Comments for RabbiKaganoff.com

Comment on Desktop Gardening or Growing Vegetables in Thin Air by Alexander

Alexander — Tue, 31 May 2011 16:15:22 +0000

“Furthermore, since the tanks are completely closed underneath, they have the halachic status of atzitz she’aino nakuv, a closed pot or planter, which are considered part of the ground only because of rabbinic injunction, but not min haTorah.”

Since these tanks contain NO SOIL only water, is it clear that they have the status of atzitz she’aino nakuv? Perhaps they are not even that?

Comment on Being a Good Guest Or The Halachic Etiquette when Visiting Someone’s House by admin

admin — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 18:43:29 +0000

Thanks for the correction.

Comment on Could the Fruit on my Tree be Orlah? by admin

admin — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 18:43:03 +0000

The Rav said that a non-Jew can eat orlah, but should be careful not to serve fruit that you know is orlah (in Israel it’s a problem if you don’t know for sure it’s not orlah, more strict) to a Jew.

Comment on Could the Fruit on my Tree be Orlah? by Stephen Games

Stephen Games — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 21:34:44 +0000

Can a non-Jew eat fruit that is orlah? Can a non-Jewish employee in a Jewish household eat such fruit?

Comment on Being a Good Guest Or The Halachic Etiquette when Visiting Someone’s House by Shlomo Zalman Jessel

Shlomo Zalman Jessel — Fri, 22 Oct 2010 09:38:13 +0000

Error in your reference.
The verses where the angels turned down Lot’s request until he urged them is in Breishis 19:1-3, not 16:1-3.

Comment on Can We Offer the Korban Pesach Without the Beis HaMikdash? by erlita

erlita — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 04:44:46 +0000

shalom,im filipina my name merlita i want to ask prayers from you rabbi kaan that HaShem forgive me or us or not meet a service n rosh ha shana yom ha teruah and this sukkotbut i will go there in ur church or congregation here in cebu city philipines .please pray for us that HaShem forgive for my bad attitudes during 10 days of tishuvahand my love ones my own families sisters and fatherand i had not do or perform the customs all religious customs in rosh ha shana like sweet foods the tashlik casting off but i like s much God or HaShem blessings to me and to all of us i want no unhappiness or sorrow in my life but all are happiness and good health and t all of us.i want that all my sins mistakes in past year i wll do it again or all of us this new year or coming year.and most of all im so bad to the jews in my chating i always hit them .some years i always huirt them with my words and my heart hit them.please pray for me on this.HaShem God of Israel.and please pray for me that Gd bless us both my twin our job massagist everywhere and housemaid and massagist in josie pereyra residence everywhere i want to work as housemaid.i want good foreghners.but i have problem now my money was lost last night my earnings from josie pereyra and couple pastor f born again christian.my ney was lst can make me sad its big aamount for me maybe coz even i knew that was the day of yom ha teruah and lastnight is sukkot i still worked as housemaid of josie pereyra.please pray for the forgiveness of josie pereyra and me and her business.

Comment on What Goes into the Sheimos Bag? by ac young

ac young — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 04:51:00 +0000

es yerushalaim al rosh is four consecutive words of the posuk.

Comment on The Mitzvah of “Duchening” – Birchas Kohanim by Hillel

Hillel — Mon, 13 Sep 2010 17:38:37 +0000

Thank you for this enlightening discussion.

Regarding the tefilah in response to a disturbing dream: I have not been able to find a rationale for why duchening should be the right time for this tefillah – other than the Noam Elimelech (on Trumah, but I did not see it myself) who notes that dreams are 1/60 nevuah, and duchening IS nevuah, so we are taking our disturbing dream and removing its potency by being batel b’shishim in some way.

I like it, but I’m not sure I understand the assertion that duchening is nevuah, nor how or why batel b’shishim would be effective. Furthermore, in the tefillah we ask that if the dream was really a positive good dream that it should be strengthened – not minimized by batel b’shishim.

Do you know of any other explanations for why this tefillah is specifically associated duchening?

I also have a few other questions about it:

1. We say it twice, before the last word of each of the first two pesukim of duchening, but we say a different tefilah involving a special name of Hashem found within the pesukim of duchening before “V’yishmerecha”. a. What is the source for the tefilah said before “V’yishmerecha”, and why is it not said after duchening is completed? b. Adir Bamarom, which we say afterward, is mentioned in the gemara in Brachos as something to say before the kohanim complete “V’yishmerecha” – why not say it within duchening, and the other tefilah afterwards? c. Why do we say the dreams tefillah twice, rather than once or three times?

2. One of the rationales that I’ve seen for everyone saying the dreams tefillah on yom tov in chutz laaretz among ashkenazim is that surely between yomim tovim everyone has had some kind of strange dream. However, should we refrain from saying it on the second day of yom tov if we have not had a disturbing dream the preceding night? Or even on YK, the first day of Succos, Shmini Atzeres, and Shvi’i shel Pesach if we know we have not had a disturbing dream since the last time we had duchening?

3. Kohanim never ever get to say it (hefsek), yet presumably have a similar rate of disturbing dreams as the rest of us – or perhaps not? Perhaps according to the Noam Elimelech, kohanim can rest easily knowing that their proximity to nevuah through duchening is m’vatel disturbing dreams without the need for the tefilah? It is still puzzling, even according to the gemara itself.

Comment on How Do I Distribute My Tzedakah? by Kyle

Kyle — Sun, 12 Sep 2010 03:15:48 +0000

Great article, but I have a few questions.
If, people needing food > people needing clothes, and locals > out of towners, and Eretz Yisrael > Chutz La’Aretz, isn’t it conceivable that (presuming my family is not in need), all my tzedakah will go to the local hungry? I live in New York City, a city where there is a constant need for feeding the hungry. Presumably, all my tzedakah could go to feeding the hungry here in New York without any left over for those hungry in Eretz Yisrael! Is this correct? If I wanted to give tzedakah to both from the maaser kesafim, how do I arrange that? Secondly, there will always be hungry people. So is that to say that my maaser kesafim can never go to clothe the poor (or house them, etc.) because there will always be hungry people? And therefore if I do, let’s say, donate money for clothes or a house, that it must come from the chomesh (from the 20% figure), and not the maaser kesafim?

Comment on Proper Prayer Rejoinders, or To Brich or not to Brich by Adam

Adam — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 06:54:06 +0000

See also Igrot Moshe OC 2:16 at the end.