Category: Sefer Breishit

For Real This Time, What’s the Story With Christmas Gifts?

by Rabbi Dov Linzer
Posted on December 28, 2017

So what is the story with Christmas gifts and office Christmas parties? Last week we saw that the Talmud draws a number of red lines to ensure that our active involvement in the surrounding society does not lead us into religiously problematic areas.…

The Holiday Season – What’s A Frum Jew to Do?

by Rabbi Dov Linzer
Posted on December 21, 2017

This time of year, during the “holiday season,” many Jews struggle with how to best negotiate our interaction with the society and culture around us. Can we give Christmas or year-end gifts to our paper carrier? Can we go to our company’s holiday party if it is going to be Christmas-themed?…

There’s No Going Home Again? – Where Do Travelers, Guests, and College Students Light Hanukkah Candles?

by Rabbi Dov Linzer
Posted on December 14, 2017

Many of us fondly remember precious moments with our families during Hanukkah – lighting candles, singing songs, eating latkes, and playing dreidel. The family-oriented strand of this holiday is actually deeply woven into its mitzvot and halakhic requirements. The obligation rests not on the individual, as is the case with almost all other mitzvot, but on the household as a unit, ner ish u’veito, a candle for the person and his household.…