Revivim

Cleaning the kitchen for Pesach should be done more carefully than cleaning the house, to ensure that not even a small crumb of chametz remains * Solutions for baking on Pesach, seeing as oven baking trays used for chametz cannot be koshered * When koshering stovetop grates, we are more concerned about the prohibition of … Read more

The reasoning behind those calling for conversion without the acceptance of mitzvoth * The difference in conversion policy between Sephardic and Ashkenazi countries stemmed from differing realities, and not a halakhic dispute * The currently accepted procedure in the State religious courts examines the seriousness of intention of conversion candidates * Even if future observance … Read more

According to Chazal, the age of marriage is eighteen, but no later than twenty * Learning the fundamentals of Torah, studying a trade, and building a house come before marriage * The permission of Jewish law authorities to delay marriage until the age of 24 in pressing circumstances, or to learn Torah * Learning the … Read more

The difference between drinking wine on Purim and other holidays * When to have the Purim festive meal, and what to eat * Get drunk, or just drink a bit more than usual? * The dispute on how much one should drink stems from the different impact excessive drinking has on various people * Practical instructions for … Read more

The two mitzvoth fulfilled by enlisting in the army: the mitzvah of fighting a war to assist Israel from an attacking enemy, and the mitzvah of settling the Land of Israel * A mitzvah that cannot be performed by others, overrides Talmud Torah * In our current situation, the majority of yeshiva students must enlist, and only … Read more

The I.D.F. and the state would benefit if all soldiers chose the Hesder track * Yeshiva students vacations are shorter than university students * Explaining the importance of Hesder yeshivas to ourselves, is more important than explaining it to the secular * Is the Hesder track at risk if we do not agree to two … Read more

The Greatest Mitzvah   It is a Biblical obligation to procreate, and in every child that parents give birth to, they fulfill a great mitzvah and merit participating with God in bringing life into, and saving, an entire world (Nida 31a; Mishna Sanhedrin 4:5). This is the initial purpose of Creation, for God desired the world be populated, … Read more

Hesder Yeshivot   In recent years, various people have criticized and attacked the Hesder yeshivotbecause of its shortened military track. True, they acknowledge that the Hesderyeshiva students are good soldiers, but they claim that specifically because they are good soldiers, the argument is even stronger: Why shouldn’t they contribute three years like their secular brothers? Let’s go back … Read more

“Be Fruitful and Multiply”   It is a great mitzvah from the Torah to be fruitful and multiply; this was the initial objective of Creation – revealing and adding life to the world. Therefore, it is the firstmitzvah mentioned in the Torah, as God said to Adam and Chava at the conclusion of Creation: “God blessed them. God … Read more

The Status of Rabbis in the Past and their Present Decline   In recent generations, the role of rabbis has become complex and ambiguous. In previous generations the community rabbi, or mara d’atra (local rabbinic authority), was responsible for Torah study and its observance. Under his leadership there were Torah classes for adults, and an educational framework … Read more