Can I buy new clothes during the Nine Days?

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Vol. 1 Iss. 36 פרשת מעסי      Dvar Torah     By: Rabbi Goldman          The gemara (Brachos) says that "When a person experiences difficulties in his life he should analyze his actions". The gemara is telling us that: 1) Everything that happens is from Hashem. 2) Everything that Hashem does has a reason. 3) When Hashem makes our life difficult it is often in response to something that we have done wrong. (as a punishment and/or as a motivation to do teshuva). 4) If we do the teshuva then Hashem will remove the difficulty.      Since these four principles are true; therefore, the gemara encourages us that when we experience difficuties in our lives, that we should analyze our actions. We should be looking to figure out what area in our Avodas Hashem that we can improve. Through those improvements we will be able to be zoche to have Hashem remove the difficulties in our lives.    When preparing for the nine days; we can use the same approach. Hashem brought the churban and he brought it for a reason. It was in response to our not doing the mitzvos. If we improve our actions we will be zoche to Hashem saving us from problems in our lives.           Dvar Halacha               By: R' Chananya Berman     Question: Can I buy new clothes during the nine days? Discussion: One is not permitted to buy new clothes during the Nine Days (Rema 651:7). This applies to any garments and also includes linens and towels. This is true even if one is buying the item for use after the 9th of Av (M.B. ibid sk 49). One is also not allowed to buy secondhand clothing if it will make him happy (Sharei Teshuva ibid.). Exceptions: The following are some of the exceptions to the above rule. If an item goes on sale at a considerable discount, and wont be available after the 9th of Av, one may purchase it now (M.B. sk 11). If one forgot to buy footwear for the 9th of Av before the Nine days may purchase it now. However, one should not buy an expensive pair unless there is nothing else available (Kovetz M'Bais Levi pg. 13).       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   For times out of NYC please click  Myzmanim.com Shabbos zimanim are: Candle lighting                 7:56 Sh'kea                             8:14 Sof Zman Kriyas shma   9:25 Mogen Avroham             8:49

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Can I make a Shehecheyanu during the Three Weeks?

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Vol. 1 Iss. 35 פרשת מטות      Dvar Torah     By: Rabbi Goldman             The Gemara says that if someone says "Ashrei" three times a day then he will be zoche to Olam Habah. The Gemara explains that one of the reason that Ashrei is such an important tefilah is because of the pasuk "Poseach Es Yadecha Umasbia Lichal Chai Ratzon". This pasuk tells us that "Hashem takes care of the needs of all living beings". When we say these words we are saying that we know that Hashem has the capacity and the care and concern to take care of all living beings. It also seems that we are indicating that we trust in Hashem that He will help us and take care of our needs.    The halacha is that we must think about what the words mean when we say "Poseach Es Yadecha". When we are saying this pasuk three times a day we have an opportinity to remind ourselves of these important things. That Hashem controls the whole world, Hashem takes care of everyone, Hashem does so much Chesed, and that we trust Him to help us in all areas of life.           Dvar Halacha               By: R' Chananya Berman     Question:   Can I make a Shehecheyanu during the Three Weeks? Discussion: The Shulchan Aruch writes that the custom is not to recite Shehecheyanu during the Three Weeks (551:17). However, The Aruch Hashulchan says that our minhag is to recite Shehecheyanu until Rosh Chodesh Av. The Mishna Berura writes that one should wait until Shabbos to make the Shehecheyanu. If it is not possible to wait for Shabbos (e.g. the new fruit will spoil) then one would be allowed to make the bracha during the week.          If a person is making  a bris and his custom is to say Shehecheyanu, then he would recite it during this time. Similarly if a daughter is born the parents would make a shehecheyanu.        One should ask his rav whether we make a Shehecheyanu on new clothing in today's times. If one does make the bracha, he should not wear new clothes during this time period. It would seem that one may wait for Shabbos to wear the new garment and make a shehecheyanu on it.        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   For times out of NYC please click  Myzmanim.com Shabbos zimanim are: Candle lighting                 8:02 Sh'kea                             8:20 Sof Zman Kriyas shma   9:22 Mogen Avroham             8:46

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What can I do if my shoelace ripes on Shabbos?

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Vol. 1 Iss. 34 פרשת פנחס      We would like to wish mazal tov to Rabbi Goldman's Gemara shiur which will be making a siyum on maseches Kesubos on Sunday July 17th at 5 p.m.. The siyum will take place at Rabbi Schmidman's shul. We will be joined by Rabbi Dovid Goldman.     Gemara Shiur will be starting maseches Brachos on Tuesday, July 5th. Additionally the halacha shiur at night will be learning halachos that are connected to the daf learned that week.          Dvar Torah     By: Rabbi Goldman        In the Tur it says that "Whether a person does (davens or learns) "a lot" or "a little" its the same (they are equal). As long as the person has kavanna it is good". The Tur also says that "A little with kavanna is better than a lot without kavanna".     The Mishna Berura explains that when we are davening, the main goal is to focus on what we are saying; and its more important to daven with focus than to daven alot. However; it would seem that davening a lot with kavanna is  better than davening less with kavanna? Therefore; he explains that the Tur is referring to a situation where the person does not have the ability to daven a lot and that is why he is davening less. In this case, the Tur teaches us that as long as he is doing what he can, then he gets as much credit as though he had davened more. This is based on the concept that "In Hashem's eyes the only thing that's important is that we do the best that we can with the ability that He has given us".        Therefore; its important to make sure to focus on what we are saying when we daven. We are expected to do our best and even when our time or ability is limited as long as we are doing our best that's all that matters.           Dvar Halacha               By: R' Chananya Berman   Clarification from last week: In regards to folding napkins I would like to clarify the following point. If you have a regular napkin that you want to fold from a square into a rectangle that is totally permitted. The situation we were talking about was folding the napkin in a complex way (i.e. making it into a flower or some other shape.). A simple fold would be permitted according to all opinions.     Question:   What can I do if my shoelace rips on Shabbos? Discussion: One may not insert new shoelaces into a pair of shoes on Shabbos. The reason for this is by doing so you are "completing" the shoe (Makeh Bipatish). Before you put in the shoelaces the shoe is unusable and now it is usable. However, one may reinsert the laces that where in the shoes before Shabbos.     If one's shoelace rips on Shabbos then he has one of the following two choices: 1) he can put in a shoelace of a different color then that of the shoe. 2) One may insert shoelaces of the same color by threading them through the first two eyelets only. The reason for both these options is that clearly this is only a temporary fix and can't be considered finishing the shoe.       A third option is one can re-lace the shoe with the second half of the shoelace that was in the shoe as long as the lace can be threaded easily through the eyelets.  (Shimeras Shabbos Khilchasa 15:59-60)          For all practical questions please ask your Rav.        Food For Thought One reason given for why we have lechem mishneh on Shabbos is that on Friday  a double portion of maan was sent down; one for Friday and one for Shabbos. The question is shouldn't we have the lechem mishneh on Friday since that is the day that we received the portions?          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 click  Myzmanim.com Shabbos zimanim are: Candle lighting                 8:07 Sh'kea                             8:25 Sof Zman Kriyas shma   9:19 Mogen Avroham             8:43

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Can I fold my tallis Shabbos morning?

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Vol. 1 Iss. 33 פרשת בלק      We would like to wish mazal tov to Rabbi Goldman's Gemara shiur which will be making a siyum on maseches Kesubos on Sunday July 17th at 5 p.m.. The siyum will take place at Rabbi Schmidman's shul. We will be joined by Rabbi Dovid Goldman.     Gemara Shiur will be starting maseches Brachos on Tuesday, July 5th. Additionally the halacha shiur at night will be learning halachos that are connected to the daf learned that week.           Dvar Torah              By: Rabbi Goldman    THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE MITZVA OF "SHEMA".     Many rishonim say that the mitzva of "shema" can be fullfilled through saying the first line of shema alone. The Sefer Hachinuch explains that the main benifits of shema are from that first pasuk.       In the first pasuk we are saying that Hashem is "One" (that He controls everything, He created everything etc.), and that we are accepting him as "Our king" (we are committing ourselves to following all of His mitzvos). These ideas are some of the most important things to focus on.      The Sefer Hachinuch says that if we have these ideas on our mind throughout the day, then our day will be focused appropriately on the correct perspective. He also says that if we really focus on these factors during shema, we are able to use the momentary clarity to create the correct mindset for the rest of the day!               Dvar Halacha               By: R' Chananya Berman     Question:  Can I fold my tallis after davening on Shabbos morning? Discussion:   One is not allowed to fold a cloth on the creases (O.C. 302:3). The reason for this is the issur of misaken mana. Therefore one should not fold his tallis on the creases after davening. However, one may fold the tallis in a different way and then refold it after Shabbos (Aruch Hashulchan 302:11). The Mishna Berura writes that if one wants to be machmir that is the preferable way (SK 19).  Folding Pants       There is a dispute as to whether one may fold his pants on the crease. Rav Shlomo Zalman Aurebach zt"l held that one may fold on the pleat. His reasoning is the purpose is to protect the pants from getting wrinkled not to keep the pleat. However, bot Rav Wosner and Rav karelitz disagree with this. One should therefore be careful to not fold  the pants on the crease. Folding Napkins      Another area that this halacha applies to is folding napkins on Shabbos. Rav Aurebach zt"l says one should not do this because it is misaken mana. However, Rav Karelitz says that since the folded napkin is meant as a temporary fold it is not a problem. However, he leaves off with a safek whether this is permitted. One should ask a rav what to do.             Summary: One should not fold his tallis on the original creases on Shabbos. However, he may fold it in a different way and then refold it after Shabbos. The Mishna Berura seems to say that it is best for a person to be stringent in this. Similarly one should be careful to not fold his pants on the crease. In regards to folding napkins one should ask a rav what to do.                  For all practical questions please ask your Rav.        Food For Thought We know that chazal established that we make a bracha before doing a mitzvah. The question is why is there no bracha on Kreyas Shema?         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 click  Myzmanim.com Shabbos zimanim are: Candle lighting                 8:10 Sh'kea                             8:28 Sof Zman Kriyas shma   9:16 Mogen Avroham             8:40

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Can one use maaser money to purchase raffle tickets?

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Vol. 1 Iss. 32 פרשת חקת This weeks email is sponsored anonymously in honor of Rabbi Chananya Berman.      We would like to wish mazal tov to Rabbi Goldman's Gemara shiur which will be making a siyum on maseches Kesubos on Sunday July 17th at 5 p.m.. The siyum will take place at Rabbi Schmidman's shul. We will be joined by Rabbi Dovid Goldman.     Gemara Shiur will be starting maseches Brachos on Tuesday, July 5th. Additionally the halacha shiur at night will be learning halachos that are connected to the daf learned that week.           Dvar Torah              By: Rabbi Goldman                         IS THE GLASS REALLY "HALF EMPTY" OR "HALF FULL"?       We know that everything that Hashem does is for our benefit, and that Hashem wants to give us great things in both this world and the next world. However, its not always so easy to appreciate that. Many of the benefits that we do have, we are already are used to, and therefore, its difficult to appreciate them. That which we don't have, often will be highlighted in our minds. It is very difficult to change this tendency.     Therefore, it would be reasonable to assume that even though the glass is really completely full (because) everything is for our benefit; however, it is difficult to feel that way. It is sometimes even difficult to feel that its even half full. Therefore, a reasonable goal would be to accept the fact that it seems to be "partially empty" however; we can slowly develop more of a recognition that its not so empty and we can slowly recognize how full that it really is!                                                                     Dvar Halacha               By: R' Chananya Berman     Question:  Can one use maaser money to purchase raffle tickets? Discussion:    Rav Moshe zt"l writes that there are two types of raffles; one in which there is an unlimited amount of tickets sold over a long period of time, and one where there is a limited amount of tickets being sold over a relatively short time period. In a situation where an unlimited amount of tickets are being sold, no ticket has any monetary value. Therefore, you can use maaser to purchase a ticket. When there is a limited amount of tickets being sold, each ticket has a value - the amount someone would pay for that chance to win the prize. Therefore, maaser money can not be used (O.C 4 Ch. 76:2).         Rav Moshe also says that even in a situation where it is permitted to use maaser for the ticket, if you win it's proper to give the cost of that ticket to tzeddakah.        If the value of the ticket is much greater then the chance to win the prize is worth,  one may deduct the difference and use maaser for the remaining amount. (For example if the ticket is $50 but the value is $5 one may use $45 from maaser.)        Some poskim say that one may not use maaser money to buy a raffle ticket under any circumstances.          Rav Moshe also writes that if a person wins the raffle he should give the maaser of his winnings to that institution.  Summary:      There is a dispute as to whether one may use maaser money to purchase raffle tickets. Rav Moshe zt"l held that under certain conditions one may use maaser money to purchase a raffle ticket. Rav Moshe also held that one should give the maaser from the winnings back to that institution.                              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   For times out of NYC please click  Myzmanim.com Shabbos zimanim are: Candle lighting                 8:12 Sh'kea                             8:30 Sof Zman Kriyas shma   9:13 Mogen Avroham             8:37

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Does one need to give maaser on a present?

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Vol. 1 Iss. 31 פרשת קרח    We would like to wish mazal tov to Rabbi Goldman's Gemara shiur which will be making a siyum on maseches Kesubos on Sunday July 17th at 5 p.m.. The siyum will take place at Rabbi Schmidman's shul. We will be joined by Rabbi Dovid Goldman.     Gemara Shiur will be starting maseches Brachos on Tuesday, July 5th. Additionaly the halacha shiur at night will be learning halachos that are connected to the daf learned that week.           Dvar Torah              By: Rabbi Goldman                       As we all know, Hashem created us and He created everything in the world for our benefit. There is a big mitzva to thank Hashem for all that He has done for us. We are also responsible to recognize that we owe Him everything. As a result, we must listen to anything that Hashem tells us to do.        In order to fulfill our responsibilities of "Thanking Hashem" and "Being dedicated to serving Him "we must beleive that Hashem has done us a favor by creating us and giving us the life that He has given to us. To whatever extent that we think that our lives are great, to that degree that we will be able to achieve these goals.        Therefore, it seems that it is necessary to spend a lot of time analyzing our lives and making sure that we develop a perspective that our lives are great and that we have so much to be thankful for. It seems that this is a major part of Avodas Hashem - to develop this perspective - that life is great.        The intellectual knowledge that "life is great" can bring us to a certain level of thanking and serving Hashem. However, the more that we "feel" that "life is great"  the more we can be thankful!                                           Dvar Halacha               By: R' Chananya Berman     Question:  Does one need to take maaser from a gift? Discussion:  There are two different categories of gifts and each has its own halacha, The first category is a monetary gift. Everyone agrees that such a gift requires one to separate maaser from it. The exception to this rule is if the giver specifically tells him not to separate maaser. The reason is that one is not allowed to use a gift for something other then what the giver allows (Choshen Mishpat 241:5 Sm"a 16). However, if one is able to he should separate maaser from his own money. If one's parents give a gift for a specific purpose then we assume that they do not want him to take off maaser since they will have to give more to cover the maaser. If, however, the parent gives a gift for general use the child would have to separate maaser (Rav Shlomo Zalman Aurebach).      There is a dispute as to whether one must separate maaser on a non-monetary gift. One opinion is that maaser must be taken based on the value of the item (Rav S.Z. Aurebach). Others maintain that one would only have to separate maaser if he would have purchased the item on his own and now does not have to.        According to the second opinion there is a question which comes up; a person received an item that he would have bought as a present. But, he would have a bought a cheaper substitute. What  amount does he give maaser on? This is also subject to debate. One opinion holds he must give maaser on the amount that he would have spent for the item, in this case the cheaper one. Others Say that one should estimate the amount he would be willing to pay for the more expensive item and separate maaser from that.        However, the accepted custom is not to separate maaser from a non-monetary gift. This is the opinion of many poskim such as Rav Chaim Kanievsky and the Chazon Ish, as well as others.  Summary:  If one receives a monetary gift maaser must be separated unless the giver stipulates that he is giving it on condition that no maaser is taken off. If ones parents give money for a specific expenses then maaser need not be taken off. The accepted custom is not to separate maaser form a non-monetary gift. But, as there is a dispute in the matter a rav should be consulted.               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   For times out of NYC please click  Myzmanim.com Shabbos zimanim are: Candle lighting                 8:12 Sh'kea                             8:30 Sof Zman Kriyas shma   9:13 Mogen Avroham             8:37

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