A discussion of Hoshen Mishpat, Even Ha'Ezer and other matters.
My weekly parashah lectures and halachah column for this past פרשת צו discussed the establishment of days of thanksgiving, as well as other rituals of thanksgiving. One fascinating practice that I discussed in the lectures is the custom of some Syrian Jews, of Sephardic extraction, to kindle an extra light on each night of חנוכה. …
Continue reading “Thanksgiving Day, Thanksgiving Days, and The Ten Branched Menorah”
We have previously discussed the “reckless partier” defense – a halachic exemption from liability for torts perpetrated in the course of customarily boisterous celebration (e.g., on Purim, or at a wedding). The primary early source for this is a ruling of Tosafos (based on Rashi’s interpretation of a Mishnah), echoed throughout the French-German halachic tradition: …