Rabbi Yishai Natan - In Parashat Noah, after the great Flood destroyed nearly the entire world, Hashem promised Noah that He would never again destroy all living creatures through a worldwide flood. As a sign of this promise, Hashem declared, "אֶת קַשְׁתִּי נָתַתִּי בֶּעָנָן וְהָיְתָה לְאוֹת בְּרִית בֵּינִי וּבֵין הָאָרֶץ" — "I have placed My rainbow in the cloud, and it … [Read more...]
Escape Room Reimbursement
HaRav Yishai Natan - My wife and I reserved an hour at an escape room for ourselves and our two older children. We arranged for a babysitter to watch our two-year-old while we went. Since the escape room was about twenty minutes away, she was supposed to arrive at 6:30 PM. When 6:30 passed and she still had not arrived, I called her several times, but she did not answer. By … [Read more...]
Electric Shavers
HaRav Yishai Natan - Q: What do Sephardic poskim hold about using an electric shaver? A: The Torah says, “velo tash’hit et pe’at zekanecha” — “Do not destroy the corners of your beard” (Vayikra 19:27). The Gemara (Makkot 21a) explains that the prohibition applies to giluah sheyesh bo hash’hatah — shaving that destroys the hair. A razor is the classic example because it … [Read more...]
Halachot of Birkat HaLevanah
HaRav Yishai Natan - In this week’s parashah, Bereshit, the Torah says that Hashem created: ״את שני המאורות הגדולים״ Hazal explain that originally the sun and moon were created the same size. The moon complained, ״אפשר לשני מלכים שישתמשו בכתר אחד?״ — “Can two kings share one crown?” Hashem then told the moon, ״לכי ומעטי את עצמך״ — “Go and make yourself smaller” (Hullin … [Read more...]
Halachot of Sukkot
HaRav Yishai Natan - Who Can Build the Sukkah? May a non-Jewish worker build your sukkah. For example, someone in construction may already have workers whom he is paying and would like them to build his sukkah. The Gemara says that a sukkah built by non-Jews or women is kasher, as long as it was built for the purpose of providing shade. The Shulhan Aruch rules as … [Read more...]