Michael el Chayil

My wife likes her challah warm. In fact, we warm both challos -- even though we are only going to eat one -- so they keep each other warmer. I had an idea, though. I wondered if I really needed to have the challah on the table during Shalom Aleichem and Eishes Chayil. Of course, I went to ask the dayan. Before mincha or just after ma'ariv is my favorite time for questions like this. I started davening at the Agudah for mincha/ma'ariv mostly to have this opportunity, in fact. Asking in person is *so* much better than a phone call. I lead with, "My wife likes the challah to be served warm." The dayan replied, "So does my wife." (You don't get that on a phone call. Just saying.) So I continued, "I was wondering if I could delay bringing the challah to the table until after Shalom Aleichem and Eishes Chayil so it will be a little warmer." The dayan replied, "In fact, לכתחילה the challah doesn't even be on the table for kiddush." I tha...

There are few things more irritating than hearing, "I told you so." It is usually heard when trapped in a sticky situation that is the outcome -- direct or indirect -- of a group decision. Invariably, someone was not thrilled with the chosen course of action. Someone had a better idea, but they went along with the group. Now that things are falling apart, that one bitter "fine; I'll go along with you, but..." participant gets to double down and say, "See?! I told you so!" Yet, we seem to read those very words in the Torah when the 10 sons of Yaakov who went for food are standing before the viceroy of Mitzrayim -- whom they do not recognize as their brother Yosef; the very brother they were seeking save -- and accused of being spies. They know this is an unfair and unwarranted accusation. Even so, they search their deeds to find some error that would warrant this treatment. They understand deeply that HaShem is orchestrating events to punish them for s...

Some time ago (oh my gosh... over 11 year! where does the time go?) I wrote at TftD regarding Using Science in Support of Avodas HaShem . In recent discussions, I proposed the following analogy: The relationship of the physical world that we experience in relation to the spiritual reality is something like the relationship of an iceberg to the ocean. Howso? Only about 10% of an iceberg is above water. That means the part you can see is not a great indicator of the actual (entire) iceberg. If you know enough about how icebergs form and how they interact with water and how deep the water is, then you can get a clue as to the size and shape of the total iceberg. Why not just measure what you see and multiply by 10? Consider this: shape and composition of an object affects its orientation when floating. That means that whatever is under water (the hidden portion) has more to do with what is visible than the visible part itself. There is a profound underlying spiritual reality that is be...