Keter Torah Synagogue

B"H

 

Halachot - Jewish laws, of Rosh Hashanah, Sukkot and Shemini Atzeret That Falls on Thursday.

 

(Halachot were collected from many sources and modified into this document).

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Mikveh

Mikveh is a ‘bath’ used for the purpose of ritual immersion in Judaism. The word "mikveh", as used in the Hebrew Bible, literally means a "collection" – generally, a collection of water.

 

It is proper for men to immerse in a Mikveh on Erev Rosh Hashanah in honor of the holiday. This should preferably be done after Hatzot (midday as defined by Halacha), which generally occurs at approximately 1pm, but if a man wants to immerse during the

morning hours, this is also acceptable.

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Eruv Tavshilin - explanation

Normally, cooking is allowed on Jewish holidays, but only for consumption on that day, and not for consumption after the holiday. Technically, if such a holiday occurs on Friday, cooking is allowed for the Sabbath, but the rabbis forbade this in order to prevent confusion on other years (when the holiday does not immediately precede the Sabbath) unless this ritual of eruv tavshilin is performed, which would remind the people of the reasons for the exception.

This ritual consists of cooking and baking some food for the Sabbath before the holiday begins. The food must consist of (a minimum of) an egg-size amount of bread of "Matzoh" and an olive-sized amount of cooked food. After being set aside, a blessing must be recited, and the food must be eaten on Shabbat. Because the "dishes" or "servings" are "mixed", meaning we have "mixed" the time of preparation between the day prior to the holiday with a food that may be eaten on the day after the holiday (which will be the Shabbat), this thErevy allows for cooking to take place on the holiday itself which is not considered a "new" cooking, but rather a continuation of the "mixed" cooking that has already "begun" before the holiday started.

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Eruv Tavshilin - What Should we do?

This year where Rosh Hashanah begins on Wednesday night, such that Rosh Hashanah leads directly into Shabbat, one must remember to prepare an Eruv Tavshilin before the onset of Yom Tov on Erev Rosh Hashanah. He sets aside a piece of bread and a boiled egg, recites the Beracha of “…Asher Kideshanu Be’misvotav Ve’sivanu Al Misvat Eruv,” and then recites the text of “Be’den Eruva Yeheh Shari”.. that is printed in the Mahzorim. The bread and egg should then be put aside in a safe place. It is customary and proper to save the Eruv Tavshilin until Shabbat afternoon and eat it with Se’uda Shelisheet.

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Candle lighting and flame / fire handling on Yom-Tov, Holiday

Women light candles before sundown on Erev Rosh Hashanah at the time printed in the calendars. They recite the Beracha of “…Asher Kideshanu Be’misvotav Ve’sivanu Le’hadlik Ner Shel Yom Tov.” The women light candles on the second night of Yom Tov, as well, after dark, when the men return home from Arvit, before the Yom Tov meal. And, of course, when Rosh Hashanah falls on Thursday and Friday, the women also light candles on Friday afternoon as usual.

It must be emphasized that Halacha forbids creating a flame on Yom Tov, such as by striking a match, even though it is permissible on Yom Tov to light a candle from an existing flame. Therefore, one must ensure before Yom Tov to light a large candle that will burn until the time for lighting on the first day of Yom Tov, and in the case when Rosh Hashanah falls on Thursday

and Friday, he must also have a candle burning Friday afternoon so the Shabbat candles can be lit. One should obtain a long-lasting candle before Rosh Hashanah so that the Yom Tov and Shabbat candles can be lit as required.

Furthermore, Halacha forbids extinguishing a flame on Yom Tov, and therefore after a woman lights the candles, she must not extinguish the candle with which she lit, but should rather put it down and let it be extinguished by itself. This Halacha is also relevant for those who smoke on Yom Tov; they may not put out the cigarette, and must rather put it down and let it burn out by itself. (Of course, one should not smoke anytime; but if one does smoke, he must ensure not to actively extinguish the cigarette.)

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No Shiva on Rosh Hashanah

If a mourner is observing Shiva, Heaven forbid,

the onset of Rosh Hashanah ends the Shiva observance. Even if the mourner did not complete seven days of Shiva, the mourning period ends with the onset of Rosh Hashanah, and he gets up from Shiva on Erev Rosh Hashanah. However, Maran ruled that in such a case, the mourner may not bathe with hot water on Erev Yom Tov.

Although bathing is allowed immediately after Shiva, it would not be permitted on Erev Rosh Hashanah in this case, as one would thErevy be actively “breaking” the Shiva. This is the ruling accepted by Hacham Ovadia Yosef. Therefore, if a mourner is observing Shiba before Rosh Hashanah, he gets up on Erev Rosh Hashanah but should not take a hot shower until nighttime, after Rosh Hashanah begins, at which point the Shiba restrictions no longer apply. Bathing with hot water is permissible on Yom Tov, and therefore in such a case one should shower on the night of Rosh Hashanah.

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Shabbat Shalom

Shanah Tova

שבת שלום

 

Rabbi Sasson