NOTE: To all those who were requesting that we cover HILCHOS CHANUKAH, we will B'Ezras Hashem take a break from Hilchos Shabbos and review Hilchos Chanukah,beginning this coming Sunday.
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1)A food, even if it is a fully cooked dry food, that was not on the fire or heat source from before Shabbos , may not be placed directly on the fire or heat source on Shabbos, even if there is a blech. (As if this may not be returned to the fire, it surely cannot be placed there initially. See Mishna Berura Siman 253:87. This is referred to in Halacha as "Nesina L'Chatchilah, initially placing on a heat source")
Thus, for example, a cold Kugel may not be taken out of the refrigerator on Shabbos morning and placed directly on [a prohibited part of] the blech or directly on an [adjustable] hotplate to warm up. (See Igros Moshe Orach Chaim Vol. 4 Siman 74;Bishul:35 where he allows placing it on non adjustable hotplates that are not usual to cook on. See also Shmiras Shabbos K'Hilchasa Perek 1 footnote 71)
2) Regarding the blech, the Poskim divide it into two parts.
a)The parts of the blech that are close enough to the fire that a food placed there will be heated to beyond Yad Soledes Bo. Food may not be placed on that part on Shabbos according to all opinions.
b)The parts of the blech that are far enough from the flame and foods placed there will only become warm but remain below Yad Soledes Bo. Some Poskim (including Mishna Berura Siman 253:67 and Chazon Ish Siman 37:8) allow placing food on that part of the blech on Shabbos to warm, and don't deem it "on the fire".
Other Poskim prohibit placing food even on the cooler part of the blech, as it "looks like cooking". (See Shulchan Aruch HaRav Siman 253:14 and in Kuntres Achron Siman 253)
37. Ma'avir - Kindling a fire. 38. Makeh B'Patish - Completing an object
39. Hotza'ah - Carrying between domains or in public domain
QUESTION & ANSWER CORNER
Reader Submitted Questions of interest on topics related to Halachos we covered, as well as other interesting topic and Answers. Taken from the Q & A pages on the Halacha For Today website.
Although the answers I give to questions are taken directly from the Sifrei HaPoskim, and aren't my own, they are still for study purposes only, NOT for Psak Halacha.
Questions can be emailed to HalachaForToday@Yahoo.com
Reader's Question:
Can a mourner for a parent (an Avel) , within the twelve months of mourning, lead Mincha on Erev Shabbos ?
In addition, does a mourner within the twelve months lead Mincha and/or Maariv on Chanukah ?
Answer:
The Poskim discuss the times when an Avel should not daven, and I have not found anyone who says that Mincha on Erev Shabbos is one of those times(That doesnt mean that the opinion doesn't exist, it just means I didn't find it).
In fact, in the Sefer Pnei Baruch (Siman 35) he quotes the father of the Shl"a HaKadosh who says that on days when Tachnun is not recited (which would presumably be the reason for the minhag not to daven on Erev Shabbos at Mincha, if such a minhag even exists) it is in fact a Mitzvah for an Aveil to daven for the Amud.
The Mishna Berura too
(Siman 581:7)
writes that one may daven on a day that Tachnun isn't recited. In fact the Pnei Baruch also writes there that this that Aveilim do not daven on Shabbos is only a minhag, but there is no Issur!
The time when the Aveilim do not daven is when " LamnaTzeach ...Yaancha Hashem B'Yom Tzara/Tziduk HaDin" is not recited. And even then it is a Machlokes HaPoskim as to which Tefilos are better for an aveil to not be the Shliach Tzibbur.
On Rosh Chodesh some Poskim say that an Avel should not daven at all, while others maintain that only for Halel and Musaf he shouldn't lead, but Shachris, Maariv and Mincha are OK. Others maintain that for Shachris too he shouldnt be the ba'al Tefilah.
On Chanukah an Aveil may daven Mincha and Maariv, but not Shachris and Halel. (See Mishna Berura 683:1 and 671:44)
There are Poskim who maintain that on Chanuka, even for Mincha and Maariv, an Aveil should not daven for the Amud (Shu"t Rivevos Ephraim Vol. 1 Siman 443 says this was the opinion of Rav Moshe Feinstein Zatzal. See also Shu"t Divrei Moshe Siman 84)
For a final ruling, a Rav should be consulted, of course or at least the Gabbai of the Shul who may know the "Minhag HaMakom", which should always be followed.
CHIZUK CORNER
As a Zechus for the Refuah Shelaima of one of the Gedolei HaDor, the Telzer Rosh Yeshiva , HaRav Chaim Stein Shlita, R' Chaim Yaakov ben Chasya Miriam, B'soch Sha'ar Cholei Yisroel, we will B'Ezras Hashem post here each day a short inspirational thought to help us all improve our lives and grow in our service of our Father in heaven, HaKadosh Baruch Hu.
IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING MEANINGFUL FOR THIS SECTION, PLEASE EMAIL IT TO ME. THANK YOU AND TIZKEH L'MITZVOS!
אל תתיאש מן הרחמים
Chizuk For Today:
Question:
Define what is meant by thrills, fun, and excitement?
Answer by Harav Avigdor Miller Zatzal:
It's the desire of a person for a change in his situation.
Now when a person is sick and he doesn't have enough to eat, so then when he gets well, that's his biggest thrill.
Or when a person who is hungry gets money enough to buy a good meal, that's a big thrill.
But suppose a person is well and he has enough money for all of his meals, so then he wants something else.
So Hakadosh Baruch Hu says, you're a man who likes thrills? I'll give you a thrill; I'll put you on the operating table, that's a thrill. Now sometimes they give you ether and you don't know what's taking place, of course afterwards you find out the thrill. Sometimes even during the operation the ether wears out and the surgeon is still cutting, still cutting.
And you start telling him; he says a few more minutes, I'm almost finished, almost finished, but it hurts, you have a thrill. Anybody looking for thrills, Hakadosh Baruch Hu will supply thrills.
Here's a fellow going skiing for thrills, now he could stay home. It's a big thrill to sit home and to have plenty to eat and to be healthy.
No, but he goes out and is looking for a broken leg, that's a big thrill.
Thrills mean, you want a change in your status. So if you're suffering, the best thrill is to get well, to get what you need. But if you're happy and healthy, and enough to eat and you're looking for thrills, it means Hakadosh Baruch Hu is going to give you plenty of thrills; don't ask for it.
'Thrills' means what's unexpected.
So here's a man who lives in a fine house in New York. He has all comforts; he has, of course, hot and cold running water, he has a bathroom in the house, he has central heating in the house, many have air conditioning in the house, he has a refrigerator, he has electric lights, what not! So now he is sold by a travel agency on the glories of going, let's say to Honolulu.
So he goes to Honolulu and there he goes out let's say slumming and he takes a drink that they sell there, some kind of drink there, and the drink is water that comes from a well that's not sterilized by the city. He gets dysentery or he gets typhoid fever, and he comes down with an illness, a parasite in his blood that lasts for months and months, sometimes he gets yellow jaundice... true stories I'm telling you. All these are the thrills he was waiting for.
In case he comes back and he's still well, so he invents thrills to tell his people back home the good times he didn't have over there. Ah, what good times I had over there. The big mosquitoes, the big bed bugs they have over there - nothing like that you'll see in America, and for that he paid a lot of money to make the trip. So thrills mean to look for things that are out of the usual, but it doesn't mean happiness.
To us, to sensible people the greatest thrill is that you have happiness in life; happiness means that nothing wrong is happening to you.
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Important Numbers
