**Today's Halacha is dedicated f or the refuah and haslacha of Ronnie, Sharon, Eli and all the children of CARE** Is it possible to kosher a blender for Pesah, and, if so, how is this done? A blender consists of three parts – the grinder, the jar, and the base in which the motor is situated. The base just needs to be thoroughly cleaned to ensure th…

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily GemaraVon Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

**Today's Halacha is dedicated f or the refuah and haslacha of Ronnie, Sharon, Eli and all the children of CARE** To use a vessel on Pesah that was used during the year for Hames, it must first undergo koshering through Hag'ala, which literally means to extract or purge the Hames that has been absorbed in the vessel. The method of extraction depend…

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily GemaraVon Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

**Today's Halacha is dedicated f or the refuah and haslacha of Ronnie, Sharon, Eli and all the children of CARE** When baking Masot for the Misva of Masa at the Seder, one must use "Mayim She'lanu" (pronounced with a "Dagesh" in the "Lamed") – meaning, water that has been left overnight. This means that if a person plans to bake Masa for the Misva …

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily GemaraVon Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

**Today's Halacha is dedicated f or the refuah and haslacha of Ronnie, Sharon, Eli and all the children of CARE** Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv (contemporary) records the practice of the "Medakdekim" (those who are especially meticulous in their Halachic observance) not to rely on any Kashrut certification of Masot, and instead eat on Pesah only Masot …

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily GemaraVon Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

**Today's Halacha is dedicated f or the refuah and haslacha of Ronnie, Sharon, Eli and all the children of CARE** The Halacha states (Shulhan Aruch 456) states that Massa dough should be kneaded in small batches of less than the amount that requires taking Halla (approximately 3.5 lbs.). The Rabbis were concerned that if one would use a larger batc…

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily GemaraVon Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily GemaraVon Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

**Today's Halacha is dedicated f or the refuah and haslacha of Ronnie, Sharon, Eli and all the children of CARE** The Gemara in Masechet Yoma emphasizes the importance of taking three steps back after completing the Amida, commenting that if one did not do this properly, then it would have been preferable for him not to have prayed at all. In a sen…

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily GemaraVon Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

**Today's Halacha is dedicated f or the refuah and haslacha of Ronnie, Sharon, Eli and all the children of CARE** Which is the proper way to recite the Amida – silently, or audibly? The Shulchan Aruch writes (101) that when praying the Amida one must move his lips and enunciate the words; thinking the words in one's mind does not fulfill the obliga…

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily GemaraVon Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

**Today's Halacha is dedicated f or the refuah and haslacha of Ronnie, Sharon, Eli and all the children of CARE** A number of different applications are available providing the entire text of the Siddur of one's smartphone. Is it permissible to pray using such an application? The Gemara in Masechet Berachot (23) establishes that while praying the A…

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily GemaraVon Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

**Today's Halacha is dedicated f or the refuah and haslacha of Ronnie, Sharon, Eli and all the children of CARE** The widespread custom among all Sephardic communities is to recite "Viduy," or confession, immediately following the Amida both at Shaharit and at Minha. This custom is based upon passages in the Zohar (the principal text of Kabbala) an…

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily GemaraVon Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

**Today's Halacha is dedicated f or the refuah and haslacha of Ronnie, Sharon, Eli and all the children of CARE** The Ben Ish Hai (Rabbi Yosef Haim of Baghdad, 1833-1909), in Parashat Vayigash (1; listen to audio recording for precise citation), discusses the laws pertaining to the recitation of the verse, "Hashem Melech" in the prayer service. He …

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily GemaraVon Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

**Today's Halacha is dedicated f or the refuah and haslacha of Ronnie, Sharon, Eli and all the children of CARE** There is a prevalent custom among the Sepharadim to gesture with one's hands to the right and to the left before beginning the Amida prayer. The custom is to gesture three times to the individual standing to one's right, and then three …

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily GemaraVon Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily GemaraVon Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

**Today's Halacha is dedicated f or the refuah and haslacha of Ronnie, Sharon, Eli and all the children of CARE** On Purim morning, one should make an effort to wake up extra early and recite Tehilim. This is based on the Hida (Rav Haim Yosef David Azulai, 1724-1807), who writes in his "Devash L'fi" that there are five special days during the year …

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily GemaraVon Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

**Today's Halacha is dedicated f or the refuah and haslacha of Ronnie, Sharon, Eli and all the children of CARE** The thirteenth of Adar – the day before Purim – is observed as a fast called Ta'anit Ester. This fast commemorates the fast that the Jews observed during the time of Mordechai and Ester on the day they waged war to defend themselves aga…

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily GemaraVon Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

**Today's Halacha is dedicated f or the refuah and haslacha of Ronnie, Sharon, Eli and all the children of CARE** One of the obligations of Purim is "Matanot La'ebyonim" – giving gifts to the poor. Does one fulfill this obligation through "Mehila," meaning, by waiving an outstanding debt? For example, if a person lent a poor person $500 at some poi…

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily GemaraVon Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

**Today's Halacha is dedicated f or the refuah and haslacha of Ronnie, Sharon, Eli and all the children of CARE** One of the obligations that apply on the festival of Purim is Matanot La'evyonim – gifts to the poor. People are generally very vigilant with regard to the Mitzva of Mishlo'ach Manot on Purim, and most of the money spent on this festiva…

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily GemaraVon Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

**Today's Halacha is dedicated f or the refuah and haslacha of Ronnie, Sharon, Eli and all the children of CARE** The Gemara states that the list Haman's ten sons should be read in one breath. The common practice is to also read the word "Aseret" (ten), which sums up the list, in the same breath as the names. The reason for this custom is to emphas…

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily GemaraVon Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

The Shulhan Aruch (687:1) records the Halacha that the Megila is read twice on Purim-once at night and once during the day. The Poskim discuss a case in which a person can only hear the Megila at only one of those times. Is it preferable for him to hear it in the night or during the day? Hacham Ben Sion (Or L'Sion Vol. 4, p.319) suggests that this …

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily GemaraVon Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily GemaraVon Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

The 7th of Adar (which this year will be March 7th 2025) marks the Yartzheit of Moshe Rabbenu, and there is a custom among many to observe a fast on this day. The custom to fast on 7 Adar is mentioned already by Maran in the Shulhan Aruch (Orah Haim 580:2). The rationale behind this custom is the fact that it is customary to fast on the Yartzheit o…

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily GemaraVon Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

There is a custom among Sepharadim to sing the Piyut (hymn), "Mi Kamocha Ve'en Kamocha" on the Shabbat before Purim. This song is, essentially, a poetic description of the Purim story. It follows the sequence of the Hebrew alphabet, and each line is taken from a verse in Tanach and concludes with the word "Lo." It is remarkable to consider that it …

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily GemaraVon Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

A person should hear the reading of Parashat Zachor on the Shabbat before Purim from a person who reads according to his tradition. Meaning, a Sepharadi should hear Parashat Zachor read by a Sepharadi, and an Ashkenazi should hear it read by an Ashkenazi. If a Sepharadi normally prays in an Ashkenazic Minyan, he should make a point to attend a Seph…

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On "Shabbat Zachor," the Shabbat before Purim, we take two Torah scrolls from the Heichal. After reading the regular Torah portion from the first Torah, we open the second scroll and read for the Maftir reading the final verses of Parashat Ki-Teitzei (Devarim 25:17-19) which command us to recount Amalek's attack on Benei Yisrael. According to many …

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Must pregnant women observe the fast of Ta'anit Ester? The Halacha in such a case depends on the stage of pregnancy, and the woman's condition. After the first trimester, a pregnant woman is exempt from the fast so she may eat and drink to sustain and strengthen the fetus. However, a woman in this case must ensure to eat and drink only as necessary…

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily GemaraVon Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

We have learned that it is a Mitzvah on Purim Day to have a Seuda, a meal with meat, with bread, etc. This year, Purim falls out on a Friday. So the question was asked about Seudat Purim when Purim falls out on a Friday. We are all aware of Seudat Shabbat, which is the festive meal we all have on Friday night. So when should we have Seudat Purim so…

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily GemaraVon Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

A Daily Gemara podcast, brought to you by Daily GemaraVon Rabbi Eli J. Mansour