by Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch Haber | Nov 11, 2012
Although Simchas Torah is one of the highlights of the Jewish calendar, its origins are shrouded in mystery. Not mentioned at all in the Talmud or in any of the works of the Rishonim. The first mention in a Halachic work is in the glosses of the Rema (OC 669). What...
by Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch Haber | Oct 9, 2009
Many shuls have a Simchas Torah auction. In this auction the honors of the day, the aliyos, hakafos, Mussaf and so on are sold to the highest bidder. Many synagogues take this a step further and sell the honors for the whole year such as the ‘honor’ of being allowed...
by Rabbi Tzvi Hirsch Haber | Oct 7, 2009
Overview The seventh day of Sukkos is known as Hoshana Rabbah, the day of many Hoshanos (or Hosanna’s). We will attempt to shed some light on the practices of the day. The origins of Hoshana Rabbah are in the Mishnah (Sukkah 4:5) which informs us that the custom was...
