The number "15" is significant in that it correlates to the "15" "Shir HaMa'alos" psalms which were composed to correspond to the "fifteen" steps in the Bais Hamikdash. (Additionally, Hashem created the world with the letters "Yud" and "Hay"; Olam Hazeh with the "Hay" and Olam Haba with the "Yud". Put these two letters together and you get the name of Hashem, "Kah" which numerically add up to "15".)
What does the Bais Hamikdash have to do with Pesach?
Everything!
The first night of Pesach each year always falls out on the same day of the week that Tisha B'Av falls out; the two days are connected.(See Shulchan Aruch Siman 428:3)
2) The Jewish people are currently in Galus, exile, and do not have a Bais Hamikdash and until Mashiach's arrival (very soon hopefully) we bemoan this sad reality on Tisha B'Av, the day of its destruction.
Pesach, the celebration of Geulah, redemption, is a day when we commemorate our physical and spiritual redemption from Egypt, and prepare ourselves for the final redemption which Chazal tell us will take place in this time period.
Thus as we sit down to the Pesach Seder it is important to keep in mind that the aura of the evening should be kept sanctified and holy as we have the power in our hands to unleash the final Geulah via our conduct at this table; we can facilitate the necessary zechusim to ensure that Tisha B'Av this year will be a day of dancing and jubilation and no longer be a day of sadness, disappointment and tears.
Our "15" steps of the Seder can facilitate the rebuilding of the Bais Hamikdash with its "15" steps and thus return the world which was created with the letters that add up to "15" to its intended purpose: The glorification of our "Kah" Hashem.
Over the next few days we will discuss various halachos and minhagim regarding the Pesach Seder.
QUESTION & ANSWER CORNER
Reader Submitted Questions of interest on topics related to Halachos we covered, as well as other interesting topic and Answers.
These Q&A are 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@Gmail.com
Reader's Question:
If you eat fruit/candy/ice cream/ etc. after a bread-meal, you make a separate bracha on the dessert. But do you also make a new bracha on dessert after a non-bread meal? What if the dessert was on the table at the time that you made the bracha on the meal-food?
Answer:
If the "dessert" food ,or any other food or drink throughout the meal, is of a variety whose Bracha you did not yet make, then surely you make a new Bracha.
If the new food is of a variety whose Bracha you did make, then it would depend on a few things to determine if you need a new Bracha or if the new food itemis exempt. The following is by no means an exhaustive synopsis of Hilchos Brachos, as that would be impossible in this email. Rather they are a few general rules to help you determine the right Halacha in your situation.
a) When making the original Bracha, you must have in mind that you want this Bracha to cover any other items that have the same Bracha that may be brought out within this meal, even if they arent presently on the table.
b) The new food must be less "Choshuv- important", otherwise a new Bracha is required. For example, if you make a bracha on an orange and later on they bring out grapes or another of the "7 species" a new Bracha is required. Likewse a Mezonos on rice will not cover cake. (Unless you had specific intent at the time of the Bracha to cover the more choshuv item as well. Also, if one likes the less Choshuv item more than he/she likes the more Choshuv item, then B'Dieved you do not make another Bracha on the item you like less, even if it is intrinsically more Chashuv.)
c) If when you made the Bracha you did not have any other food/drink in mind, the things that were on the table at the time of the Bracha are exempt (besides the more Chashuv foods, which are not exempt even if they were on the table, without special intentto exempt them).
Whatever is brought in afterwards, if it is not the same type of food, needs a new Bracha. (There are certain exceptions to this rule as well, depending if any of the original food that you made a Bracha on is still on the table). If it is the same type of food (another orange) then according to some Rishonim no new Bracha is required. B'Dieved, we rule like this opinion.
d) If one usually eats a certain food/drink together with or immediately after a different food ( e.g. A glass of cola is alwas drunk with his/her fried chicken), then even without having any specific intentions, we assume that he/she did have that intention and no second Bracha is required when the second food/drink is brought to the table.
e) Some Poskim (including Maran Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv Shlita) rule that if you are sitting down to a "meal" even if no bread is being eaten, it is considered like a meal and one Bracha Rishona exempts everything of that variety of Bracha that comes afterwards, as that is a normal practice today to eliminate the bread form a "meal".
According to this opinion, it may indeed exempt "dessert" food that is of the same variety that you already made a Bracha on, even if it wasn't on the table at the time.
Please keep in mind that these halachos are very complex, and a very small variation in practice or intent can totally change the halacha requirement.
For Halacha L'Maaseh in any specific situations, please consult your Rav.
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CHIZUK CORNER
This section is dedicated L'Ilui Nishmos the Telzer Rosh Yeshiva, HaRav Chaim Yaakov Stein Zatzal , the Mir Rosh Yeshiva, HaRav Noson Tzvi Finkel Zatzal and the Rosh Yeshiva of Torah Ohr, the great Posek HaRav Chaim Pinchas Scheinberg Zatzal.
May we all strive to follow in their ways and may they both be Melitzei Yosher for all of Klal Yisroel.
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זכר צדיקים וקדושים לברכה
Question:
Why do we pray for specific things if everything is good? Nothing is done unless Hakadosh Baruch Hu is pulling wires from behind the scenes for our benefit, so why should we pray?
Answer by HaRav Avigdor Miller Zatzal:
The answer is twofold. First of all, would you say you shouldn't pray for your fellow man because it's good for him to have a headache, it's good for him to be poor?
No, you wouldn't say that, because you want to learn compassion; that's your duty to have pity on your fellow man and pray. So Hakadosh Baruch Hu says, forget about my Hashgocho, I know what I'm doing in making him poor or ill, but your job is to have compassion, that's what I want of you.
Now if that's the case, suppose that fellow man happens to be named by your name and happened to have your face. So you shouldn't have compassion on him? On yourself you surely should have compassion. So therefore Hakadosh Baruch Hu says, "Have compassion on your poor loyal body and pray that it should be rid of the illness and pray that it should have enough sustenance, to take care of it." That's one reason why we have to pray; if we are in a difficult situation chalila.
Because we ourselves are like fellow Jews to ourselves. We have to have compassion on ourselves, that's why you can't harm yourself. You have no right to wound yourself, you have no right to put yourself in danger, because it's a Jew that's entrusted to your care, to take care of. So you have to pray for him, too.
A second reason is, that the reason for things happening to us is to teach us Daas, awareness of Hashem. And if we're going to be like wooden Indians, and not react, then it's a waste. So we have to react and pray to Hashem, we have to recognize the source of what happened to us. Even though it's good for us. Let's say that illness is good for us, we pray to Him to get rid of the illness because that's the purpose why the illness was sent!
To cause us to pray and recognize Him, because the awareness is a bigger benefit than any other benefit, Gedolah Deah.
So now you have two reasons why we have to pray when something we don't like happens to us.
Important Numbers
