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Author Archives: Rabbi Leib Zalesch
Musings On the Beracha of Leishev BaSukkah
I was fortunate to be able to learn about the beracha of “Leishev BaSukkah” with a group at my Shul over Yom Tov. Below are some of the salient points, with references to the sources, which are linked to here. … Continue reading
Posted in Halacha, Holidays, Succot
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Frum or Krum: Kohanim and Mummies
My local shul is holding its Annual Dinner in a museum which houses mummies. Being a Kohen, I have always understood that I cannot enter such a museum due to the tumah, very loosely translated as impurity, that these mummies emit. … Continue reading
Posted in Communal Matters, Frum ... Or Krum??, Halacha
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The Origins of Slavery (On the Siyum of My Son on Bereishit)
My eight-year-old son and I just completed the Book of Bereishit, a study we began when he was just four years old. In honor of the occasion, I wanted to share some thoughts which I have been developing over the … Continue reading
Posted in Parshat Hashavua
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Meet the Bar Papas, a Transnational, Intergenerational Nuclear Family
I came across something tonight rather by accident, which led me down a rabbit hole from which I am still trying to re-emerge. In preparing a unit on the history and people of Gemara for my 6th graders, I came … Continue reading
The Disappearance and Reappearance of Pesach in Tanach
I was privileged to give a shiur in my shul the last afternoon of Pesach on “The Appearance and Disappearance of Pesach in Tanach,” focusing on whether Pesach was celebrated in the midbar and on the disappearance and reappearance of … Continue reading
Posted in Holidays, Jewish History, Nach, Parshat Hashavua, Pesach
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Frum or Krum: Mikvah for a Kohen
The time has come once again to don our cape and venture out into the weird, wild, and wacky world of contemporary Halacha, to determine whether the writ as presented to us by the establishment is truly frum or a … Continue reading
Posted in Communal Matters, Frum ... Or Krum??, Halacha
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Frum or Krum: Using the Shamash on Chanukah
The time has come once again for our should-be-award-winning exploration into mores and vicissitudes in the Jewish world and how they stack up to the light of objective research (spoiler: usually, not well). Today’s question: Does the presence of the … Continue reading
Posted in Chanukah, Frum ... Or Krum??, Halacha, Holidays
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Parshat Mattot: Mi Ya’aleh B’Har Hashem – Hearing the Echo of Diaspora’s Call
By a fluke of the calendar and my travel schedule, I got to hear Parshat Mattot twice – first in Israel, then in America. Parshat Mattot is a difficult one for those who have made Aliyah and like to stick … Continue reading
Posted in Communal Matters, Parshat Hashavua
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My Actual All-Time Favorite Moments in Iggerot Moshe
For some time now I have taught classes and posted write-ups on landmark Teshuvot of Rav Moshe Feinstein under the header “My All-Time Favorite Moments in Iggerot Moshe” (link). But it has occurred to me over time that that title is a bit of … Continue reading
Posted in Halacha
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Priorities in Mikvah Building
I was privileged to give an adult ed class over Shavuot on the topic of the relative prioritization of building a mikvah as compared with building a shul or school. The shiur also dealt with the relative importance of a … Continue reading
Posted in Communal Matters, Halacha
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Parsha Perspicacities 