By Rabbi Yair Hoffman for 5tjt.com A NEW METHOD OF COUNTING SEFIRA ACCORDING TO RAV AHARON KOTLER Written in honor of the author’s new twin granddaughters, Esther and Sara Hoffman During the seven weeks of the Omer, Klal Yisroel underwent a remarkable transformation. Between exiting Mitzrayim on Pesach to Shavuos, when we received the Torah, […]
(By Rabbi Yair Hoffman for the Five Towns Jewish Times) Everyone grew up with it. It signifies the end of the Pesach Seder. And every family has it’s own tune to it. Father bought the kid (a sheep or goat) for two zuzim. But the bobcat came and ate the kid. The dog came and […]
Shayndi Raice, a Wall Street Journal reporter based in Israel, has called on Jews worldwide to leave an empty place at their Seder for her colleague Evan Gershkovich, who was charged with espionage by Russian authorities last week. “This Passover, please consider setting a place at your Seder table for [Gershkovich],” Raice wrote on Twitter. […]
By Rabbi Yair Hoffman for 5TJT.com The question was made famous by the author of the Mishkenos Yaakov, one of the greatest students of the Volozhin Yeshiva, Rabbi Yaakov Bruchin (1780-1844). Rav Bruchin was the Rav of Karlin, was the premier student of Rav Chaim Volozhin and a grandson of Reb Boruch of Shklov – […]
Kosel Rav, HaRav Shmuel Rabinowitz, on Tuesday instructed the employees of the Western Wall Heritage Foundation to ban the entry of animals to Har HaBayis. The step was taken on
The situation in Israel since Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu formed a government seems to be one of constant chaos, with an extremely tense security situation and raucous left-wing protests across
Police Commissioner Kobi Shabtai on Tuesday morning spoke strongly against the plan of National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir to establish a National Guard. “It’s no secret that I expressed my
Regardless, each year there are numerous stories where Chometz is found over Pesach. And the incidences happen both on Yom Tov and on Chol HaMoed. WHAT TO DO The Shulchan Aruch (OC 446:1), of course, tells us what to do. If it is found on Yom Tov – it must be covered with a vessel […]
by Rabbi Yair Hoffman for 5TJT.com It is a little known fact, but Rav Aharon Kotler zt”l did not just learn under the Alter and Rav Moshe Mordechai in Slabodka. He also learned under Rav Boruch Ber Leibowitz zt”l. The Talmud tells us that there is an obligation to greet one’s Rebbe on Yom Tov […]
By Rabbi Yair Hoffman for 5tjt.com Pesach is filled with Halachic questions. Halachic Hotlines across the country are ringing off the hook. One of the biggest questions that is often asked, however, is the status of inviting a non-observant relative or friend for Yom Tov who will probably drive back home after the Seder is […]
Answers to Haggadah Questions from Rav Chaim zt”l Compiled by Rabbi Yair Hoffman Why is, “Ha Lachma Anya” in Aramaic and not in Hebrew? a. Because it is an invitation to all people to come and join us and that was the language that most people spoke when the Hagaddah was written. [We learn from […]
By Rabbi Yair Hoffman for 5tjt.com The head of a match is made of sulfur, glass powder, phosphorus and an oxidizing agent. When the match is struck on Yom Tov two things happen: • The first thing that happens is the friction caused by the glass powder rubbing together produces enough heat to turn a […]
The University of Vermont and the U.S. Department of Education announced Monday a settlement of a complaint the school failed to respond adequately to antisemitic harassment of Jewish students at the Burlington school. In a news release announcing the settlement, the Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights said the university’s Affirmative Action and Equal […]
Organizers of The Riverside Experience have announced an additional concert with Mordechai Shapiro, Benny Friedman and Joey Newcomb to take place on Monday of Chol Hamoed. Gronny & Icky Productions
On Oct. 14, a Russian engineer named Gleb Karakulov boarded a flight from Kazakhstan to Turkey with his wife and daughter. He switched off his phone to shut out the
BORUCH DAYAN HAEMES Menachem Toporowitz Z’L Rachmana Litzlan, a family has been torn apart and a community is in mourning. Without warning and in a blink of an eye, Menachem
In the sky and around the world, EL AL is your home away from home, so when it comes to Pesach it should be no surprise that EL AL treats
As former President Donald Trump walked stone-faced out of a Manhattan courthouse on Tuesday afternoon after being charged and booked over hush money payments he made to two women in
A one-time chief of staff for former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan died Monday after being shot when FBI agents confronted him in a manhunt launched when he failed to show up for trial on corruption charges, his lawyer said. Attorney Joseph Murtha said the FBI confirmed Roy McGrath’s death to him. He added that it […]
A woman suspected of involvement in a bombing at a St. Petersburg cafe that killed a Russian military blogger is set to face a court hearing in the Russian capital
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