When is the best time to count Sefira?

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Vol. 1 Iss. 24 פרשת קדושים The Halacha Shiur will resume Monday, May 2. We will start with Hilchos Sefiras Haomer.           Dvar Halacha        By: R' Chananya Berman Question:   When is the best time to count Sefira? Discussion:  לכתחילה one should wait until  צאת הכובבים to count the Omer (תפ"ט ס"ב). Rav Moshe held that for the mitzvah of Sefira, צאת is 50 minutes after sunset (ח"ד ס"ב). Rav Aron Kotler zt"l is quoted as having been accustomed to waiting 72 minutes from sunset. However, one is allowed to count any time after sunset (סתפ"ט בבי"ה ד"ה מבעוד יום).        One suggestion that is given is if a person is davening with a minyan that is not going to wait until nightfall, he should count without a bracha with the following condition in mind. If I remember to count later then I am not fulfilling my obligation now. But, if I don't remember to recount then I am doing the mitzvah now. This way he can recount when it is the proper time, but if he forgets he has still fulfilled the mitzvah.          Even though we said that one should count as soon as possible, one may count with a bracha the entire night. If one forgot to count the entire night, he may count during the day without a bracha. At night he continues counting with a bracha. If one forgot for an entire 24 hour period, he still counts the omer. However, he may not make a bracha. One should ask someone else to make the bracha for him. If a person is unsure whether he counted or not he may continue to count with a bracha.         Other Halachos of Sefiras Haomer:        One may not begin anything which may cause him to forget to count the omer (i.e. eating a meal of taking a haircut or bathing) once it is within a half hour of the time to count. Since there is a dispute as to when the proper time to count is one should not start any of these activities within a half hour of sunset. However, if one began any activity before this time one need not stop to count (רמא סתפ"ט ס"ד). If one has a minyan that he regularly attends later then he need not follow these restrictions.    Some people have the custom to refrain from doing any work once the time of counting begins.     If a person already davened maariv or he accepted early shabbos, but it is still before sunset he may count (without a bracha) and can continue counting with a bracha on subsequent nights.     If a person remembered that he did not yet count and it is after sunset but before nightfall a rav should be consulted.                  For all practical questions please ask your Rav.     Food For Thought      The last bracha of the Haftorah that we say on Shabbos Chol Hamoed Succhos is the same that we say on yom tov. However, on Shabbos Chol Hamoed Pesach we say the regular shabbos bracha not the yom tov one.        Gemara Shiur 30 Min before Shacharis, given by Rabbi  Goldman. Halacha Shiur preceding maariv at Ahavas Yisroel 9:00-9:30 Monday and Thursday, given by R' Chananya Berman.   For any comments or suggestion please email Kollelboker@hotmail.com or speak to Rabbi Goldman These times are for NYC only   For times out of NYC please  Myzmanim.com Shabbos zimanim are: Candle lighting                 7:31 Sh'kea                             7:49 Sof Zman Kriyas shma   9:24 Mogen Avroham             8:38

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When can a person wash dishes on Yom Tov?

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Vol. 1 Iss. 23 פרשת אחרי מות Wishing Everyone a חג כשר ושמח! There will be no email sent out before Yom Tov or on Chol Hamoed.           Dvar Halacha        By: R' Chananya Berman Question:   When can a person wash dishes on Yom Tov? Discussion:  A few weeks ago we discussed washing dishes on Shabbos, we will now include the differences of yom tov. One is not allowed to wash dishes from one day of Yom Tov to the next. This means that after the lunch meal one should not wash the dishes that will only be needed for the next night's meal. We will see that there are some exceptions to this rule.*       One may wash all the dishes he used at the night meal for the day meal even if he will not need all those dishes as long as they are suitable for use. For example, if a person  had a lot of guests at night but will not be having so many people for the day meal, he may never the less wash all the dishes suitable for the day meal. However, if at the night meal he used a soup bowels which he will not need for the day meal, he would not be allowed to wash them. If, however, he needed even one bowel, he would be allowed to wash all of the bowels (משנה ברורה סשכ"ג סקכ"ו).       There is one important addition to this. A person may use hot water from the tap to wash dishes on Yom Tov. However, he may only turn on the hot water to wash the dishes he actually needs not the dishes which are suitable for use. Once the hot water is on he need not shut it off and can continue washing the dishes that are suitable for use. If the water would have been shut off after he washed the needed dishes, he may not turn the hot water back on to wash the other dishes (The Laws of Yom Tov Page 214).      *The scenario in which one may be allowed to wash dishes that one no longer needs is if the dirty dishes will cause one discomfort by giving off a bad smell or by attracting cockroaches or other insects.            For all practical questions please ask your Rav.     Food For Thought   Why is it that on Chol Hamoed Pesach we do not sat full Hallel yet on Chol Hamoed Succos we do say full Hallel?       Gemara Shiur 30 Min before Shacharis, given by Rabbi  Goldman. Halacha Shiur preceding maariv at Ahavas Yisroel 9:00-9:30 Monday and Thursday, given by R' Chananya Berman.   For any comments or suggestion please email Kollelboker@hotmail.com or speak to Rabbi Goldman These times are for NYC only   For times out of NYC please  Myzmanim.com Shabbos zimanim are: Candle lighting                 7:16 Sh'kea                             7:34 Sof Zman Kriyas shma   9:35 Mogen Avroham             8:59

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Can one use grape juice for the Four Cups?

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Vol. 1 Iss. 22 פרשת מצורה There will be a TBT Shalosh Seudod this week at Rabbi Goldman's house (137-73 75th road) at 7:00. Have a great Shabbos! Dvar Torah  By: Rabbi Goldman     When Moshe Rabbenu was in Egypt he was wondering how it could be that Hashem was causing so much suffering to the Jews. However, when he recognized that there were Jews who were speaking loshon hara about each other, he realized that the suffering was appropriate. Rabbenu Bachya says that we see from other places as well that loshon hara can be the determining factor as to how Hashem treats the Jews. In the time of Shmuel and Shaul even thought the Jews were careful in most areas of Torah and Mitzvos they were not so careful in speaking loshon hara. This is why many soldiers fell in battle. However, in the time of King Achav, when Jews were doing many עבירות, including avodah zarah, but were careful in the area of loshon hara, they didn't lose any soldiers in battle.        The Chofetz Chaim takes this a step further. He writes that the cause of the destruction of the Bais Hamikdash was because of loshon hara. The fact that we are till in gulos today, 2,000 years later, shows us that we still have not corrected that sin.       It seems that the events of Jewish history throughout the generations have been influenced by the impact of the loshon hara that they were involved in. The stages of history when the Jews were zoche to have the Bais Hamikdash around, and were protected from there enemies have been times when they were careful in the way the spoke. On the other hand when we have been careful about how we speak we were protected even thought we were lacking in other areas. Knowing these chazal will surely help us to appreciate the severity of the sin.      The fact that there is such a severe punishment for speaking loshon hara (Tzoras) furthere shows us how severe the sin is. However, the Chosfetz Chaim tells us that understanding the severity is only part of the battle. We must also know what the guidelines of the prohibition are. We must figure out what causes us to speak badly about others. We also must have a plan as to how to avoid speaking loshon hara. May we be zoche to stop speaking loshon hara and the rebuilding of the Bais Hamikdash soon! Have a good Shabbos!           Dvar Halacha        By: R' Chananya Berman Question:   Can one use grape juice for the Four Cups? Discussion:  One should use wine for the Four cups even if he does not like it so much. This is true even if using wine will give him a headache. One should push himself to drink wine as long as he wont become bedridden from it ( במשנה ברורה סי תע"ב סקל"ה).       Additionally the gemara says that one must use wine that has the (alcoholic) taste of wine. Many poskim say that if one uses grape juice, although they have fulfilled the mitzvah, they have not fulfilled the חרות aspect of the mitzvah. Therefore one should try to drink wine if at all possible. However, some poskim say that לכתחילה a woman can drink grape juice for the Four Cups .(מקראי קודש סל"ה הערה 2)   According to Rav Dovid Finestien wine that has an alcoholic content of less then 5 % does not meet the requirement of חרות. One may mix grape juice with the wine as long as he does not dilute the alcoholic taste past this point.       Both men and women are obligated in this mitzvah even thought it is a time bound mitzvah. Once a child has reached the age of Chinuch (5-6 years of age) he/she to  should drink the four cups. However, a child need only to drink grape juice. The child should be instructed to drink a "Cheek full" of grape juice to fulfill his obligation. How much must one drink?     The cup must hold at least a rivis of wine. The minimum measure for this is 2.9 fl. oz. (Kol Dodi 2:6) One must drink most of the rivis but should drink the entire rivis. However, if one uses a cup that contains more then a rivis, one should drink most of the cup. If one is unable to do so he should drink most of a rivis. The best thing is for a person to have a cup that contains a rivis. This way he only needs to drink the cup.       One should drink most of the rivis in one swallow and finish the rivis in the second swallow.     Summary: The best way to fulfill the mitzva is to use wine even if it will make a person uncomfortable. However, one certainly will fulfill the mitzva with grape juice. There is an aspect of the mitzva called חרות this can only be fulfilled with wine. According to Rav Dovid Finestien this means wine with an alcohol content of 5% or more. Both men and women are obligated in the mitzva. One should drink most of a rivis (about 1.5 fl. ou.) However, if the cup contains more then a rivis one should drink most of the cup. It is sufficient for children under bar mitzva to drink a "cheek full". One should drink the amount in one swallow.            For all practical questions please ask your Rav.         Gemara Shiur 30 Min before Shacharis, given by Rabbi  Goldman. Halacha Shiur preceding maariv at Ahavas Yisroel 9:00-9:30 Monday and Thursday, given by R' Chananya Berman.   For any comments or suggestion please email Kollelboker@hotmail.com or speak to Rabbi Goldman These times are for NYC only    Shabbos zimanim are: Candle lighting                 7:08 Sh'kea                             7:26 Sof Zman Kriyas shma   9:41 Mogen Avroham             9:05

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