In Siman 682, The Shulhan Aruch outlines the Halachot of inserting the special Hanukah addition of "Al Hanissim" in the Tefilot and Birkat Hamazon. One issue is whether it is permissible for the Shliah Sibbur to remind the congregation to insert "Al Hanisim" in the middle of Arbit. Does announcing "Al Hanisim", after the Kaddish before the Amidah, …

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily Gemaraبقلم Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily Gemaraبقلم Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

On the first night of Hanukah, we recite three Berachot over the candle lighting: "Le'hadlik Ner Hanukah"; "She'asa Nissim La'abotenu Ba'yamim Ha'hem Ba'zman Ha'zeh"; "She'hehiyanu." Our community follows the custom to recite as the text of the first Beracha, "Le'hadlik Ner Hanukah." Although the Rambam (Rabbi Moshe Maimonides, Spain-Egypt, 1135-12…

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily Gemaraبقلم Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

The Shulhan Aruch, in Orah Haim (672), writes that the proper time for lighting the Hanukah candles is the "end of sunset," or Set Ha'kochavim – nightfall (listen to audio recording for precise citation). Practically speaking, this means that one should light the Hanukah candles fifteen minutes after sundown. One should make an effort to light the …

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily Gemaraبقلم Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily Gemaraبقلم Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily Gemaraبقلم Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

The Misva of the Hanukah candles, as we know, is Pirsumeh Nisa – to publicize the Hanukah miracle. And therefore the candles are generally positioned (by those who light indoors; some people light outdoors) near the window facing the street, in order to publicize the miracle. The question arises as to whether one who lives on a high floor in an apa…

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily Gemaraبقلم Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

The custom is to light the Menorah in the Bet Knesset with Berachot. On Friday, it is lit, before Minha, once a Minyan is present. On Mosa'eh Shabbat it is lit during Arbit before the Kaddish Titkabal, before people rush home. This custom was not recorded in the Gemara, but it was accepted by the Shulhan Aruch. The question is whether a Menorah sho…

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily Gemaraبقلم Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

The Shulhan Aruch rules (671:5) that one must light an additional candle, called a Shamash, alongside the other Hanukah candles. This insures that any benefit one may receive from the light of the Menorah, in essence, is derived only from that extra candle, and it is therefore permitted. However, the Ben Ish Hai (Rav Yosef Haim of Baghdad, 1833-190…

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily Gemaraبقلم Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

The preferred way to light on Chanukah is with olive oil, because it was used in the Bet Hamikdash. Today, we find some olive oils made expressly for lighting, labeled "Not fit for human consumption." Is it permissible to light with these oils? The Ben Ish Hai (Rav Yosef Haim of Baghdad, 1833-1909) discusses a certain olive oil that is too bitter t…

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily Gemaraبقلم Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

Does Halacha require using a Menorah, or some other utensil, for the Hanukah candle lighting? If, for example, one has wax candles which he wishes to use for the Hanukah lighting, is it sufficient to simply place them on the windowsill, sticking them to aluminum foil, or must he use a Menorah? Hacham Bension Abba Shaul (Israel, 1923-1998) addresses…

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily Gemaraبقلم Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

The Hesed L'Avraham, (Mysical work by R. Avraham Azulai, grandfather of the Rav Chida, Ch. 55), discusses various materials that a menorah should be made of. He lists them in the preferred order of hashivut. 1. Gold 2. Silver 3. Golden Bronze 4. Copper 5. Iron 6. Tin 7. Lead 8. Glass 9. Wood 10. Bone 11. Glazed Porcelain 12. New Unglazed Porcelain …

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily Gemaraبقلم Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily Gemaraبقلم Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily Gemaraبقلم Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

The text of many editions of Birkat Ha'mazon features a prayer in the "Ha'rahaman" section that reads, "Ha'rahaman Hu Yefarnesenu Be'chavod Ve'lo Be'bizui, Be'heter Ve'lo Be'issur, Be'nahat Ve'lo Be'sa'ar" – "The Merciful One shall sustain us honorably, and not disgracefully; permissibly, and not through prohibited means; easily, and not with distr…

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily Gemaraبقلم Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

In some situations, Birkat Ha'mazon is required by Torah law, and in other situations, it is required Mi'de'rabbanan – by force of Rabbinic enactment. The practical difference between a Torah obligation and one required Mi'de'rabbanan is in cases of Safeik – uncertainty. If one ate and cannot remember whether or not he recited Birkat Ha'mazon, then…

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily Gemaraبقلم Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

The Torah introduces the command of Birkat Ha'mazon with the verse, "Ve'achalta Ve'sabata U'berachta" – "You will eat, you will be satiated, and you shall bless" (Debarim 8:10). The Sages understood the word "Ve'sabata" in this verse as referring to drinking – specifically, to drinking wine. On this basis, they established that even one who drank w…

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily Gemaraبقلم Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

The Mishna Berura (185:1) cites the Sefer Ha'hinuch's remark that one who ensures to recite Birkat Ha'mazon properly will always be provided with a respectable livelihood, throughout his life. In explaining the Sefer Ha'hinuch's comment, the Mishna Berura writes that this means, for one thing, making a point to recite Birkat Ha'mazon from a written…

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily Gemaraبقلم Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

The Shulhan Aruch (Orah Haim 182) writes that Birkat Ha'mazon is Halachically equivalent to the Amida prayer, the only difference being that the Amida is reciting standing, and Birkat Ha'mazon is recited sitting. And thus, as the Ben Ish Hai (Rav Yosef Haim of Baghdad, 1833-1909) rules, one should not interrupt Birkat Ha'mazon to answer "Amen" to a…

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily Gemaraبقلم Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

The Shulhan Aruch (Orah Haim 191) writes that the Sages instituted an abridged version of Birkat Ha'mazon to be recited by workers who are being paid wages for a full day of work. Since their time belongs to the employer, the Rabbis allowed the workers to recite a shorter version of Birkat Ha'mazon. The workers recite the entire first Beracha, and …

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily Gemaraبقلم Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily Gemaraبقلم Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily Gemaraبقلم Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

It often happens that a person uses the restroom before beginning a meal (in fact, it is proper to ensure before beginning a meal that one does not need to perform his bodily functions). Halacha requires washing one's hands after using the restroom, and also before eating bread, and thus if one uses the restroom immediately before eating bead, he m…

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily Gemaraبقلم Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

If a person has a medical condition and must use the bathroom often, would he have recite the Beracha of Asher Yatzar (the Beracha recited after performing one's bodily functions) each time he leaves the bathroom? This question arises in situations, for example, where a patient requires a colonoscopy and is given a certain type of drink a day befor…

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily Gemaraبقلم Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

The Shulhan Aruch, in Siman 6, delineates the Halachot of "Asher Yasar"-the Beracha recited after using the facilities. The Shulhan Aruch, which as a rule is a code of law, makes a rare exception and not only presents the Halachot of the Beracha, but also offers interpretations of its text as well. This indicates that the Beracha is of supreme impo…

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily Gemaraبقلم Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily Gemaraبقلم Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

If a person's hands are wet at the time he wants to wash them for bread, must he dry his hands before Netilat Yadayim? Hacham Ben Sion Abba Shaul (Israel, 1923-1998) discusses this question in his work Or Le'sion (vol. 2, 11:9; listen to audio recording for precise citation), where he rules that generally speaking, one does not have to dry and rewa…

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily Gemaraبقلم Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

Halacha requires that when one washes his hands before partaking of bread, he must use clear water (Orach Hayim, Siman 160:1). The question thus arises in situations where the water appears "cloudy" when it first comes from the tap, whether a person must wait for the water to clear before performing Netilat Yadayim. Rabbi Yitzchak Weiss (Galicia-Is…

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily Gemaraبقلم Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

The Netilat Yadayim (washing hands) upon awaking is the most important of all the various washings required after cutting hair and nails etc. Therefore, it requires washing each hand three times. The Seder Hayom (Rabbi Moshe ben Machir, 16th Century, Tsfat) explains that three times establishes a Chazaka (a Halachic presumption). That is, the three…

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily Gemaraبقلم Rabbi Eli J. Mansour