Thanksgiving Legal Holiday Learning: Priestly Privilege

The extent of V’Kidashto

Here’s a mitzva that we can encounter quite frequently: The mitzva of V’Kidashto, to sanctify the Kohanim and give them precedence. Are we doing it right? Rabbi Yoseph Rosansky delivered a masterful shiur on the parameters and underlying foundations of this mitzva. Here are some of the questions that were addressed over the course of the shiur:

• The Magen Avraham asks: Why don't people give priority to Kohanim in mundane matters if it's a mitzva D'Oraysah?

• Can you ask your Kohen neighbor to take out your garbage bins?

• Should you let a Kohen go in front of you in line at the grocery store?

• Do you have to respond to a Kohen's emails before others?

• Are you obligated to let a Kohen take the Amud if both of you have a yahrtzeit?

• The shul auctions aliyos to raise money but there's only one Kohen so no one bids. Can we forego on the Kohen getting the first aliyah so the shul can raise money?

• Did you know... The Chazon Ish told his shliach to deliver Mishloach Manos to the Kohanim on his list first?… R' Chaim Kanievsky would answer letters from Kohanim before others?

• Lefty Kohanim are considered Baalei Mumin. Do we still have to honor them?

• Can Kohen parents ask their Kohen son to do chores?

• Can a Kohen's wife ask him to do the dishes?

A lot of very relevant questions! For the answers, you need to listen to the shiur below. Follow along with the sources here.

Labor Day Legal Holiday Learning: Get On Your Feet

Mipnei Seiva Takum - Respect for Our Elders

Essential to the continued successful transmission of our Mesorah is respect for the bearers of that Mesorah. The Torah instructs us to stand up in reverence for all those who contain wisdom within them. This extends to those who have gained wisdom through their extensive life experience.

As such this is a mitzva that is relevant each and every day. Listen to the shiur below by Rabbi Moshe Tzvi Koenig and follow along with the sources to learn more.

Independence Day Legal Holiday Learning: Entrapment

Baiting employees to test integrity

For a shiur about placing stumbling blocks in front of people, there sure were a lot of obstacles to overcome.

Rabbi Chaim Mendelson, Rosh Kollel in Yerushalayim of Kollel Toras Zeraim - Institute for Business Halacha, made plans to be in Minneapolis over this Shabbos, Parshas Chukas, to join the Shabbos Sheva Brachos of his nephew. Rabbi Mendelson contacted the Kollel and offered to give a shiur while he was here. Perfect, we said. You can give the Legal Holiday shiur on July 4th!

Then… war broke out between Israel and Iran. Airport closed. What now?

Baruch Hashem, things calmed down and flights resumed in time for the Sherman-Mendelson chasuna.

But… Rabbi Mendelson’s flight to MSP was delayed, and the shiur was on the rocks once again.

Chasdei Hashem, Rabbi Mendelson made it here the morning of July 4th, only delaying the shiur by 35 minutes. Phew!

After all that ado, let’s get to the shiur itself. Can an employer bait their employee by leaving money around to tempt them, in order to ascertain the employee’s level of honesty?

The answer revolves around the prohibition of “Lifnei Iver,” not to cause another person to sin. Is this transgressed by merely presenting the opportunity, even if it doesn’t result in any sin? Is there any dispensation if the employee only thinks they’re doing something wrong? Is it allowed to test someone for educational purposes? Does it make a difference if the employee is Jewish or non-Jewish?

For the answers to these questions, listen to the shiur by Rabbi Mendelson, and follow along with the sources.

Thank you, Rabbi Mendelson, for your perseverance and for the excellent shiur!

Memorial Day Legal Holiday Learning: Paying Workers On Time

The Mitzva of Bal Talin

Monday’s Legal Holiday Learning came on the heels of a moving and heartfelt tribute to the Rosh Kollel and Rebbetzin the night before, and the Bais Medrash was full of those looking to capitalize on the inspiration.

The topic of paying workers on time is relevant for just about anyone, but until now shrouded in a lack of knowledge. Rabbi Bodner pulled back the curtain and shed light on the details of this mitzva. Avoid two prohibitions and keep a positive commandment each time by understanding the parameters: What is the deadine? When does the obligation kick in? What can done to avoid transgressing?

Listen in and enhance your knowledge of this everyday mitzva.

4th Annual Minneapolis Yarchei Kallah

The feeling here after our 4th annual Yarchei Kallah: We did it!

We were unable to hold the Yarchei Kallah at its customary time of year due to the confluence with Chanukah. The question loomed: Should we still make it happen this year? Will we have enough attendance at a later date when most don’t take off?

The answer from the community was a resounding yes, let’s do this! We can’t miss out on the Yarchei Kallah this year.

It was the dedication of so many who took off of work or squeezed time out of their busy schedules to come learn that made this Yarchei Kallah a success. It was plain to see just how strong is the community’s connection to Torah, and especially to this type of learning- in-depth topics and shiurim of Rav Cziment that require focus and effort.

What an inspiration, what a community!

Thank you to all who made this year’s Yarchei Kallah a resounding success:

• All of the participants who dedicated their time and energy;

• Rabbi Yisroel Meir Ebstein for the preparations to make the Yarchei Kallah happen;

• All those who contributed to sponsoring;

• Mr. & Mrs. Avromi Roberts for hosting the Friday night Oneg and Parsha shiur with Rav Cziment;

• Mrs. Mandelbaum, Mrs. Goldberger, and all who contributed to the Melava Malka;

• and of course, Rav Ezriel Cziment for once again sharing not only his presence and his Torah with us, but his love and passion for Torah which was palpable throughout all of the many shiurim he delivered over the course of the Yarchei Kallah and Shabbos.

Thank you, and we’re already looking forward to next year!

All shiurim as well as addresses from the Melava Malka can be found at this link.

The Business Breakfast: Who is in Charge...

…of a wife’s assets

“These are serious shailas, raboisai.”

Any time money is involved, things get serious. All the more so when we’re talking about a family unit. Rabbi Zev Cohen’s message: Talk about it at the beginning, come to an agreement when you are first starting out.

These days it’s not uncommon for wives to enter the marriage with significant assets, or to have well-paying professions, even more than their husbands. Who has the final say in regards to where that money should go?

In reality, this is an area that is well-covered in halacha. There are a few categories of assets that a wife may have, which have different rules of control. But it is crucial that the husband and wife sit down and determine which of the categories the money falls in to.

Bottom line? Be aware of the issues, and ask a shaila.

Dec. 25th Legal Holiday Learning: Ma'aser Kesafim

UNDERSTANDING THE OBLIGATION

There is a longstanding practice to give ma’aser on (tithe) one’s earnings for charitable and Torah causes. But upon closer examination, what is the source for this custom? The Torah discusses ma’aser on crops and on animals, but we don’t find a mitzva of ma’aser regarding money. Further, how does this interact with the general mitzva of tzedaka?

Rabbi Avi Danziger wove a masterful shiur to address these issues and more, building from the individual obligation to give tzedakah and the limits of that obligation. In that context Rabbi Danziger addressed several difficult questions and built an understanding of the framework of these mitzvos.

Relive the shiur with the recording below, for the background sources click here.

At 9:15 Last Night, We All Stopped

The Kollel’s learning sessions are untouchable—almost sacred ground. But last night, something remarkable broke that tradition.

At 9:15 PM, Rabbi Gibber did the unthinkable: he interrupted a full Beis Medrash night seder. The room fell silent as he shared a story from his days at Yeshivas Ner Yisroel. Rav Yaakov Ruderman had once halted the Yeshiva’s learning seder to honor a group of Iranian refugees who completed a mesechta of Gemara, marking their siyum with a celebration in the Beis Medrash.

Inspired by that precedent, we paused to celebrate an equally monumental achievement: the completion of the “Bavas” (Bava Kama, Bava Metzia, and Bava Basra) —414 folios of some of the most challenging Talmudic texts—by over a dozen community members following the Daf Yomi cycle. The room erupted in joy and dancing. Some continued the celebration with refreshments and singing at a local restaurant, while others returned to their learning, their spirits uplifted.

Rabbi Gibber explained the deeper meaning behind the pause: “The honor of Torah must precede the learning of Torah.”

Torah is not just another subject. It is the Divine Word and Wisdom. Only when approached with proper reverence can its full depth be unlocked. And so, last night, we stopped—and by doing so, elevated everything.

Thanksgiving Legal Holiday Learning: High Strung

Building Blocks of Our Eruv

The main components of today’s community Eruvin are the ubiquitous utility poles and electric wires, which serve as the basis for halachic doorways which enclose the area. In truth there are many details that go into a reliable Eruv that are only apparent to the eye trained in the halachos.

Rabbi Chaim Kulefsky shared his insight from the Kollel’s current study of Maseches Eiruvin and took us on a virtual halachic tour of our own community Eruv with a visual presentation (click here), explaining various halachic issues that arise and how they are addressed practically.

R' Chaim Vital & Myers Briggs

I've been taking a course recently in career counseling. My goal is to help people (primarily yungeleit) find appropriate career paths.

One of the things we learned in the class is personality typing and we reviewed the well-known Myers-Briggs framework.

Lesser known is what Rav Chaim Vital writes about personality types based on the four basic elements in nature. This all got me thinking. If there's any value to Myers-Briggs, it must match up somehow with the truth expressed by Rav Chaim Vital. I have since developed a framework and an understanding for how these two frameworks fit neatly together. Listen to the recording below, and let me know what you think!