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The next (and final) group of melachos has to do with the assembling, disassembling and transporting of the Mishkan. Remember, the Mishkan was a portable Temple that was taken down as needed and moved from place to place, where it was then re-assembled. The Mishkan was made up of 48 boards that fit together with […]

The hides were scored to enable them to be cut to pre-measured sizes. This is the melacha of m’chateich. (M’chateich is more than just cutting; it specifically refers to cutting to pre-determined sizes and shapes.) M’chateich applies to virtually all substances except food. One need not use a knife or scissors to cut; m’chateich can […]

The hides were scored to enable them to be cut to pre-measured sizes. This is the melacha of m’chateich. (M’chateich is more than just cutting; it specifically refers to cutting to pre-determined sizes and shapes.) M’chateich applies to virtually all substances except food. One need not use a knife or scissors to cut; m’chateich can […]

One thing about hides: they come in unusual sizes and shapes. In order to turn the hides into the coverings of the Tabernacle, they had to be cut into appropriately-sized and -shaped pieces. Before this could be done, guidelines had to be drawn into the hide. This is called scoring, the melacha of m’sarteit. Drawing […]

After tanning, the hides had to be scraped to remove any stray hair. Scraping a surface to make it smooth is the melacha of m’macheik. This melacha is not limited to animal hides and similar items; sanding a block of wood or scrubbing a pot with steel wool are likewise m’macheik. Even using bar soap […]

The Origin of the Practice to Send “Shalach Manos” In the aftermath of the Jews’ salvation from Haman’s plot, the Anshei Knesses HaGedolah (Men of the Great Assembly) instituted four rabbinic mitzvot to be performed on Purim: reading the megillah, eating a festive meal, giving gifts of money to the needy, and sending portions of […]

What is Purim? Purim is the most joyous day in the Jewish calendar, celebrating the defeat of Haman, one of the most evil and vicious antagonists in all of human history, as recorded in the biblical book of Esther. Because of a slight to his own massive ego, Haman decreed death on the Jews of […]

The hides that were removed from the animals had to be preserved and transformed into leather. This entailed salting the skins to remove all moisture, stretching the skins to flatten them, and working the leather to make it supple. Collectively, these constitute the process of tanning, though performing any one of them would violate the […]

After the animal was slaughtered, its hide was removed. This is the melacha of mafshit, skinning. The melacha of mafshit can apply to any animal – mammal, fish or bird – that has a skin which can be removed. Mafshit is one of those melachos that one is not likely to encounter very frequently. For […]