R Ari Enkin

by R. Ari Enkin After Kiddush has been recited at the start of the Seder, the hands are washed in preparation for karpas. Karpas is the “station” in the Seder when a vegetable is dipped into salt water [1]Taz, OC 473:3; Magen Avraham 473:5; Rema, OC 473:4; Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 119:3. or vinegar. [2]Tosfot, Pesachim 114a; Beit Yosef, OC 473; ...

by Ari Enkin On the Shabbat following Purim we read “Parshat Para,” the portion which discusses the Para Aduma, the Red Heifer. [1]Bamidbar 19:1-22. The Para Aduma was a sacrificial cow whose ashes were used for ritual purification. One who became impure, such as by coming in contact with a corpse, was required to have himself sprinkled with the ashes ...

by Rabbi Ari Enkin The Fast of Esther is perhaps the most misunderstood of the annual public fast days regarding what it represents and why we actually fast. It is not mentioned anywhere in the Talmud, [1]Maggid Mishna; Rambam, Hilchot Ta’anit 5:5. and only makes its first appearance in Rav Achai Gaon’s “Sheiltot”. [2]Sheiltot, Vayakhel 67. Contrary to popular misconception, ...

Reviews by Rabbi Ari Enkin Pure Money: A Straightforward Guide to Jewish Monetary Law Vol. 1 & 2 By Dayan Shlomo Cohen Targum Press Most people, rabbis and laymen alike, are simply not well-versed in the intricacies of Choshen Mishpat — civil and monetary law. There is a tremendous need for competent and practical Choshen Mishpat sefarim. Dayan Shlomo Cohen, ...

By: Rabbi Ari Enkin Is Lighting the Shabbat Candles an Automatic Acceptance of Shabbat? In OC 263:10, the Shulchan Aruch writes: According to the [sefer] Halachot Gedolot, once the Shabbat candles are lit, one has accepted Shabbat and all further melacha is forbidden…and some disagree with the Halachot Gedolot and say that the acceptance of Shabbat is not related to ...

By: Rabbi Ari Enkin Contrary to popular misconception, the Three Weeks of mourning do not end with the conclusion of Tisha B’av. In many ways they actually extend into the 10th Av. As we will see, the 10th day of Av is actually quite significant, and in many ways, it is an extension of Tisha B’av itself. In fact, there ...

By: Rabbi Ari Enkin Is a Sofer Required to Explicitly Declare “l’shem Kedushat Sefer Torah” when writing a Torah? There is some question whether a sofer is halachically required to explicitly declare “l’shem Kedushat Sefer Torah” when writing a Torah and/or when writing the name of God. In OC 32:8, the Shulchan Aruch writes that “the parchment must be processed ...

By: Rabbi Ari Enkin Is there ru’ach ra’ah today? Some maintain that ru’ach ra’ah has been nullified from this world. The Tosfot (Yoma 77b) brings the opinion that the ru’ach ra’ah does not dwell in the regions comprising the Ashkenazi counties.[1] The Lechem Mishneh writes that it is implied from the Rambam the he, too, is not concerned about the ...

Guidelines – Questions and Answers About the Laws of Yichud Rabbi Elozor Barclay and Rabbi Yitzchok Jaeger Menucha / 105 pp. Reviewed by: Rabbi Ari Enkin In the latest installment of the ever popular Guidelines series of halacha sefarim we are presented with the laws of yichud, the prohibition against being alone with members of the opposite sex. The sefer ...

By: Rabbi Ari Enkin Is There an Obligation for a Man to cover his head? In Shulchan Aruch OC 2:6, it says: “It is forbidden to walk in an upright posture and one must not walk four cubits with one’s head uncovered.” This seems to imply that it is halachically forbidden for one to walk around bareheaded. So too, it ...