Unfortunately, patients with advanced dementia often lose the ability to remember the day of the week, and even when oriented to the day of the week may not recall that a particular action is prohibited on Shabbos. They...
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Rabbi Yosef Sprung
May I Go Home Now? – Part 4
The past several essays have discussed the Sugya of Hitiru Sofan miShum Techilasan – the Halachic principle that allows a person who has left the Techum to save lives to return home after completing his mission. As we...
May I Go Home Now? – Part 2
The initial essay in this series discussed the Machlokes between the Rosh and Rambam regarding the application of the principle of “Hitiru Sofan miShum Techilasan” to soldiers who leave the Techum to save lives. The...
Shabbos “Speech”
“And Hashem E-lokim formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul (Targum Onkelos – l’Ruach M’malela – a speaking spirit)” (Bereishis 2:7)...
“Leisheiv baSukka” Without Eating
The Gemara (Sukka 46a) teaches that “one who enters a Sukka recites a Bracha – Asher Kid’shanu b’Mitzvosav v’Tzivanu Leisheiv baSukka”. There is no limit to how many times one may recite this Bracha each day; one should...
To Fast at Home or To Eat in Shul?
In a previous essay[1], we discussed the question of a Choleh who is restricted to fasting once in ten days. Should he fast on Yom Kippur or Tzom Gedalia? That discussion focused on the important Halachic question of...
