Wednesday; Isru Chag; 8th day of Sefiras HaOmer
April 27, 2011
1) Once we start counting the second week of the Omer, when we count the weeks as well as the days, if you responded to the inquiry of "what night is tonight" saying "Tonight is 9", as long as you didn't add the information "...Which is one week and 2 days" you haven't satisfied your obligation, and may go ahead and count with a Bracha. (Mishna Berura Siman 489:22 and Sha'ar HaTziyun Os 28)
2) Therefore, if you tell someone on the night of the 33rd day of the Omer that "Tonight is Lag B'Omer", there is no need to worry, and you are still required to count the Omer with a Bracha. (This is a very common occurrence, and many mistakenly do not make a Bracha after it happens)
QUESTION & ANSWER CORNER
Reader Submitted Questions of interest on topics related to Halachos we covered, as well as other interesting topic and Answers. Taken from the Q & A pages on the Halacha For Today website.
Although the answers I give to questions are taken directly from the Sifrei HaPoskim, and aren't my own, they are still for study purposes only, NOT for Psak Halacha.
Questions can be emailed to HalachaForToday@Yahoo.com
Reader's Question:
Is there any Halacha regarding women shaving their legs or plucking the eyebrows during Sefirah?
Answer:
Plucking the eyebrows, according to Rav Shlomo Zalmen Auerbach Zatzal and Rav Shmuel Wosner shlita is never a problem, as it isn't considered "cutting the hair" so it's permitted for all women all the time.
Shaving the legs, for married women is not a problem during Sefirah according to all opinions. For single girls, there are opinions that forbid it, but the majority of contemporary Poskim allow it.
CHIZUK CORNER
As a Zechus for the Refuah Shelaima of one of the Gedolei HaDor, the Telzer Rosh Yeshiva , HaRav Chaim Stein Shlita, R' Chaim Yaakov ben Chasya Miriam, B'soch Sha'ar Cholei Yisroel, we will B'Ezras Hashem post here each day a short inspirational thought to help us all improve our lives and grow in our service of our Father in heaven, HaKadosh Baruch Hu.
IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING MEANINGFUL FOR THIS SECTION, PLEASE EMAIL IT TO ME.
THANK YOU AND תזכו למצות!
אל תתיאש מן הרחמים
Chizuk Corner
HaRav Yaakov Yisroel Kanievsky, the Steipler Zatzal
A respectable Jew in Bnei Brak tragically became ill. Doctors operated on him many times without any encouraging results, and his condition worsened drastically. In order to help him, his friends decided not to speak any sichas chulin or even divrei Torah in the beis midrash from the beginning of the tefillah (from Boruch She'omar) until the very end (after the last Kaddish)
With Hashem's help, there was an immediate improvement, and he eventually returned to normal life.
It is well known that when people came to HaRav Yaakov Yisroel Kanievsky zt'l, the Steipler Rov, to ask for brochos, he would in many instances say: "I am only one person and do not have much power, but you as a tzibbur have an immeasurable power of the rabbim to annul gezeiros, Rachmono litzlan."
"When she came before the king he commanded by means of the book that his wicked scheme, which he had devised against the Jews, should return upon his own head" (Esther 9:25). Rabbenu the Vilna Gaon says that the posuk implies that when a Jew comes before the King (when he prays or says a brocho before HaKodosh Boruch Hu) the best advice is for him to say his tefillos from inside the "book." By doing so the wicked scheme will be foiled, that the thoughts disturbing his tefillah will be removed.
It is only proper to add that Maran HaRav Y. Y. Kanievsky zt'l used to say that when a Jew davens from a siddur despite being disturbed by other thoughts his seeing the words of tefillah within the siddur is also considered kavono.
The novi Malachi in the end of his nevu'ah promises us that when the tzibbur strengthen themselves, a special sefer zikoron is opened in Shomayim. Anyone found in that sefer is zoche to abundant rachamei Shomayim (see the end of Malachi) and in the zechus of the rabbim elevating themselves may we be privileged to hear besuros tovos, yeshu'os, and nechomos.
Important Numbers
