By Rabbi Yair Hoffman for the Five Towns Jewish Times There is someone in the Five Towns who is willing to pay a significant amount of money to have the honor of being a sandak at a Bris Milah – any Bris Milah.  His purpose, however, is not just to have the Mitzvah of being […]

By Rabbi Yair Hoffman for 5tjt.com For the refuaah shleima of Maayan Tikvah Bhatia, a 9 year old girl, who needs a refu’ah shleimah bim’heira We never lose when we take a few extra seconds to put more emphasis in our brachos.  Putting more kavana in our brachos instead of mumbling them can have enormous […]

by Rabbi Yair Hoffman for 5tjt.com It is a question that a number of people are asking right now.  When do we commemorate Pesach Sheini by eating Matzah?  Do we do it on the night of the 14th, because that is Pesach Sheini?  Do we do it at Chatzos of the 14th – because that […]

By Rabbi Yair Hoffman for the Five Towns Jewish Times THE CASE The young girl must certainly have been pretty devastated. “Stacey” had misbehaved in class. Nothing excessive, but enough to get the teacher a bit upset. The teacher thundered at the fifth grader, “Now I know why they call you ‘Chaya’ – because you […]

[By Rabbi Yair Hoffman for Five Towns Jewish Times] On Yom Yerushalayim of 1968 (and possibly of 1969), Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach zatzal recited the Hallel.  He did not continue reciting it, however, in subsequent years. Why did he do so? It was because on that momentous day, almost 56 years ago, for the first […]