by Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch Haber | Aug 23, 2009
I was recently asked about the halachic permissibility of Manscaping. Although waxing my back is not something I would ever succumb to willingly, it is said that there are men who do so. Perhaps more common is eyebrow razing and nose hair plucking. What is the...
by Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch Haber | Aug 21, 2009
We had previously discussed the specialness of nocturnal Torah study. I would like to qualify that with an interesting limitation on night-time Torah study. The Medrash reports that when Moshe Rabeinu ascended Mt. Sinai, the way he was able to differentiate between...
by Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch Haber | Aug 11, 2009
At the end of the list of events that took place on Tu B’Av the Gemara (Taanis 31a) declares: Now that the nights are getting longer, people must learn more Torah at night. One who learns Torah at night will have increased longevity and one who does not learn Torah at...
by Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch Haber | Jul 20, 2009
The ‘Nine Days’, the period of time from Rosh Chodesh Av through Tisha B’Av, is a period of intense national mourning. The Gemara tells us that when Av enters we should diminish our joy. Indeed, many understand this to mean to cease all joy entirely. [The Shaar...
by Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch Haber | Jun 29, 2009
The right way to Tovel your dishes and pots We are obligated to immerse all metal, lead or glass dishes that were purchased or received from a non-Jew. This is inferred from Bamidbar 31:23 where the Jewish people were instructed to dip the dishes they had taken from...
