The Obligation to Sleep on Purim
One of the lesser-known duties of the Purim holiday is the obligation to sleep. This obligation is mentioned explicitly in the Rema: “A person should drink more than he his accustomed to, so that he may sleep” (OC 695:2). The source for this obligation is the statement of Rava, that a person is obligated “livsumei [...]
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The “Missing Yom Tov” of Chanukah
One of the special laws of the shemitta year is the prohibition of sefichin – grains and vegetables which were not planted in the seventh year but rather grew by themselves as the aftergrowth of the sixth year. For most produce, the prohibition of sefichin extends until Chanukah (Yerushalmi Demai 2:1, Rambam Shemitta 4:6). In [...]
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The “Missing Yom Tov” of Chanukah
One of the special laws of the shemitta year is the prohibition of sefichin – grains and vegetables which were not planted in the seventh year but rather grew by themselves as the aftergrowth of the sixth year. For most produce, the prohibition of sefichin extends until Chanukah (Yerushalmi Demai 2:1, Rambam Shemitta 4:6). In [...]
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Benefit from Chanuka Light
Two of the best-known candle-lighting customs are the Chanuka lights and the candle by which we search for chametz on Pesach eve. On the face of it these two mitzvot could not be more opposite. The candle at Pesach eve is entirely utilitarian, in order to help us find chametz, and its entire character is [...]
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Danger During the Three Weeks
The three weeks between the seventeenth of Tammuz and Tish’a b’Av, between the anniversary of the breach of the wall of Yerushalaim and the anniversary of the destruction of the Mikdash, are a period of mourning. But this time is also considered a period of special danger: “Caution is needed from the 17th of Tammuz [...]
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Tu B’Shvat and Shabbat Shira
Rav Natan of Breslav writes: “Tu BiShvat is always adjacent to Shabbat Shira, and sometimes it falls on Shabbat Shira itself” – as it does this year (and 30% of all years). Rav Natan explains this proximity in an involved Chasidic digression (Likutei Halakhot Orla 3), based on a teaching of his Rebbe, Rav Nachman [...]
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