By Rabbi Berach Steinfeld

If a person is worried that he won’t remember to count all the days of Sefirah, should he count with a Bracha or not?

The Torah tell us to count forty-nine days from the bringing of the Omer until the bringing of the korban of Shtei Halechem.

The Rishonim argue whether the Mitzva of counting sefirah is Min HaTorah only during the times of the Bais HaMikdosh or not. The Chinuch in mitzvah 306 says that sefirah is only Min HaTorah during the time of the Bais HaMikdosh. The Rambam in Tmidim Umusafim 7:24 disagrees and says it is Min HaTorah even today.

Where can I buy chometz? Where is it problematic? Rabbi Yakov Teichman – Rabbinic Coordinator at the OK, gives us the full scoop.
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View it in its entirety at: https://www.kashrusawareness.com/post/shelf-awareness 
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By Rabbi Berach Steinfeld

In Shemos, Perek Yud Bais the Torah tells us that we have a mitzvah to bring a Korban Pesach on Erev Pesach. Was the bracha of shehecheyanu recited when they brought the Korban Pesach since it is a mitzvah that occurs infrequently?

The Nesiv Chaim in siman taf lamed bais says that they did not say the bracha of shehecheyanu while shechting the Korban Pesach. They relied on the shehecheyanu that would be said on the night of Pesach during Kiddush. This is similar to the fact that we don’t make a bracha of shehechyanu while building the sukka, but rather we say the bracha of shehecheyanu during Kiddush when we also have the building of the sukka in mind.

Don’t Toss That Sauce
Just Yet…
Many people won’t sell chometz gamur. Does that mean I need to throw out a closed bottle of ketchup? Rabbi Yakov Teichman, Rabbinic Coordinator at the OK, helps us decipher those hard-to-read ingredient panels.
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By Rabbi Berach Steinfeld
                In Vayikra 2:13, the Torah commands us that on all Korbanos must be salted. We learn from the gemara in Menachos 21a that the salting must be done, even on Shabbos. Why do we need a posuk stating that we are allowed to salt the korban on Shabbos when there is no issur De’Oraysa to salt on Shabbos? Perhaps, salting the animal is as if he is tanning the animal. This is not the case, since there is no tanning when it comes to food and it would therefore only be considered an issur De’Rabbonon. The skins would not be salted since each Korban required the animal to be skinned.

By Rabbi Berach Steinfeld

Bnei Yisroel were redeemed from Mitzrayim on Pesach. The Ramban, in his psicha for Chumash Shemos, says that galus will not end until Bnei Yisroel return to their place and to the “maalos” of their avos (forefathers.) When Bnei Yisroel left Mitzrayim, they left the house of slavery, but they were still considered in galus because they were in the midbar and not in their own land. When they arrived at Har Sinai and made the mishkon, they reached the maaleh of the avos. Only through the defeat of the yetzer hora will they reach true “cheirus.”

Wok Smarter, Not Harder: Labeled In China
Part 2 of our travels to China with Rabbi Binyamin Berkowitz, Kashrus Administrator at the KOF-K, focuses on the labeling aspect of Chinese products.
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How Do We Conduct the Purim Seudah on Friday? | Ask the Rabbi Live with Rabbi Chaim Mintz
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The post How Do We Conduct the Purim Seudah on Friday? | Ask the Rabbi Live with Rabbi Chaim Mintz first appeared on Matzav.com.

Made In China: Soy Many Questions
Today we travel to China with Rabbi Binyamin Berkowitz, Kashrus Administrator at the KOF-K. Come along as we explore the process of certifying factories in China.
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Did you ever wonder why there is a mitzva to drink on Purim and not Yom Tov where there is a חיוב of שמחה? This shiur is an eye opener.
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The post Rabbi Yaakov Yosef Reinman: Why We Drink On Purim first appeared on Matzav.com.