Parasha & Halacha Shiur Summary on Parashat VaYakhel, by Rav Mordechai Lebhar One of the 39 Melachot which are forbidden on Shabbat is carrying from a private to a public domain. Enclosing a public domain with an Eruv can sometimes turn it into a private domain. Even in an enclosed space, in order to carry, all of the inhabitants of the houses must convene and … [Read more...]

Summary of Parasha & Halacha Shiur on Ki Tissa by Rav Yehoshua Sova In this Parasha we read about the sin of the golden calf. This sin was caused by a disconnect between the Jews and Hashem, as the Gemara compares this to a bride leaving her Huppah for another man. That’s why the Midrash says they made 13 calves, one for each Shevet, because they weren’t … [Read more...]

A Parasha & Halacha Shiur Summary, Parashat Tetzave by Rabbi Moshe Medrez The Gemara in Shabbat 21b relates the story of the miracle of Hanukkah. Maran asks the famous question (which was asked by many Rishonim): why is Hanukkah 8 days and not 7 days if they found oil that would last for at least the first day? The Tosafot HaRosh gives his own three answers: 1. They … [Read more...]

Shiur on Parashat Teruma from Rabbi Mordechai Lebhar The Nest thermostat’s main function is to be energy efficient by learning the behavior of the dwellers of the house. Can one have it on on Shabbat? There are a few potential issues. Firstly, when you pass by the thermostat it shows you the temperature. This can be easily solved by turning off that function. Another … [Read more...]

  Adapted from a Shiur by Rav Yosef Greenwald on Parashat Mishpatim (והגישו אדוניו אל האלוהים והגישו אל הדלת או אל המזוזה ורצע אדוניו את אזנו במרצע ועבדו לעולם (שמות כא:ו Halacha recognizes two types of workers: – Employee paid by the hour, e.g., an office manager hired for a 9-5 job – Employee paid by task, such as a contractor hired to build a … [Read more...]