Torah Down Under

The Rambam in Hilchos Chanuka (3:6) says: ולא הלל חנוכה בלבד, הוא שמדברי סופרים, אלא קריאת ההלל לעולם מדברי סופרים, בכל הימים שגומרין בהן את ההלל Not only is hallel on Chanuka miderabonon but reading hallel is always miderabonon on all days when we complete hallel. The ra’avad asks:  אמר אברהם ויש בהם עשה מדברי קבלה השיר יהיה לכם How can the Rambam say that hallel is always derabonon ? Sometimes the chiyuv to say hallel is more than a miderabanan , it is from the neviim, as it says in Yeshaya (30:29): הַשִּׁיר יִהְיֶה לָכֶם, כְּלֵיל הִתְקַדֶּשׁ-חָג The possuk is talking about the downfall of Sancheriv, and says that when Sancheriv is destroyed, the benei Yisroel will say shiroh as on the first night of Pesach. You see from here that the chiyuv to say hallel on the seder night is midivrei neviim , not simply miderabonon ? The Brisker Rov (Hilchos Chanuka, 3:6) answers as follows: The Ran at the end of the second perek of Megilla asks why we do not say a beracha when we ...

The mishna says in פסחים , (צ״ו ע״א) ; מה בין פסח מצרים לפסח דורות פסח מצרים מקחו מבעשור וטעון הזאה באגודת אזוב ועל המשקוף ועל שתי המזוזות ונאכל בחפזון בלילה אחד... What is the difference between the Korban Pesach in Mitzraim and the normal Korban Pesach? The Pesach in Mitzraim was taken on the 10th of Nissan and needed to have its blood sprinkled with a bunch of hyssop on the lintel and the two doorposts and was eaten hastily on one night. [The normal Pesach does not have these halachos.] The gemara explains that even although the normal Pesach does not need to be made hekdesh from the 10th, it does need to be checked for mumim from the 10th. The gemara says that the korban tamid also has to be checked for mumim 4 days before it is shechted : בן בג בג אומר מנין לתמיד שטעון ביקור ד' ימים קודם שחיטה שנא' (במדבר כח) תשמרו להקריב לי במועדו ולהלן הוא אומר והיה לכם למשמרת עד ארבעה עשר מה להלן טעון ביקור ד' ימים קודם שחיטה אף כאן טעון ביקור ד' ימים קודם שחיטה “B...

The passuk says in Parshas Bo (12:6): וְשָׁחֲטוּ אֹתוֹ כֹּל קְהַל עֲדַת יִשְׂרָאֵל בֵּין הָעַרְבָּיִם “All the benei yisroel should shecht the korban pesach in the evening.” The mishna (pesachim 64a) learns from this passuk that the korban pesach is shechted by three groups: הפסח נשחט בשלש כתות שנאמר (שמות יב) ושחטו אותו כל קהל עדת ישראל ... שחט ישראל וקבל הכהן ... קראו את ההלל The korban Pesach is shechted in three groups as the possuk says - ושחטו אותו כל קהל עדת ישראל, you need kehal , eida and yisroel . The yisroel would shecht and the cohen would accept the blood… they read the hallel. There is a question concerning who read the hallel: Rashi explains (here and in Succah 54) that the mishna means that the yisroelim would read the hallel: קראו את ההלל - אכל כיתות קאי “They read the hallel – this refers to the three groups.” This Rashi is difficult from a number of sources: 1. Tosafos asks that the tosefta says in the 4th perek of pesachim that the leviim read the...

There are two types of kedusha that relate to items dedicated to the beis hamikdash – kedushas bedek habayis and kedushas haguf.   Kedushas bedek habayis relates to items whose value is dedicated to the beis hamikdash. These items are sold by the gizbar and the money received is used for the upkeep of the beis hamikdash. Kedushas haguf relates to animals that are korbanos. Here their actual bodies are hekdesh – not just their monetary value.    The Parah Aduma is not a korban. It has kedushas bedek habayis , not kedushas haguf . For example, the gemara says in Temura (20a):   ... קדשי בדק הבית הוא וקדשי בדק הבית לא עבדי תמורה   “A Parah Aduma is kodshei bedek habayis and therefore if someone tried to exchange it for another animal, the second animal does not become a Parah Aduma.”    Nevertheless, the Parah Aduma is in some ways similar to a korban. The gemara says in Chullin (11a) that if a Parah Aduma is a tereifa (it has an internal...