do, are because The Torah or Chazal commanded us to do so. Some mitzvos come along with a segula,* 1  but the primary reason for doing it, is not for the segula but because the Torah commanded us to do so. The  minhag of Kaparos is different, the sole purpose to do it is for the segula. Rashi (Shabbos 81b) brings the Teshuvas Hagaonim . “ Twenty two days or fifteen days  before Rosh Hashana they planted for every child in the house a  bean in a   flower pot.  On erev Rosh Hashana they swung the new plant over the head  of the child and said zeh chalifasi etc. Afterwards the plant was thrown into the river*2. The Magen Avraham (O. Ch 605) claims this Rashi(Teshuvas Hageonim) to be the mekor for Kaporos.                                                            The Segulah If there was chas v’sholom a gezeira for someones child to die, by doing this exercise  and davening the gezeira should be transferred to a different zerah (the bean) we confuse the satan between his zerah (child) and the zerah (plant) in the flower pot. (We find the concept k’dei l’arvev hasatan in other places as well). Kaparos for infants and the unborn are done for the sole purpose, that they shouldn’t die ch.v. The Tur (O.Ch. 605) brings our minhag of using chickens for kaparos. Here again it is to confuse the satan. A man is called gever and a rooster is called gever. We daven that the gzeiras misa should be transferred from the gever (man) to the other gever (rooster) We do not use a rooster for a female because she is not called gever.  We still need  to find a reason why we use a hens  for females. ·         *1  kibbud av v’eim-arichas yomim ·         *2 Most children die from misas askera, drowning & askera are both misas chenek

Do you know your Tisha Baav Halachos ?

*Tisha B'av at night it is forbidden and in the morning even before Chatzos it is allowed. ?

*According to the Mogen Avraham

other Poskim disagree. 

WHAT IS THIS ? 

FOR ANSWER CLICK HERE 

Riddle

What is Muktza throughout the entire year on  Shabbos & Yom Tov, except for  8 or 9 days of the  year when it is not Muktza?(on Shabbos or YomTov) ?

FOR ANSWER CLICK HERE

Torah Trivia-Parshas Shekalim

Why is it that Parshas Shekalim & Chodesh

piyutim are said twice, shacharis & musaf,

and Parshas Zachor& Parah are said only once at shacharis ?

Brachos Torah Trivia

Dov Ber the diabetic couldn't control himself when he saw the chocolate danish.

He decided to eat it.

The Rov tells him to make a Brocho Rishono but he shouldn't make a Brocho Achrono.

1)  Brocho Achrono needs a shiur .(minimum amount must be eaten)

2) Brocho Rishono has no shiur.(no minimum food need to be eaten)

3) You don't make a Brocho on food that is harmful.

When he bites into the first Mashehu (minimum piece), it is not yet

harmful (too small) , he is mechuyav in a brocho rishono.

After eating a shiur, it is harmful, therefore no Brocho Achrono.

psak from R.Y.S. Elyashiv zt"l

Yes & No, Yes & No-Trivia

When do we have nine weeks in a row, where we alternate every week, one week

we do say Tzidkoscho Tzedek (Shabbos Mincha) and the following week we don’t say?

Answer:

When Rosh Chodesh Shvat falls on Shabbos. (this year)

(Shu"t Mahari Bruno # 150)

 1) Shmos                          Y

 2) Voeirah                        N      Rosh Chodesh

 3) Bo                                 Y

 4 )Beshalach                    N       Tu Bishvat

 5) Yisro                             Y

 6) Mishpatim                    N       Erev  Rosh Chodesh Adar

 7) Trumah                         Y

 8) Tetzaveh                       N        Erev Purim

 9) Ki sisa                           Y   

           Y = say      N = don’t say

la"n ZVI YEHUDAH BEN MOISHE- NIFTAR LAMED KISLEV ALEF D'ROSH CHODESH TEVES

A few years ago the two brothers, Menachem and Mordechai lost their mother Miriam. They both live presently in the same city and both daven and learn in the same shul. Their Rov paskend that Menachem has Yahrzeit (after the same mother) one day before Mordechai 


The year Miriam died , had two days Rosh Chodesh. She died on the first day Rosh Chodesh Teves (30 Kislev) The following year ( first yahrzeit) It was only one day Rosh Chodesh (there is no 30th kislev) In this case there is a machlokes haposkim* which day to keep the yahrzeit

 HALACHA V'LO LEMA'ASEH 
 The Mogen Avraham (#568) holds you keep the yahrzeit on the 29th of kislev which corresponds with the last day of the month, and since you started the first yahrzeit on the 29th, you continue for the rest of your life on the 29th of kislev. The Shaarei Teshuva ,Bigdei yesha and Aruch Hashulchan, hold you always keep the Yahrzeit on Rosh Chodesh. The first year after Miriam’s death ,Menachem davened in BHM”D Chofetz Chaim. He asked his Rov when to keep the yarzeit . His rov said, The mishna Veruro who is considered the posek achron, writes (568 sk 42) that the minhag is like the Mogen Avraham. Therefore being this year there is only one day Rosh Chodesh, he has to keep the yahrzeit on the 29th of Kislev. He must also continue to do so all the years, the Magen Avraham writes the first yahrzeit establishes all the coming yahrzeits. Mordechai davened in Tiferes Yerushalayim and asked his Rov when to keep the Yahrzeit. His Rov answered that R. Moishe was the poisek hador in America. In Igros Moshe (Y.D. 3-159) he disagrees with the Magen Avraham and paskens like the Aruch Hashulchan etc. therefore he should keep the Yahrzeit on Rosh Chodesh Teves. By the time the second yahrzeit came around Mordechai and Menachem ended up davening in the same shul and asked the sheilo from their new rov. The rov paskened, Menachem started his first yahrzeit on the 29th of kislev He must continue the 29th. Mordechai started the first yahrzeit on Rosh Chodesh , he must continue on Rosh Chodesh. (no one disagrees with the magen avraham, that the first yahrzeit establishes the date forever.) * There are two more shitos 1) Taz 2) Elef Lamateh

Trivia Of The Week

Who is the person in this weeks parsha (Vayeshev) ,  who lived even longer than Mesushelach?

See Seder Hadoros (year 2548 ) Chirom king of Tzur  (times of Shlomo Hamelech). was Chiro ish ho’adilomi (Yehudah’s friend and father-in-law ) Chirom must have lived at least  1200 years. Mesushelach lived only 969 years. Chirom king of Tzur was Shlomo Hamelech’s great great  - -  grandfather

Riddle-Wearing a necktie on Shabbos

Yankel lived in downtown Toronto (no eiruv) The Rov told him that this shabbos he

may not wear the tie out of the house, and the following shabbos he may wear the

same tie (no eiruv) outdoors.

1)      The issur of chutz l’tchum is applicable to people and belongings.

2)      An item belonging to two people can only be used within the eiruv of both owners.

3)      A person out of  t’chum gets his 4 amos. ie he may walk within the 4 amos

4)      A house or any reshus hayachid is considered within 4 amos.

Yankel  couldn’t afford the beautiful Hermes tie. He got his brother Zvi,

 to invest in the tie. Their deal was that they were both to wear the tie.

There were  no specific days one got to wear it. Whoever wanted it on

that day, wore it.*

Zvi traveled to Eretz Yisrael for one Shabbos  (chutz l'tchum). He left

behind his brother Yankel and the Hermes tie.

Yankel may not wear the tie out doors while his brother Zvi is away.

  

*Had the deal been, each one gets his turn to wear it, then Yankel

may wear the tie outdoors when it’s his turn even while his brother Is chutz l’tchum

** Shulchan Oruch Hl. Shabbos #397- 8