General Holidays

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May an ebay seller set his auction to conclude on Shabbos? May one rent advertising space on his website to others for an entire week, including Shabbos?

Should a person worry about ayin hara? What are the most effective defenses against ayin hara?

May one who will be on an airplane for an entire night of Chanukah use a flashlight for ner Chanukah?

If it is difficult for someone to make it to shul, may he hear krias haTorah or Megillas Esther read over the telephone?

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Rav Zev Smith is a popular maggid shiur and much sought-after speaker on halachic issues who has thousands of recorded shiurim in circulation on a wide range of interesting and relevant, day-to-day topics. His unique blend of halachah and hashkafah, and his knack for explaining difficult concepts in a down-to-earth, practical way, draw both scholars and laymen who seek a thorough grasp of halachah topics. In this fascinating book, he and Rabbi Dovid Kaiser, a previously published author of Torah works as well as a maggid shiur in halachah, have adapted some of the best of Rav Smith's halachah shiurim into written form. Arranged according to the months of the year, What's the Halachah? follows a specific, reader-friendly format. Each chapter begins with a set of intriguing questions on a topic in halachah, which is followed by a broad discussion of the halachic issues the topic involves. The chapter concludes with an application of the information discussed to the initial queries.

What's the Halachah? is a book that will do more than just teach you halachah; it will open before you the vastness and the beauty of the world of halachah. Learn More

When understood properly, the Jewish holidays are inspirational, joyous, and profound. This monumental book contains nearly a thousand concise insights into all the Torah and Rabbinic festivals, as well as sections on the Days of Awe, the Three Weeks, and Tishah B'Av, compiled by renowned Rosh Kollel and talmid chacham Rabbi Binyamin Wurzburger. The author has drawn from his immense breadth of knowledge to provide the reader with a treasury of original ideas of the great commentators throughout the ages. Extensively sourced, the book is a fascinating and eclectic collection of concepts culled from lesser-known commentaries.With this comprehensive anthology of Yom Tov thoughts - many presented to the English-speaking reader for the first time - both scholars and laymen can indeed celebrate "A Festival of Torah." Learn More

Fascinating halachic discussions for the Yom Tov table

You love it at your Shabbos table. 
Now you can enjoy What If? on all the Jewish holidays!

• It is Rosh Hashanah. A man holding a shofar is going to blow for a sick friend. A car pulls up and the driver says, “I'm Jewish. Would you mind blowing that shofar for me?Should he blow the shofar while yom tov is clearly being desecrated
• Boaz built a huge succah for his restaurant - and now patrons of other kosher eateries are using it, and his own customers have to wait. Can he ask the others to leave?
• A pre-Pesach food drive is hurting local groceries. Can the merchants demand that the food distribution be stopped?

The bestselling and beloved What If? series has become a welcome staple at our Shabbos tables. Based on the popular Hebrew-language series Chashukei Chemed, written by noted rav and posek Rav Yitzchok Zilberstein shlita, and translated and arranged by Rabbi Moshe Sherrow, every volume in the What If? series includes hundreds of real-life halachic questions, each accompanied by a brief, practical scenario to illustrate the case, and an answer that is understandable and easy to follow. Make your holiday table extra-special with the great conversation starter, What If on Yamim Tovim.

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As in Hilchos Shabbos, in Hilchos Yom Tov we have followed the "derech kitzora" (path of brevity), and have concentrated primarily on acquainting the reader with the main principles of the laws of Yom Tov. In addition, we have presented a number of practical applications. Thus, one will be equipped to ask one's Rav for further guidance after studying this sefer.

In Hilchos Shabbos we organized the sefer in accordance with the sequence used by the Chayei Adam in his sefer Zichru Toras Moshe. Likewise, in Hilchos Yom Tov as well, we have organized the sefer according to the arrangement of the Chayei Adam, which follows the order of the thirty-nine Melachos. Thus, each chapter in this sefer parallels the corresponding chapter in Kitzur Hilchos Shabbos.

The advantage to this system is that one who has already studied the laws of Shabbos from our sefer can now easily find the halachos of Yom Tov relevant to that subject in the same chapter as that topic is discussed in Hilchos Shabbos. Moreover, within each chapter, one can frequently follow the order of the numbers assigned to each subtopic, and thereby see how the halacha in regard to Yom Tov differs from Shabbos. Learn More

Let MASHAL TOV take you around the Jewish year…

All the ingredients that made Mashal Tov on the Parshah such a popular favorite are present in full measure in Mashal Tov – Throughout the Jewish Year: eye-opening, uplifting, precious and powerful life-changing parables, but this time, as they pertain to the Yamim Tovim and special days of the year.

Perfect for parents, teachers, old and young alike, here’s a perfect way to make year-round learning exciting, meaningful and always enjoyable. Learn More

From the author of the popular Practical Halachos of Shabbos, this important work introduces readers to the complex laws of Yom Tov in an easy-to-learn format. Includes sources for each law, footnotes, review questions, as well as a story to highlight the many common mistaken impressions many of us have about the leniencies relating to the laws of Yom Tov versus the laws of Shabbos.

Rabbi Birnbaum is also the author of the best-selling Pathway to Prayer series. Learn More

סיפורם ומהותם של חגי ומועדי ישראל Learn More