Laws related to Berachot In a recent Halacha Yomit you mentioned that according to many opinions the Beracha on cloves is Bore Mine Besamim. Can you please explain why? On which other spices does one recite Bore Mine Besamim? The Beracha of “Bore Mine Besamim” is recited on spices that don’t fit into any of the general categories. On aromatic fruit, we say the blessing … [Read more...]
Ribbit: Matters of Interest
Purchasing Items from the Store A neighbor borrows money to go shopping at the local supermarket. The lender asks the borrower if they can buy an item for him as well, and adds another few dollars for the purchase. Is the lender transgressing any prohibition of Ribbit by imposing this request on the borrower? Possibly. The Yerushalmi actually uses such a case as an … [Read more...]
HUMANE SOCIETY: THE EUROPEAN ASSAULT ON SHEHITA
Parasha and Halacha Shiur Summary on P. Shemini, by Dayan Shlomo Cohen The Jewish method of slaughter has been under attack for many years in Europe. In Switzerland it is forbidden, and the EU has a recommendation that animals be pre-stunned (which is a Halachic issue, as we shall see). So is Shehita, the Jewish ritual slaughter, humane? Firstly, we must note that everyone … [Read more...]
Who Is At Fault For a Default?
Reneging on an Agreement Part I By: Rabbi Yosef Greenwald There are two categories of agreements which can affect when an agreement is broken. In Bava Metzia, 49A, the Gemara discusses two different types of contractual agreements and the ramifications of nullifying each one. Kinyan Kesef: When Goods Have Changed Hands This Mishna states that … [Read more...]
A Tale of Two Citgos: Oil Change in Venezuela
Adapted from a shiur by Rav Daniel Dombroff Whose oil is it? Venezuela has the largest proven oil reserves of any country in the world, estimated in 2017 at 300 million barrels. But its people are starving. No war or natural disaster brought what was once the fourth-richest country on Earth to its knees. The crisis resulted almost entirely from choices and policy … [Read more...]