A man may not wear clothes nor jewelry that only women wear, nor may a woman wear men-only apparel.
The Torah prohibits men from removing their Peiyot.
A man may not wear clothes or jewelry that only women wear - nor may a woman wear men-only apparel.
"Who-wears-what" is defined by local custom and may change over time.
A man may not pluck out even a single white hair (unless all his hair has turned white) nor may he dye his white hair. A woman may.
Source: Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 171:1,3
- Danny
Tuesday, 13 Iyar 5770 - 28th day of the Omer
The Torah prohibits men from removing their Payot.
The Payot-area is the hair in the triangular area from the top of the ear to the forehead to the bottom of the ear.
According to some opinions even cutting the Payot very close to the skin with scissors is forbidden.
Source: Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 170:1
- Danny
Monday, 12 Iyar 5770 - 27th day of the Omer
Kiddush Levanah - (the sanctification of the new moon) - can be found in any Siddur; usually after the Maariv service. Men have an obligation to say Kiddush Levanah every month. The custom is that women do not say Kiddush Levanah. Kiddush Levanah cannot be said before the new moon is 3 days (72 hours) old. Some even wait until it's 7 days old. Kiddush Levanah can only be said while the moon is waxing. Kiddush Levanah should not be said while standing under a roof. However, if this is impossible or impractical, then it can be said inside by a window. Source Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 77:7, 8, 10 - Danny Monday 4th Tamuz 5768
This week's Parsha - Shlach - ends with the third paragraph of Shma which talk about the Mitzva of Tzitzis. Wearing Tzitzis is supposed to remind one of all 613 Mitzvos - as it says in this week’s Parsha "...make Tzitzis, and see them and thereby remember all the Mitzvos of Hashem and do them". Once a boy is toilet-trained he should wear a Tallis Katan - a 4-cornered garment with Tzitzis from the time he wakes up until he goes to sleep. This is besides the Tallis worn in shul. Women are exempt from the Mitzva of Tzitzis, as it's a time-bound Mitzva; it only applies during the day. When putting on Tzitzis in the morning, the Bracha cannot be made until it is light enough outside to recognize a casual acquaintance from 4 Amos (2 meters) away. This is about an hour before sunrise in Israel. Men must put Tzitzis on all 4-cornered garments they wear, including ponchos. Bed sheets do not need Tzitzis. Tzitzis may be worn even when going into a bathroom, however the Tallis used for davening should not be taken into the bathroom. Source: Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 9:9-10 - Danny
Shabbos candles should be lit in the room one eats the Friday night meal. It's the housewife's privilege to light the Shabbos candles. If she cannot do so then the husband can light. All rooms in the house that will be used on Friday night should have sufficient light that one can see where one is walking. Bedrooms that one wants to be dark for sleeping, can have the light shine in from the hallway or even from outside, until one is ready for bed. Shabbat Shalom, - Danny Source: Kitzur Shulchon Oruch 75:8,9
One increases joy when Adar begins. Adar is a good time to deal with court cases involving non-Jews. (I have not been able to establish if during a leap year the above is valid for Adar 1 (being the "real" Adar; the 12th month) or it only refers to the Adar closest to our joyous month of redemption (Nissan), viz. Adar 2.) Since 13 years ago was also a leap year, boys born 13 years ago become Bar Mitzva this year during whichever Adar they were born in. Girls born 12 years ago during Adar will not become Bat Mitzva until next month – Adar 2. If a person dies during a non-leap year in Adar then on leap years the Yahrzeit fast should be observed on Adar 1, and Kaddish should be said in both Adar 1 and Adar 2. However in Adar 2 he doesn’t have the usual preference given to a Yahrzeit, and in places where only one person at a time says Kaddish, then all other mourners get to say a Kaddish, and if there are any left, he does too. Source: KSA: 141:1, 15:2 and 221:3
