Looking in the Mirror

Question: A pigeon has made its nest on the window ledge of my son's bedroom. There are three eggs there. Should we perform shiluach haken? If so, how do we do it and what do we do with the eggs? Do we display them in our living room, as I have heard others have done?…

Question: Answer: מקור חסרון קנין דברים למדנו מריש ב''ב על הא דמוקמינן מתניתין בשותפין שרצו לעשות מחיצה בחצר שאין בה דין חלוקה הקשה הגמרא (ג.) כי רצו מאי הוי נהדרו בהו, א''ר אסי א''ר יוחנן שקנו מידן, וכי קנו מידן מאי הוי קנין דברים בעלמא הוא, כשקנו מידן ברוחות ופירש''י דאין חליפין קונין אלא דבר…

Question: Answer: A Nation of Families The Seder experience is designed to make sure we focus on our families and particularly on our children.[1] The Haggodoh directs us to discuss the story of our suffering and deliverance and eat the meal together with our families. If we were offering the korban Pesach, we would be…

Question: A friend of ours borrowed some books and then lost them. She replaced the books at her own expense and a week later found the original ones. She would (naturally) prefer to return the new books to the shop where she bought them, but in the meantime we have written our name into the…

Question: Can the money I contribute to the building fund by standing order be considered part of my ma'aser? Answer: Technically, the money designated for the building fund cannot be subtracted from maos ma'aser. Ma'aser kesafim is a halachic concept with its own set of rules. The mitzvoh of tzedokoh does not require giving a…

Question: Answer: Most parents realize that educating their children is not as simple as finding out where the neighborhood kids go to school, packing lunches, arranging for transportation and meeting the teacher twice a year. Nevertheless, there is a tendency to leave education to the "experts," i.e., the school. Often parents act as if they…