Following the victory over the Greeks, the Chashmonaim assumed the monarchy of Klal Yisrael. This, despite the fact that they were Kohanim and not from Shevet Yehudah. They were not descendants of Dovid Ha’Melech. According to the Ramban (in parshas Vayechi), this was a grave error on their part, and caused their ultimate downfall. So […]

The Auspicious Nature of Rosh Hashanah In the Beis HaMikdash, on Rosh Hashanah, the Mishna says that the chatzotzros finished first, and the shofaros kept blowing, because mitzvas hayom is with the shofar.  Really, this is pashut pshat in the pasuk that says, “yom teruah yihyeh lachem”.  Of course, this is a mitzvah that one […]

The last sugya in masechet Rosh Hashanah is about if the shatz (= shaliach tzibur) can be motzi everyone in shemoneh esrei. Rabban Gamliel holds yes, even when it comes to the regular shemoneh esrei of the whole year, and the Chachamim hold no, even on Rosh Hashanah. The Gemara paskens that the rest of […]

Silent Interruption vs. Interruption of Extraneous Shofar-Sound Each group of shofar blasts is comprised of three sets which are in turn comprised of three sounds: tekiah-shevarim-tekiah, tekiah-teruah-tekiah, and tekiah-shevarim/teruah-tekiah. Each set of three sounds is blown three times in succession for a total of nine sounds, and that is what constitutes a full group. What […]

For part I click here What Occurred and the Variant Opinions The Rosh mentions that in the town of Magentza (Mainz, Germany), in the year 4995 (1145) the following occurred during tekias shofar: in the third set of the tekiah-shevarim/teruah-tekiah group, the shofar blower accidentally started blowing the teruah after only two shevarim blasts. He […]

If Yaaleh V’Yavo Was Forgotten In Brachos (26b) there is a machlokes Rishonim brought down in Tosafos and the Rosh regarding someone who forgot to say yaaleh v’yavo in Mincha of Rosh Chodesh, and only realized after nightfall.  By then, it was no longer Rosh Chodesh.  One shitah holds that there is no reason to […]

Seichel and Beis HaMikdash Chazal say that someone who has deiah it is as if the Beis HaMikdash was rebuilt in his days (Sanhedrin 92a). How are we to understand this? Why is having deiah likened to the Beis HaMikdash? We find a similarly emphatic statement in Nedarim 41a: one who has deiah has everything and one who […]

The Gemara in Maseches Shabbos says an example of notarikon (acronym) is the word Anochi.  The letters of the word anochi stands for anah nafshi kesivas yehavis.  Rashi explains that anah nafshi means ani b’atzmi, that Hashem is saying I myself wrote and gave the Torah. The Chasam Sofer (in his drashos for Rosh Hashana) […]

Second Cup/Ha Lachma Anya Our minhag, which is in accordance with the Shulchan Aruch, has the filling of the second cup after Ha Lachma Anya before Mah Nishtana.  However, the Rambam puts the filling of the second cup before Ha Lachma Anya.  What is the basis of this machlokes? The answer is that it is […]

The underlying meaning of v’nahafoch hu is that what initially is perceived as a cause is really an effect, and what seems to be an effect is really the cause. Haman was hanged on the 17th day of Nissan (see Rashi on Megillas Esther 4:17).  Yet, Mordechai waited until the 23rd of Sivan to send […]