By RABBI DAVID GALIMIDI As we approach the auspicious days of Hanukkah, we find an unusual concept. When it comes to the Mitzvah of lighting the Menorah, there are three ways one may fulfill the obligation. The simplest form of fulfilling one’s obligation is to light only one candle every night. A more elevated level would be to light one candle, every night, per individual … [Read more...]
Our Heart and Soul
By Rabbi Ariel Ovadia The events leading up to the destruction of the Bet HaMikdash took place during the days of Ben HaMetzarim – the three weeks between the 17th of Tammuz and Tish’a B’Av. To commemorate this terrible tragedy, we observe certain mourning practices. Ribbi Yaakov Skali זצ"ל, student of the Rashba, in his Derashot Torat HaMinha writes, that the mourning … [Read more...]
“Istai”: Our Mentor, Hacham Abdallah Somekh זצ”ל
The life of the great Rav and Rosh Yeshiva of Baghdad A Budding Scholar The Sephardic Torah world of the past century owes a great deal to the decision of a young man in his twenties to suspend his business ambitions to tend to the creation of the next generation of Talmide Hachamim. The young R’ Ovadia (Abdallah) Somekh, hailed from an aristocratic Iraqi family with … [Read more...]
The Guardian of Egypt: Ribbi Refael Aharon Ben Shimon זצ”ל
The modernization and rapid changes that defined the second half of the nineteenth century called for bold Jewish leadership and passionate visionaries. It was in this tumultuous era, that the young Refael Aharon was born to his parents, Hacham David Ben Shimon זצ"ל and Rachel ע"ה, in Morocco’s capital, Rabat. When he was only six years old, his parents settled in Yerushalayim … [Read more...]
PATERNITY AND DNA TESTS IN HALACHA
Are paternity, DNA and other tests admissible in Bet Din? By Rav Yaakov Rappaport Forensic experts, law enforcement and justice departments worldwide employ various methods to determine whether a person is telling the truth or not. Blood tests, DNA tests and polygraphs are all admissible in court. In this article, we will examine the attitude of Halacha towards such … [Read more...]