Wednesday
14 Iyar 5771; Pesach Sheini; 29th Day of the Omer
May 18, 2011
Dear Readers,
I will iy"H be in Eretz Yisroel in honor of Lag B'Omer. It would be my honor and privilige to daven for each and every one of you while I am there. After all, YOU are the reason that Halacha For Today has become so successful and B"H attracted thousands of daily readers. If you would like to submit your name (and/or other info) for me to include in my Tefilos, please email them to me at HalachaForToday@Yahoo.com at your earliest convenience.
1) The Melacha of Sechitah, squeezing, applies equally to foods that contain their own juices as well as to foods that do not have their own juices but have absorbed in them other liquids.
For example, a piece of bread which was dipped into wine or a piece of meat which is filled with gravy may not be squeezed to release the wine or gravy which was absorbed into it [if being done to consume the wine or gravy]. (Shulchan Aruch Siman 320:7)
However, to suck the wine or gravy out of the bread or meat is permissible. (See Mishna Berura Siman 320:11)
2) It is prohibited to squash an unpeeled orange in order to soften the inside for the purposes of inserting a straw into the orange to drink its juice. (See Sefer Orchos Shabbos page 198 footnote 39)
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:
Does any red string protect against Ayin Hara (evil eye), or is it supposed to go around Kever Rochel 7 times?
Answer:
The color red is a color that wards off Ayin Hara. See Q&A # 381 here
Regarding the red string, there are some authorities that balk at this "segulah" and claim it isn't of Jewish origin and should be avoided.
Others, including the Debreciner Rav Zatzal in Shu"t Be'er Moshe Vol. 8 Siman 36:3 (who writes that this is an ancient custom and according to the Rashba we should not dismiss ancient Jewish customs even if we don't understand them) and other Kabalistic sources indeed say that a red string wrapped around Kever Rochel is indeed a segulah against pregnant women having miscarriages and against Ayin Hara in general.
Each person should follow their own heritage in regard to this (and other similar) Segulos.
I would, however, advise being aware of people selling "fake" red strings and jewery etc. which oftentimes never went around kever Rochel and were probably never even within a few hundred mile radius of the Kever.
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.
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אל תתיאש מן הרחמים
Chizuk Corner
יוסי בן יוחנן איש ירושלים אומר: יהי ביתך פתוח לרוחה, ויהיו עניים בני ביתך, ואל תרבה שיחה עם האשה. באשתו אמרו, קל וחומר באשת חבירו. מכאן אמרו חכמים: כל המרבה שיחה עם האשה - גורם רעה לעצמו, ובוטל מדברי תורה, וסופו יורש גיהנם,
Yose ben Yochanan, leader of Jerusalem, says: Let your house be open wide; treat the poor as members of your household; and do not converse excessively with a woman. They said this even about one's own wife; surely it applies to another's wife. Consequently, the Sages said: Anyone who converses excessively with a woman causes evil to himself, neglects Torah study and will eventually inherit Gehinnom.
(Mishna Pirkei Avos 1:5)
We can understand the opening statement of the Mishna that one should open his house and treat the poor as members of the household.
One must wonder, however, what is the connection between these ideals and the statement that one should not converse excessively with a woman?
In order to answer this question, it is worth examining what the Mishna means when it states "Let your house be open wide; treat the poor as members of your household?"
It would seem that the explanation of this statement is that one who wishes to accommodate guests requires the financial means to do so.
For this reason the Mishna is exhorting a man to take care that he does not converse excessively with women, as the Gemara (Sota 3b and Rashi Ibid) states that when there is immorality in the home, then the home will be destroyed.
One who wishes to retain his assets and have the ability to accommodate guests must be careful that he does not engage in immorality, as this can be the ruin of his household, and ultimately will lead him to Gehinnom.
Submitted by Rabbi Binyomin Adler. To sign up for his various Torah emails send request to shabbostaamhachaim@gmail.com
Important Numbers
