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Intimate Knowledge of G‑d
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Avodah
Toby Katz responding to my post, re Kitniyot during Pesach, wrote that corn and peanuts are both New World foods They were unknown at the time the Kitniyos ban was [...]
The Chafetz Chaim in Seder Olam chapter 11 takes the Gmara in Chulin 105 concerning Shmuel and how often to inspect one?s property as a metaphor for how often to [...]
. R' Joel Rich asked: > My Thought -While it certainly is true that we need to believe that > hkbh has a plan and can reverse everything kheref ayin, [...]
My Thought -While it certainly is true that we need to believe that hkbh has a plan and can reverse everything kheref ayin, we need to guard against the possible [...]
Very interesting. I?ve heard him tell the same story, but I think the punchline was that even if the reasons were not strong, the psak was right (more of a [...]
RHS told the following story many times in shiur. The Chasam Sofer would write his teshuvos and leave them on the desk for his son, the Ksav Sofer, to review [...]
On Tue, Apr 30, 2024 at 7:26PM Micha Berger wrote: > ...I didn't directly mention that M[inchas Yitzchak. Rather, I repeated > that > RAW himself named him as an [...]
Corn and peanuts are both New World foods that were unknown at the time the ban on kitniyos was first promulgated, and logically? should not be banned for that reason, [...]
Blogs
- YGB - יג"ב
- Aspaqlaria
- Rabbi Yaakov Feldman
- | Modern Uberdox
- Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer
I will be sharing this post widely, to cast as large a net as possible.Planning forReb Avrohom Eliyahu Kaplan זצ"ל זי"ע's100th Yahrzeit15 Iyar, Wednesday Evening, May 22I would like to [...]
- Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer
New Series!Nach b'Iyun Sefer Shoftim, part 1:1.1-5: Yehuda and Shimon vs. Cana'anFocusing on the Malbim and the Bigdei Shesh.[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFO8jqjXCHk?si=A2AI0TJXbW3ZYuQs]Links to subsequent segments in the series will appear in the [...]
- Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer
The Jewish Week part 1(The Gates of the Jewish Calendar part 29)"A Jew lives with the parashah." First in a series on the week, its days and its ramifications.[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbw-JhIMdVE?si=be2GsCGn5TrtcllW]Subsequent shiurim [...]
- Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer
A recording for the BHP daily Halachic Whatsapp group https://chat.whatsapp.com/Gz8rrxqRcfy9rMOXRLG6GS[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sxrAs2naCU?si=oTwAtulxcW5b9mQ8] [...]
- Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer
The Great Pesach Calendar Problem! (The Gates of the Jewish Calendar part 28)Note that this is already a problem: This year Pesach is beginning after Chodesh HeAviv, the first month [...]
- Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer
A considerable amount of family history and lore, of both the Bechhofer and Schochet families.https://cloud.3dissue.net/30937/30814/31092/110247/index.html [...]
- Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer
The Yeshiva World of the 19th CenturyA talk to the Jewish History class of the Meoros High School for Girls in Orlando, Florida.From Volozhin to Telshe, touching on Litvishe and [...]
- Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zP9RhHBLHRY?si=IsY2o_izDpHdRFsP]A recording for the BHP daily Halachic WhatsApp group https://chat.whatsapp.com/Gz8rrxqRcfy9rMOXRLG6GS [...]
- Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer
Rischa D'Araisa Season 9 Episode 10:Pesach Special1. The Need to Kasher Stainless Steel2. The Imperative to become Klei Kibbulhttps://jewishpodcasts.fm/yeshivaofnewark/78878Please click on this link to contribute whatever you can to keep this [...]
- Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X2CdgrqWnAE?si=Rmu4ZQzYzv-UUu8c] [...]
- Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer
The Avodas Hashem of an EclipseA talk to the Meoros High School for Girls in Orlando, Florida before they went out to experience a Solar Eclipse.[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4SucFMW5huI?si=4LlRCiJVNcMSJuWL] [...]
- Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer
A Shiur on the Thoughts ofHaRav Shlomo Fisher zt"l on EclipsesFrom the Derashos Beis Yishai[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wn_VMTLMOxU?si=-Nc7Icq31i_E3v5f] [...]
- Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer
Eclipses and the Jewish Month (The Gates of the Jewish Calendar part 28)[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T0h_rDEVpeg?si=ensgxv-crokblkkk]Subsequent shiurim in this series will be listed in the comments here. [...]
- Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer
Rischa D'Araisa Season 9 Episode 9:Seeing With Rebbe Elimelech's Eye:A Tale of Channel 12's Two VideosOn Charedi Army Service and on Dor Yifrachhttps://jewishpodcasts.fm/yeshivaofnewark/78244Please click on this link to contribute whatever [...]
- Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcXeV-jueMg?si=Qef9dzw7ctp8bmo4]A recording for the BHP daily Halachic WhatsApp grouphttps://chat.whatsapp.com/Gz8rrxqRcfy9rMOXRLG6GS [...]
- Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer
https://www.wsj.com/articles/pepper-and-salt-dc26c106?st=ush7p14c6vqo0b9&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink [...]
- Micha Berger
Here’s my theory about the origin of this minhag. My point here is not really about advocating for the minhag. I just feel a need to push back when people [...]
- admin
והיה רגיל להוכיח אותי על שראה שאינני משתתף בצערא דאחרינא. וכה היה דברו אלי תמיד שזה כל האדם. לא לעצמו נברא רק להועיל לאחריני ככל אשר ימצא בכחו לעשות. [My [...]
- Rabbi Seth Mandel PhD zt"l
Micha’s note: The following was a post written to the Mesorah email list by Rabbi Dr. Seth Mandel zt”l, a rebbe-chaver of mine (more: a rebbe who insisted on treating [...]
- Micha Berger
(I put these thoughts together for a reply for my daughter Gavi, who pointed me to a medrash that “everyone in her neighborhood” were talking about, but I then was [...]
- Micha Berger
“Poteach et Yadekha“, oil on canvasHaim Masliach, 2021 A comment by Ilana Elzafun* brought this Seforno to my attention. This week’s parashah (Lekh Likha), Bereishis 16:13, describes Hagar’s prayer to [...]
- Micha Berger
Dear R Dr Broyde (Cc: Avodah), Over Shabbos, I read your article about getting ChatGPT to discuss whether a kohein in a same-sex marriage may go up to duchen. I [...]
- Micha Berger
The chaburah at Zelmele’s Kloiz is now learning Derashos haRan, the third derashah. I wanted to continue a conversation we had there, in light of today being Tish’ah beAv. The [...]
- Micha Berger
Began Thursday, June 8th, 2023, at 8:00pm EDTat Zelemele’s Kloiz The chaburah at Zelmele’s Kloiz started the Ran’s third derashah Thursday, June 8th, 2023. It is now ongoing at our [...]
- Micha Berger
The Medrash about Qorach rhetorically asking of Moshe why a tallis that is made of tekheiles would need one more tekheiles thread for tzitzis ties the mitzvah of tzitzis to [...]
- 68ae324f7fa7d37a4fc5ffd2006fc91b
Nephesh Hachaim 1:13 1. T The things we say can also link celestial worlds, rectify this one, and interconnect with the upper worlds, as we’ll now see. After all, we’re [...]
- 68ae324f7fa7d37a4fc5ffd2006fc91b
Da’at Tevunot 3:7 (¶ 118 [middle]) 1. We’d do well to take something into consideration, Ramchal adds here. It’s that just because something or someone is imperfect doesn’t mean [...]
- 68ae324f7fa7d37a4fc5ffd2006fc91b
The Way of G-d 2:6:4 1. G-d allowed for a prosecutor in His court, famously known as satan 1. His role is to argue against the accused, which them enables [...]
- 68ae324f7fa7d37a4fc5ffd2006fc91b
Nephesh Hachaim 1:12 1. R. Chaim already spoke 1 of the fact that we could only link celestial worlds, rectify this one, and interconnect with those upper worlds after we’d [...]
- 68ae324f7fa7d37a4fc5ffd2006fc91b
Da’at Tevunot 3:6 (¶ 118 [beginning]) 1. Ramchal reiterates here 1 that wrong is a created entity 2 that was only designed to last for as long as G-d wanted [...]
- 68ae324f7fa7d37a4fc5ffd2006fc91b
The Way of G-d 2:6:3 1. Given the above, the fact is that G-d doesn’t judge the world according to His foreknowledge but rather according to the way He wants [...]
- 68ae324f7fa7d37a4fc5ffd2006fc91b
Nephesh Hachaim 1:11 1. Following up on the thought offered in the last chapter that despite our being connected to physicality we’re nevertheless superior to angels, R’ Chaim now [...]
- 68ae324f7fa7d37a4fc5ffd2006fc91b
Da’at Tevunot 3:5 (¶s 116 [end] – 117) 1. Ramchal says that he’s going to expand upon things he’d said above 1 and reveal things that are “deep” about [...]
- 68ae324f7fa7d37a4fc5ffd2006fc91b
The Way of G-d 2:6:2 1. G-d appears in each Sanhedrin and court, influences it, and sees to it that justice is served 1. Now, in some instances [...]
- 68ae324f7fa7d37a4fc5ffd2006fc91b
Nephesh Hachaim 1:10 1. Given all of the above concerning our makeup and capacities, it’s reasonable to wonder whether angels are loftier than we are or we’re loftier than they. [...]
- 68ae324f7fa7d37a4fc5ffd2006fc91b
Da’at Tevunot 3:4 (¶ 116 [beg.]) 1. Ramchal is about to offer something that will serve as a prelude to what’s to follow 1. It’s that even though G-d [...]
- 68ae324f7fa7d37a4fc5ffd2006fc91b
Derech Hashem 2:6:1 In the course of His interactions with the world 1, G-d arranged it so that phenomena that affect both the things that humankind brings about 2 and [...]
- 68ae324f7fa7d37a4fc5ffd2006fc91b
Nephesh Hachaim 1:9 1. Following through on the discussion of the previous chapter, R’ Chaim contrasts the situation of the generation that dwelt in the Sinai Desert 1 with that [...]
- 68ae324f7fa7d37a4fc5ffd2006fc91b
Da’at Tevunot 3:3 (¶’s 103- 115) 1. It seems logical, doesn’t it, that goodness would be a product of something that emanates goodness while wrongfulness would be a product of [...]
- 68ae324f7fa7d37a4fc5ffd2006fc91b
Da’atTevunot 3:2 (# 98 – 102) 1. Ramchal starts to explain the role of wrong and injustice in the world with a proposition derived from Rambam1. It’s that when G-d [...]
- 68ae324f7fa7d37a4fc5ffd2006fc91b
Nephesh Hachaim 1:8 1. R’ Chaim offers a rather complex discussion here about the positioning of the Cherubs in the Tabernacle and Holy Temple in order to illustrate his point [...]
- Neil Harris
The website 18FORTY has a fantastic and thoughtful multimedia post on OTD that is worth watching, reading, and listening to. If you are reading this then you know I don’t [...]
- Neil Harris
Spoiler, there isn’t much substance to I what have to say. Also, I am spoiling the end of the Skywalker saga. After reading an excellent essay by Rabbi Harry Maryles [...]
- Neil Harris
I checked my recent writing history today and the last legit post of mine was really 3.5 years ago. For some that’s a long chunk of time. In that time [...]
- Neil Harris
My wife’s comment on Simchas Torah pretty much summed it up, “I feel like this is the biggest tease for you.” You see, my mom a”h was niftar right before [...]
- Neil Harris
When today comes around I usually think about things my father missed since he has been gone. I decided that this year I’ll attempt to list a number of things [...]
- Neil Harris
Walking out of shul, the morning after Yom Kippur, a follow early Sunday morning riser casually said to me, “Back to normal, right?” I was taken off guard (and also [...]
- Neil Harris
I have started this post about 2 dozen times over the past 3 years and I never seem to get more than about 300 words written about why I stopped [...]
- Neil Harris
I want to share something that Rav Efraim Twerski said at his Shabbos HaGadol drasha. After starting off with 10 questions Rav Twerski said over an amazing Torah from Rav [...]
- Neil Harris
So, tonight’s the 6th yahrtzeit for my dad, Avraham ben Zorach a”h (Al, of blessed memory). Like everyone else that has lost a parent I lit my 24 hour yahrzeit [...]
- Neil Harris
“WARMED BY THE FIRE OF THE AISH KODESH– Torah from the Hilulas of Reb Kalonymus Kalman Shapira of Piaseczna” by Rav Moshe Weinberger and adapted by Binyomin Wolf is more [...]