Daily Halacha Podcast - Daily Halacha By Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

Strictly speaking, one may keep in his home and use during Pesah the same broom he had used throughout the year to sweep the floors in the kitchen and other rooms. Although the broom likely has small particles of Hametz caught among the bristles, these particles are not significant and do not make the broom forbidden for use during Pesah. Nevertheless, as new brooms are easily available and inexpensive, it is customary to buy a new broom for Pesah. If one has a can opener which he knows for certain had never been used to open a can containing Hametz, he may use it on Pesah. Otherwise, one should purchase a separate can opener for Pesah. The teeth of the can opener break through the top of the can and could thus come in contact with the food inside the can, and thus since the teeth are very difficult to clean, a can opener used to open a Hametz can should not be used on Pesah. Very often, people have cookbooks open while they cook in the kitchen, and food quite frequently spills onto the books. Therefore, cook

In the second chapter of Hilchot Teshuva (Halacha 4), the Rambam (Rabbi Moshe Maimonides, Spain-Egypt, 1135-1204) describes the way a person should conduct himself as part of the process of repentance (listen to audio for precise citation). A penitent sinner should accustom himself to cry and pray to God for forgiveness, donate money to charity to the greatest possible extent, and distance himself from the matter regarding which he had committed the sin. Additionally, under certain circumstances it is advisable for a person to go so far as to change his name, in order to convey to himself the psychological message that he is no longer the same person as the one who had transgressed. Finally, the Rambam writes that "Galut," literally "exile" or relocation, is a beneficial means of atonement. Taking residence in a new area often has the effect of humbling and subduing one's character, and it is thus recommended under certain situations for sinners to relocate. It has been explained that this notion underlies th

The Rambam (Rabbi Moshe Maimonides, Spain-Egypt, 1135-1204) begins the seventh chapter of Hilchot Teshuva (listen to audio for precise citation) by emphasizing the importance and value of Teshuva (repentance). Having established in the previous chapter the philosophical basis of the doctrine of free will, that God does not interfere with man's decision to act properly or sinfully, Maimonides now writes that one must exercise his free will by repenting from his misdeeds. A person has the ability to refine his conduct and thereby earn a share in the World to Come, and it therefore behooves each and every individual to perform Teshuva and correct his flaws. In the subsequent passage (Halacha 2; listen to audio for precise citation), the Rambam adds that one should make a point of repenting each and every day of his life. Nobody knows how long he will live; not every person is blessed with longevity. As such, it is unwise to delay Teshuva and think to oneself that he will have time to repent when he reaches old a

The Ben Ish Hai (Rabbi Yosef Haim of Baghdad, 1833-1909), in Parashat Ki-Tese (12), discusses a number of prohibitions regarding the way one speaks to others. First, he addresses the prohibition of "Genebat Da'at" (literally, "stealing one's mind"), or misleading another person. The Torah forbids misleading another person even if the misleading information will not cause a financial loss, but will leave the other person feeling indebted. The Ben Ish Hai gives the example of an extending an invitation to one's fellow knowing full well that he has already made plans to eat somewhere else. If a person knows that his friend is eating Friday night dinner with his parents, for example, it would be forbidden to extend to him an invitation so that he would feel a debt of gratitude. Similarly, the Ben Ish Hai writes, if a person knows that his friend is observing a fast, such as on Ereb Rosh Hodesh, he may not offer him food or a drink, misleading the person into thinking that he is sincerely making a genersou offer.

The 17th of Shevat (which is today Feb 2 2018), marks the Yahrtzeit of Rabbi Haim Palachi of Izmir, Turkey (1788-1869), and today's Halacha will therefore discuss a passage from his famous work, Kaf Ha'haim (1:4; listen to audio recording for precise citation). Rav Haim Palachi speaks of the importance of granting forgiveness to those have caused one humiliation, calling this quality "the cure for everything." If a person is patient and tolerant with people and does not grow angry at them for offending him, this reaction is more effective in earning him forgiveness for his sins than fasting and other forms of self-affliction. Rav Haim adds that one should not even feel any resentment in his heart toward those who offended him. Harboring ill will rather than foregoing on one's honor constitutes sheer arrogance, and is included in the admonition, "Anyone with an arrogant heart is an abomination to God" (Mishleh 16:5). Rav Haim cites in this context a comment in Abot De'Rabbi Natan where the Sages infer this les