By Rabbi Moshe Pinchasi While the Mishna[1] only mentions that one should not eat meat on Tish’a B’Av eve, the Tur and Shulhan Aruch write that there are various customs to refrain from eating meat on the days leading up to Tish’a B’Av[2]. Some do not eat meat during the entire three weeks, others only refrain during the week of Tish’a B’Av, while the accepted custom is not to … [Read more...]

By Rabbi Yehuda Faguet, Rav of JLIC, Santa Monica, CA Unless you are a wine connoisseur, you are most likely to seek out “Yayin Mevushal” – “cooked wine” – to use for Kiddush and Havdala. This is because unlike uncooked wine, which can easily be subject to the prohibition of S’tam Yeinam by coming in contact with a non-Jew, cooked wine is not subject to this issue. It is … [Read more...]

When and how is it permitted to move a Kever to another location? By Rabbi Ariel Ovadia In the turbulent world we live in, many countries which were considered somewhat stable just a few years ago, are now engulfed in civil war or other volatile situations. Fortunately, Jewish communities in places such as Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and many other such countries have been … [Read more...]

How do “Yissachar-Zevulun” partnerships actually work? By Rav Eliezer Cohen, Rosh Kollel Ner Mizrach, Atlanta GA Introduction Most people do not have sufficient time and financial resources to learn Torah as a full-time occupation. Of course, they certainly have a personal obligation to study Torah for at least a portion of each day. However, they may wish to go beyond the … [Read more...]

Adapted by Rabbi Ariel Ovadia[1] Why is honey kosher? The Gemara in Bechorot[2] poses the following problem: if the general rule is that what emanates from what is non-kosher is non-kosher (i.e. camel milk is not kosher), why then is honey kosher? After all, honey emanates from non-kosher bees. The Gemara cites two opinions as to why bee’s honey is permitted.  According to … [Read more...]