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When You Need to Know RIGHT NOW

We’re very proud of our OU Torah halacha series, which shed light on a great number of topics in Jewish law. Among these are:

But there are two halacha series that consistently outperform all expectations: the original HaShoneh Halachos and Halacha L’Maaseh.

The original HaShoneh Halachos series, also by Yours Truly, reviewed two halachos a day from the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch with occasional elucidations from the Mishnah Brurah. Halacha L’Maaseh, by Richard B. Aiken, features matters of practical application from practicalhalacha.com. (The halachos in this series are not sourced but the Practical Halacha web site is approved by, and reflects the halacha according to, Rabbi Moshe Heineman.)

HaShoneh Halachos is “in the can” (meaning that it is all concluded – there are no new entries) but it is still OU Torah’s most heavily-trafficked halacha series. Halacha L’Maaseh is still ongoing but its most popular entries are archival. The reason for this is because people often want to know what what to do right now. Looking at the traffic for HaShoneh Halachos, it’s obvious that, in July, a lot of people wanted to know if they can greet others after middday on Tisha b’Av and whether Tachanun is recited at mincha on the day before Tu b’Av. Similarly, many people were checking out Halacha L’Maaseh regarding kiddush levana and making a bracha achrona. (Halacha L’Maaseh recently featured a handy Shabbat Preparation Checklist, which is also worth checking out!)

I must qualify that no web site is a substitute for consulting your rabbi but sometimes there’s no time or a question simply doesn’t warrant bothering him. When you need a quick and easy answer, these series can be an extremely handy tool. (Of course, many areas of halacha are subject to dispute. No halacha source necessarily reflects universal consensus.)

So check out HaShoneh HalachosHalacha L’Maaseh, and all the other highly-informative halacha series on OU Torah or by using the OU Torah app for iOS and Android!