Michael el Chayil

I heard that R' Moshe Feinstein, z''tzl, was concerned about getting a pacemaker. Why? Because he was concerned that it would be considered a מום/defect that would render him unfit to be a member of the Sanhedrin that will be appointed after the arrival of the Mashiach, may he arrive soon and in our lifetime. I had a couple of questions. First, was that story true? If it was, then how could R' Moshe, as great as he was, hope to get on the coveted 70 (maybe 71) appointments? I mean, R' Moshe would be in competition with Acharonim, Rishonim, Amaraim, Tannaim, Ishei Tanach; even the Avos! There is only one address for questions such as that in Chicago: R' Fuerst. I told R' Fuerst I had heard that story about R' Moshe and the pacemaker. The dayan responded, "I have also heard that story." I really love R' Fuerst. After a short pause, the dayan told me he has one proof it might be true, and another that it might be false. Why might it be true? O...

You know about the guy who went to buy a couple of new pairs of socks and ended up with new shoes, three new shirts, two ties, a new suit, besides the socks? The pants looked a little shabby with the new socks, you can't just buy suit pants, obviously you'll need updated ties, and who doesn't always need new shirts? (That's not me, by the way. I am the guy who sees the price of socks and figures he can get a bit more wear out of his current wardrobe.) I feel that way, though, regarding my efforts to just have a relaxing drink on Shabbos between the fish and the meat. At least we are finally done, right? I mean, after the segue from a vegetable peeler and then an investigation into Shprintze's cholent and פסיק רישא , what else is there to say? Well... I arrived at shul for mincha/ma'ariv a few minutes early yesterday and just as I was opening the door, who should drive up, but the dayan himself. Of course I respectfully waited, held the door for the dayan, and a...

In a recent TftD , I wrote about the importance of having a close relationship with a rav, focusing on the fact that even today there are things you just can't get from s'farim alone. A real, personal connection to a rav is key to becoming a ben Torah. Along the way, I mentioned an open question I have concerning how I like to drink my scotch. Of course the scotch preparation got the most response 😎 To save you following a link, here is the basic issue: One takes a sliver of citrus rind, twists it to squeeze out some of the fragrant oils, then drops it into the glass on top of the ice/drink. It is not being used to flavor the scotch, only the fragrance from the aromatic oils of the citrus peel mixes with that of the scotch, and that wafts over my mouth and enters my nose as a prelude and enhancement to the drink. Is it permitted to twist the rind on Shabbos? It is by hand and for immediate use, as it just doesn't have the same appeal (of course pun intended) if done earli...

Several months ago, I asked R' Fuerst a question he had not gotten before. Honestly, just that should be enough for a TftD. I mean, how often does that happen? Here's the idea: I like to drink my scotch with a twist. That means you take a sliver of citrus rind (usually lemon, but lime, orange, and even tangerine will do in a pinch), twist it to squeeze out some of the fragrant oils, then drop it in the drink. I also like my scotch with a splash of seltzer; usually neat, but sometimes with ice. The question is: can I do that on Shabbos? I am not using it to flavor the scotch, just so the fragrance from the aromatic oils of the citrus peel mixes with that of the scotch, and that wafts over my mouth and enters my nose as a prelude and enhancement to the drink. Anyway... the question is/was: am I permitted to twist the rind on Shabbos? It is by hand and for immediate use, as it just doesn't have the same appeal (of course pun intended) if done earlier. I want the extracted arom...

The Torah juxtaposes the commandment to build the Mishkan with the prohibition to violate Shabbos. This is the source, Chazal tell us, for us to know precisely what malachos would be a violation of Shabbos. Since the Torah was compelled to warn us about Shabbos violation when we were being encouraged to build the Mishkan, the essential activities involved with the Mishkan must be the activities by which one would violate Shabbos. As we all know, there are 39 categories of such labor. There is a nice philosophical point that the observance of Shabbos -- something relevant to each and every Jew in each and every Jewish home, week and and week out -- apparently can bring us to the same level of closeness to HaShem as the holy work done by priestly caste in HaShem's own abode, so to speak, here on earth. That is one of the beauties of Torah observance: Obviously Klal Yisrael attains lofty spiritual heights by the service done by the kohein gadol in the Holy of Holies on Yom Kippur. But...

I plan to have a drink tonight to celebrate. Today was, so far, my single more successful day in kollel since joining a year ago Pesach. I could tell that you that I was able to help one of the yungaleit understand a gemara and the different ways that Rashi and the M'iri explain it. I was able to help because I have a deep knowledge of optics, trigonometry, and history of science and technology. That wasn't it, though. That was just icing on the cake. Fun to share at dinner (and here), but not worth a toast. So... a few weeks ago, I started learning the 11th perek of masechta Shabbos, הזורק/throwing, because it is the wraps up the discussion of הוצאה/transfer out of one domain to another that was started with the first mishna of the entire tractate. I was intrigued by the first question the gemara asked on the first mishna of the perek. I wrote a couple of TtfDs on it, Why and When a Scriptural Source is Needed for הוצאה , and Why הוצאה Has תולדות . If you are paying much clos...