Answers in English on Halacha and Parsha

יש לתמוה | December 10, 2025

If you find a lost object and it is beneath your dignity to deal with it, you are exempt from returning it. This includes a rich person who is embarrassed to carry the item in his hands (Alter Rebbe’s Shulchan Aruch, Hilchos Metziah U’Pikadon, se’if 36).
If you made a Hamotzi and then remembered that you forgot to feed your animals, you should interrupt and give them food. Since you are obligated to feed them before eating, it is considered a requirement for your meal and is therefore not viewed as a hefsek. However, if you make a Shehakol on a drink and then give your animals something to drink, it is considered a hefsek, as there is no obligation for you to give them a drink before drinking.
(1) The berachos made when getting an aliyah. (2) The berachos made when reading the haftorah. (3) The berachah of Harav es riveinu, said after reading the megillah. (4) The berachah made before Birchas Kohanim. (5) Hagomel. (6) Boruch sheptarani. (7) The berachos made under the chupah and throughout the week of sheva berachos. There are additional berachos as well.
The berachah of Hatov vehameitiv on a superior type of wine, which can only be said with a group of at least two people (Seder Birchas Hanehenin 12:19).
Let’s say you forgot to separate challah from the dough and baked the bread, and you only remembered when it was already Shabbos. In Eretz Yisroel, where the obligation to separate challah is min hatorah, you may not eat the bread until challah is separated on Motzoei Shabbos. However, in Chutz La’aretz, where the obligation to separate challah is only miderabanan, you may eat the bread and leave over a little bit, and on Motzoei Shabbos you should separate challah from what you left over.
A king (Sanhedrin 22b).
Once a week—the kohen gadol, once a month—a regular kohen (Sanhedrin ibid.).
Once a year—a nezir olam, never—a nezir Shimshon (Rambam, Hilchos Nezirus 3:12-14).
(1) 15 Shevat 5751, (2) 22 Shevat 5752 (together with the kuntres of Chof Beis Shevat).
In 5730, when new grounds were purchased for Camp Gan Yisroel in Parksville, New York.
(1:) The count of 620 is only of the version in parshas Yisro. (2:) The version in parshas Va’eschanan contains 707 letters.
The Rebbe explains that the thunder and lightning at Matan Torah was not only physical but also spiritual: It indicated spiritual “upheaval,” in that the true existence of every creation in the world was revealed. Instead of its usual appearance of being self standing, the G-dly spark giving life to everything was revealed within them. This was the spiritual turmoil, “thunder and lightning,” which occurred during Matan Torah.
Just like Hashem waited 3 months from the exodus from Mitzrayim to “marry” the Jewish people at Matan Torah, a giyores, a woman who was captured, or a freed maid servant, should not marry until 3 months after their conversion or freedom.

If you find a lost object and it is beneath your dignity to deal with it, you are exempt from returning it. This includes a rich person who is embarrassed to carry the item in his hands (Alter Rebbe’s Shulchan Aruch, Hilchos Metziah U’Pikadon, se’if 36).
If you made a Hamotzi and then remembered that you forgot to feed your animals, you should interrupt and give them food. Since you are obligated to feed them before eating, it is considered a requirement for your meal and is therefore not viewed as a hefsek. However, if you make a Shehakol on a drink and then give your animals something to drink, it is considered a hefsek, as there is no obligation for you to give them a drink before drinking.
(1) The berachos made when getting an aliyah. (2) The berachos made when reading the haftorah. (3) The berachah of Harav es riveinu, said after reading the megillah. (4) The berachah made before Birchas Kohanim. (5) Hagomel. (6) Boruch sheptarani. (7) The berachos made under the chupah and throughout the week of sheva berachos. There are additional berachos as well.
The berachah of Hatov vehameitiv on a superior type of wine, which can only be said with a group of at least two people (Seder Birchas Hanehenin 12:19).
Let’s say you forgot to separate challah from the dough and baked the bread, and you only remembered when it was already Shabbos. In Eretz Yisroel, where the obligation to separate challah is min hatorah, you may not eat the bread until challah is separated on Motzoei Shabbos. However, in Chutz La’aretz, where the obligation to separate challah is only miderabanan, you may eat the bread and leave over a little bit, and on Motzoei Shabbos you should separate challah from what you left over.
A king (Sanhedrin 22b).
Once a week—the kohen gadol, once a month—a regular kohen (Sanhedrin ibid.).
Once a year—a nezir olam, never—a nezir Shimshon (Rambam, Hilchos Nezirus 3:12-14).
(1) 15 Shevat 5751, (2) 22 Shevat 5752 (together with the kuntres of Chof Beis Shevat).
In 5730, when new grounds were purchased for Camp Gan Yisroel in Parksville, New York.
(1:) The count of 620 is only of the version in parshas Yisro. (2:) The version in parshas Va’eschanan contains 707 letters.
The Rebbe explains that the thunder and lightning at Matan Torah was not only physical but also spiritual: It indicated spiritual “upheaval,” in that the true existence of every creation in the world was revealed. Instead of its usual appearance of being self standing, the G-dly spark giving life to everything was revealed within them. This was the spiritual turmoil, “thunder and lightning,” which occurred during Matan Torah.
Just like Hashem waited 3 months from the exodus from Mitzrayim to “marry” the Jewish people at Matan Torah, a giyores, a woman who was captured, or a freed maid servant, should not marry until 3 months after their conversion or freedom.

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יש לתמוה | February 04, 2024