The Laws of an Eruv Rabbi Shlomo Francis Rabbi Yonason Glenner Israel Book Shop / 353 pages   Review By: Rabbi Ari Enkin The Laws of an Eruv is the newest English work on the laws of Eruvin. It is unprecedented in its extensive and comprehensive presentation of Eruv construction. The well-written explanatory text is complimented with hundreds of computer-generated ...

By: Rabbi Ari Enkin Mimouna is the post-Pesach celebration of friendship, brotherhood, and unity that is observed in Moroccan Jewish communities. It is a twenty-four hour celebration which begins immediately with the conclusion of Pesach. It is viewed by many as the formal return to chametz after such foods were forbidden over the course of Pesach. The theme of Mimouna is ...

By: Rabbi Ari Enkin Charoset is the sweet thick dip made of fruits and nuts that is a tasty component of the Pesach Seder. Although there are those who have argued that eating charoset is actually a mitzva[1] for which a special blessing is to be recited,[2] the halacha is not in accordance with this view. The Talmud does require, ...

Reviews by: Rabbi Ari Enkin Shemita: From the Sources to Practical Halacha Rabbi Yosef Tzvi Rimon Maggid / 555 pp Rav Yosef Tzvi Rimon, a community rabbi and posek in Alon Shevut and rebbi at Yeshivat Har Etzion, has written Shemita: From the Sources to Practical Halacha. As its name suggests, the sefer is about the mitzva of Shemita, the ...

By: Rabbi Ari Enkin Although wine is always to be preferred[1] over all other drinks upon which to recite kiddush or havdalla, it is not always the only option. While it is true that the nighttime kiddush may only be recited upon wine, or in an emergency, upon bread,[2] the daytime kiddush may be recited upon beer, scotch, and other liquor type ...

Reviews by: Rabbi Ari Enkin Peninei Halacha: The Laws of Prayer Rabbi Eliezer Melamed (Translated by: Atira Ote) Maggid / 412 pp. Peninei Halacha: The Laws of Prayer, is a translation of the first volume Rabbi Eliezer Melamed’s incredibly popular (here in Israel, at least) halachic work of the same name. Until now, Rav Melamed’s works have been largely inaccessible ...

By: Rabbi Ari Enkin Immediately following shacharit and the Megilla reading on Purim morning, one is off on one’s way to perform the remaining mitzvot of the day: mishlo’ach manot, matanot la’evyonim, and Seudat Purim. A number of sources discuss whether there might be a preferred order for performing these mitzvot, and if so, which mitzvot take priority. According to ...

By: Rabbi Ari Enkin Dedicated to my students (and the entire student body) at Yeshivat Lev Hatorah in Ramat Beit Shemesh The Talmud teaches that one is required to get drunk on Purim until one cannot distinguish between “cursed is Haman and blessed is Mordechai”. [1] The reason for this requirement is in order to recall the many miracles of the ...

Reviews by Rabbi Ari Enkin — Patterns in Jewish History By Rabbi Berel Wein Maggid / 180 pages. In yet another masterpiece, Rabbi Berel Wein takes readers on theme-based journeys through the ages. As the title suggests, the premise of Patterns in Jewish History is that “history repeats itself” and “the more things change, the more they stay the same”. ...

By: Rabbi Ari Enkin It goes without saying that according to halacha, it is strictly forbidden to reveal the secrets of others. In fact, in addition to the basic prohibition against lying, which one transgresses when breaking a promise not to reveal a secret, doing so is also a violation of the Torah’s prohibition of “smiting one’s neighbor in secret” ...