Avodah
- [Avodah] Segulos and how they work March 9, 2026On Sun, Mar 08, 2026 at 02:57:20PM +0200, Joel Rich wrote: > My general theory of segulot is that if they make you feel closer to HKBH > then that is their value. It may be the realization that this is a prayer > to say when you feel a fertility related need is sufficient […]
- [Avodah] Segulos and how they work March 8, 2026On Sun, Mar 8, 2026 at 2:29PM Akiva Miller wrote: > The methodology of segulos is a frequent topic here, and I came across a > relevant Kitzur Shulchan Aruch that I'd like to share with the chevra. > > In Hilchos Ner Shabbos 75:2... > The Kitzur answers that question in the very next […]
- [Avodah] Segulos and how they work March 8, 2026. The methodology of segulos is a frequent topic here, and I came across a relevant Kitzur Shulchan Aruch that I'd like to share with the chevra. In Hilchos Ner Shabbos 75:2, the Kitzur describes two sorts of women. The first is "Isha k'shas ruach b'gidul banim", which ArtScroll translates as "A woman who is […]
- [Avodah] Chofetz Chaim March 5, 2026I remember once hearing a story that as a boy the Chofetz Chaim and his friends were playing a game saying what they would change about the past if they could. His answer was nothing because everything that happens happens because HKBH wants it to. Does this sound familiar to anybody and, if so, do […]
- [Avodah] Moshe's refusal February 25, 2026Moshe Rabbeinu?s continuing refusal to accept HKBH?s charge to go to Egypt ? maybe the way to think about it is maybe it tells us something about what an interaction with HKBH is like (eg HKBH allows us to maintain our free will ? similar to one explanation of why HKBH hardened paro?s heart during […]
- [Avodah] Arba'a Turim February 24, 2026. This week, we read Tetzaveh, which tells us about the Choshen and the twelve jewels placed in it. You may think you know how those jewels are arranged, but the Torah is actually ambiguous, and the result is a machlokes. Shemos 28:17 tells us that there will be four "turim", and which jewels are […]
- [Avodah] Asseres Hadibros February 24, 2026. R' Micha Berger wrote: ? Taam Elyon has one sof pasuq per diberah. and R' Arie Folger concurred: > Indeed. That is literally what the Ta'am Elyon is for, > using te'amim above the letters for not pausing until the > end of every dibberah This makes sense, and I'm sure that both of […]
- [Avodah] Counting the Aseres Hadibros February 23, 2026On Tue, Feb 17, 2026 at 06:58:00PM -0500, Akiva Miller via Avodah wrote: > This struck me as odd. My understanding is that Christians consider "I am > Hashem..." to be an introduction... Even many rishonim who consider Anokhi H' to be part of the first diberah do not count it as one of the […]
- [Avodah] Shaatnez -- too bad, or too good? February 22, 2026I know that R SR Hirsch and R Sacks makes shaatnez and all the kelayim laws about respecting the order put into Maaseh Bereishis. Which would make the prohiibition of shaatnez about avoiding something bad. But being maavir sedra last week and next (Terumah & Tetzavah) it is hard not to notice half the fabrics […]
- [Avodah] Counting the Aseres Hadibros February 21, 2026R' Micha Berger wrote: > Taam Elyon has one sof pasuq per diberah. In the Simanim Tikun, for the Taam Elyon, it lists the number of each dibra but the first sof pasuk is read at ul'shomrei mitzvotei, which according to the count that long pasuk actually contains two dibrot. First anochi hashem ...mibait avadim. […]