1. To fast on each Thursday of these eight weeks.
2. It stands for the parshiyos שמות, וארא, בא, בשלח, יתרו, משפטים.
3. (1) On Tisha B’Av. (2) On the night of Nittel. (3) An avel r”l. (4) Beginning from half an hour before the time of bedikas chametz, you may not learn until you do the bedikah (Alter Rebbe’s Shulchan Aruch 431:5), and more.
4. (1) The day of a bris for the parents, mohel, and sandek (see Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 559:9). (2) The day of a pidyon haben. (3) A chosson and kallah during the week of sheva brachos. (4) When finishing a masechta. (5) On the day a miracle happened to you.
5. (1) If you put on a tallis katan when getting up in the morning and then a tallis gadol before davening, you only make a brachah on the tallis gadol. (2) If you forgot to count sefiras ha’omer at night, you count the next day without a brachah, and when you count that night you make a brachah.
6. (1) If he is traveling and has no money with him, even though he has money at home. (2) If he is collecting on behalf of a poor person who is embarrassed to collect himself.
7. If a non-Jew cooked for a sick person on Shabbos, the food may be eaten by others as well after Shabbos. However, food cooked by a non-Jew during the week may not be eaten due to the issur of bishul akum. (Rama, Yoreh Dei’ah, end of siman 113. See there that the Taz disagrees.)
8. The Rebbe did not have a pidyon haben, as his mother was a bas Levi (the daughter of Harav Meir Shlomo Halevi Yanovsky).
9. Reb Berel.
10. To Gittel, the sister of Rebbetzin Chana.
Brachos:
11. The Pri Megodim holds that there are 2 possible meanings to “omain”: A. The meaning of “belief.” With this meaning, “omain” implies that “I believe that this is true” — after praising a virtue of Hashem. B. The meaning of “fruition,” (“sheye’amen — that it come true”) — which is a prayer that what is requested should be granted by Hashem. Therefore, after someone says a blessing which includes both of these ideas, the Pri Megodim holds that we should say “omain” twice, one for each meaning (even though it is usually forbidden to say omain twice). An example of this phenomenon is the bracha in Shemoneh Esreh, “Refa’einu — Heal Us” — a request, which concludes with praise, “Rofeh chol basar — He who heals all flesh.”
12. (1:) Al Biur Chometz. (2:) Lehadlik Ner Shel Yom Hakipurim. (3:) Menachem Tziyon Uboneh Yerushalayim. (4:) Birches Ha’ilanos.
13. (1:) If one circumcises himself, he says the blessing: “who sanctified us with His commandments, and commanded us to enter the covenant of Avrohom Avinu.” (2:) To redeem himself if he is a firstborn he says the bracha lifdos HaBechor. (3:) To redeem his son who is the firstborn he says the bracha lifdos Haben. (4:) One who is killed Al Kiddush Hashem, he says the bracha Lekadesh Shemo Berabim.
