Revolutionary Mezuzah Book now also in Hard Cover

Boruch Hashem, I am delighted to inform you that my popular mezuzah book, "Mezuzah: Divine Protection and Blessing" is now also available in its hard cover edition.

You can order it here for hardcover.

For softcover on Amazon, click here.

You can also order hardcover from me directly, (I am located in Los Angeles), Rabbibressman@gmail.com

Ksiva Vichasima Tova

Rabbi Dovid Nissan Bressman

Tachnun on the Day of the Torah Dedication

Tachnun on the Day of the Hachnasas Sefer Torah

One does not recite Tachnun (supplication prayers) in the prayer service closest to the siyum ceremony.[1] Therefore, if the siyum will be after mincha, one does not recite tachnun during mincha.

According to Chabad custom one does not recite tachnun the entire day in the same town of where the siyum is to be performed.[2] It seems that this exemption does not extend to an entire large city, since the source for this custom referred to a small town. Therefore only one who will actually participate in the siyum does not recite tachnun.

Questions & Answers

The minyan skipped reciting tachun since there will be a siyum sefer torah in the city today, I and many are not planning to participate at the siyum. Should we still recite tachnun?

 One who is not planning to participate in the siyum should recite tachnun. If the minyan has skipped tachnun one should not make overt signs of saying tachnun in their presence.[3] Therefore, it seems that if one can recite tachnun without drawing attention, this should be done.

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[1] Chasan Torah (Hilchos Tefilah Chapter 4).

[2] See Igros Kodesh (Rayatz) vol. 6 p. 73: “On that day, it was a special day, they did not recite tachnun, all the people of the town came to show respect to the torah. Chassidim and men of great renown immersed in the mikvah before prayers. During prayers, the candles were lit in the synagogue.”

[3] See Igros Kodesh vol. 15 p. 58. This letter was addressed to one who was praying in a minyan who had the custom to skip tachnun on any day of the passing of a tzaddik, (which is not a Chabad custom). The questioner was worried of by saying tachnun this would cause strife. 

Sefer Torah should be commissioned only from clean money. Story with the Bal Shem Tov.

The Money to Purchase a Sefer Torah should come from a Clean Source

The money used to commission a sefer torah should not have any doubt of gezel (theft) or come from unscrupulous places.[1]

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[1] Lev Chayim 2:167 ois 44 sif katan 15. There it also cites a story of a community that the sefer torah would always be found to have a mistake in it, even after fixing it a new mistake would later be found again. The matter was told to the Bal Shem Tov and he said that the torah was written with money from an unscrupulous place and therefore it will never be able to be kosher.

When one finds a psul (invalidation) in a sefer torah, is this a bad sign for the community?

Finding an invalidation in a sefer torah is assumed to be a heavenly sign that the community as a whole should do some introspective and improvement. It is told over that in the summer of 5747 (1987)[1] the Rebbe made such a remark at a public farbrengen when an invalidation in the sefer torah was discovered just before the torah was read from.[2]

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[1] Presumably, this took place on Shabbos Parshas Balak. There were some tragedies in the community around that exact time.

[2] See Igros Kodesh Vol. 14 (p. 529) that suggests that a remedy for someone whose mezuzah was invalid is to learn some chapters of Mishnah by heart. At the very least one should learn a chapter of Tanya by heart and should review it or at least think it in one’s mind when one travels.

May one leave up a pasul mezuzah until it gets switched with a kosher one?

According to a view (the Beis Aryeh 289:4) a mezuzah that got damaged while it was up and invalidated, one should keep it up until a new kosher mezuzah is affixed in its place. This is because of the rule of "kavod habrios" (honor to the creatures). That is, since it would be embarrassing to leave the doorway without a mezuzah altogether, therefore, one may keep the invalidated one up until the new one arrives. There is room to back this based on the gemarrah (Sukkah 48b) that states that when the mizbeach was chipped in the corner, the people took salt to fill in the corner so it should appear kosher, (even though that this does not validate the chipped corner of the mizbeach).
 The Mezuzos Melachim (Halacha Lemoshe 200) prefers that one should take down the invalid mezuzah even though it will not be immediately replaced. The reasoning is, this is different from the case of mizbeach since here the concern is the individual can be lax about this and not end up replacing it altogether, this is unlike the case of the mizbeach in the Beis Hamikdash where there were many to remind each other to fix the problem as soon as possible.

Having a letter in the sefer torah adds protection

Is there a concept that having a letter in a communal sefer torah adds general protection?

 The Lubavitcher Rebbe on various public gatherings[1] would quote from the end of the book of Daniel (Chapter 12:1) וּבָעֵת הַהִיא יַעֲמֹד מִיכָאֵל הַשַּׂר הַגָּדוֹל הָעֹמֵד עַל בְּנֵי עַמֶּךָ וְהָיְתָה עֵת צָרָה אֲשֶׁר לֹא נִהְיְתָה מִהְיוֹת גּוֹי עַד הָעֵת הַהִיא וּבָעֵת הַהִיא יִמָּלֵט עַמְּךָ כָּל הַנִּמְצָא כָּתוּב בַּסֵּפֶר             “At that time, the great prince Michael, who stands over your people, will arise. It will be a time of trouble, the like of which has never been since they became a nation. At that time, your people will be spared – all who are found written in the book”. The Rebbe explained that (without searching through the commentaries) the word בספר “in the book” refers to Hashem’s book, the sefer torah. The verse concludes “At that time, your people will be spared – all who are found written in the book” this refers to the ones that have a letter in the sefer torah. The Rebbe urged that everyone (men, women, children, and even newborns) should purchase their own personal letter in the sefer torah to add in the Jewish peoples overall protection.

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[1] Hisvadiyos 5742 Vol. 2 p. 622 +, ibid p. 665, ibid p. 714, ibid p. 970.

New book release: Mezuzah: Divine Protection and Blessing

With gratitude to Hashem I am happy to inform you of the release of my new book, Mezuzah: Divine Protection and Blessing, on the laws of mezuzah. Several years of work have gone into this project and I am please to share that it is the most thorough book in English of its kind. The book is designed to be user-friendly (with lots of professional pictures) while also providing extensive research and sources. I am grateful to the reputable Torah scholars from around the world who wrote the approbations included and gave a blessing that that it should be received in many homes.

Just in time for the New Year, click here to purchase a copy.

Ksiva V’chasima Tova!

Rabbi Dovid Nissan Bressman