Halacha and The Aveirah Song

(33) That is why the children of Israel to this day do not eat the thigh muscle that is on the socket of the hip, since Jacob’s hip socket was wrenched at the thigh muscle.

The Sages taught: When one puts on his shoes, he puts on the right shoe first and afterward puts on the left shoe because the right always takes precedence. When he removes them, he removes the left and afterward he removes the right, so that the right shoe will remain on the foot longer.

(4) One should put on the right shoe first and not fasten it, then after that put on the left one and fasten it, and return and fasten the right one. Rem"a: And in the case of our shoes which do not have a fastening, one puts the right one on first. (Tosafot)

One who sees conspicuous natural occurrences recites a blessing. For zikin and zeva’ot, which the Gemara will discuss below, for thunder, gale force winds, and lightning, manifestations of the power of the Creator, one recites: Blessed…Whose strength and power fill the world. For extraordinary (Rambam) mountains, hills, seas, rivers, and deserts, one recites: Blessed…Author of creation. Consistent with his opinion that a separate blessing should be instituted for each individual species, Rabbi Yehuda says: One who sees the great sea recites a special blessing: Blessed…Who made the great sea. As with all blessings of this type, one only recites it when he sees the sea intermittently, not on a regular basis.

After one eats their fill, there are those who sing zemirot and praise to Hashem. And it is good to learn Torah before eating.

(1) It is a religious duty to visit the sick. Relatives and friends may enter at once and strangers after three days. If the sickness overtakes him both may enter forthwith.

(1) The order of the placement of the head tefillin scrolls in their compartments is as follows: per Rashi and Rambam, the "Kadesh" scroll goes in the compartment furthest to the left of the one wearing the tefillin, in the compartment on the left edge of the tefillin. After it is the scroll "Ki Yeviacha" in the second compartment counting from the left of the wearer, and the scroll of "Shema" in the third compartment, and the scroll of "Vehayah Im Shamoa" in the fourth compartment, which is the external compartment on the wearer's right. According to Rabbenu Tam, in the third compartment one places "Vehayah Im Shamoa" and in the fourth compartment - that is the external one - Shema. And the popularly accepted custom is to follow Rashi and Rambam's view.

(2) One who fears Heaven will seek to fulfill the commandment according to both views, by making two pairs of tefillin and wearing both. He shall have the intent upon putting them on that, "With the pair that correctly express the true halacha I am fulfilling my obligation, and the remainder are just ordinary straps." And this is possible to do as there is space on the head to wear two pairs of tefillin and likewise on the arm. If he does not know the precise place such that he could wear them both simultaneously, then he shall wear according to one view the tefillin of arm and head and remove them immediately and then place the other set upon himself in reliance on his initial blessing. If he cannot wear them both simultaneously, he should wear those made according to Rashi's view and bless upon them and they should be upon him at the time of reading Shema and Shemoneh Esreh. Then after the Tefilah he shall place tefillin of Rabbenu Tam without a blessing and read, while wearing them, the paragraphs of Shema and Vehayah Im Shamoa.

(1) It is an important religious duty to lament the dead fittingly; 1Shab. 105b. and the religious duty is fulfilled when one raises his voice in funereal lamentations to utter over him the dead words which break the heart in order to cause much weeping, and to mention his praise. It is forbidden to over-praise him too much, save to mention his good characteristic features to which a little may be added, provided one does not overexaggerate. And if he possessed no good characteristic features whatever, one should not mention this regarding him. With respect to a Sage and a pious man one may mention their wisdom and piety respectively. And one who mentions regarding one who did not possess it at all, or exaggerates too much that which he did possess, causes harm to himself.

(1) Continued laws of the Seder. Containing seven sections: One should wash their hands and bless "Al netilat yadaim" and pick up the matzot in the order that they were placed down - the broken one between the two full ones - and grasp them in one's hand, and bless "Hamotzi" and "Al achilat matza" and afterward break up the upper, whole one and the broken one, both of them together, and dip them in salt [RAMA: But the custom is not to dip it in salt on the first night, since refined-flour bread does not require salt] and eat them while leaning, together, an olive-bulk of each. And if one cannot eat two olive-bulks at once, one should first eat the one from "Hamotzi" and afterward the one from "Achilat matza." And afterward, one should take an olive-bulk of marror and submerge it entirely in charoset, but not let it sit inside it, so that the flavor of its bitterness will not be cancelled out. And for this reason, one must shake the charoset off of it. And one should bless "Al achilat marror" and eat it without leaning. And afterward, one should pick up the third matza and break it up and sandwich it with marror and dip it in charoset [RAMA: And some say that one should not dip it, and this is aligned with customs, and I have seen it practiced] and says "Zecher lemikdash keHillel" and eats them together while leaning. And from when one blesses "Al achilat matza" one must not interrupt with anything unrelated to the meal until one eats this sandwich, in order to have the blessing of "Achilat matza" and the blessing of "Achilat marror" count for this sandwich too.

(8) 8) (Vayikra 18:3) "and in their statutes you shall not walk": What did Scripture leave unsaid (that this need be stated)? Is it not already written (Devarim 18:10) "There shall not be found among you one who passes his son or daughter through fire … (Devarim 18:11) and a chover chaver, etc."? What, then, is the intent of "and in their statutes you shall not walk"? In their customs — those things that are established for them — such as theatres, circuses, and sports. R. Meir says: These are "the ways of the Emorites," which the sages enumerated. R. Yehudah b. Betheira says: that you not preen yourself (to attract women), and not cultivate locks, and not wear the hair komi (a gentile fashion). And lest you say: "They have statutes and we have no statutes" — It is, therefore, written (Vayikra 18:9) "My judgments shall you do and My statutes you shall heed to walk in them; I am the L–rd your G d." — But there is still "hope" for the yetzer hara to reflect and say "But theirs are more beautiful than ours!" — It is, therefore, written (Devarim 4:6) "And you shall heed and you shall do. For this is your wisdom and your understanding."

(1) It is customary not to get married between Pesach and Shavuot, until Lag BaOmer (the 33rd day), because during that time, the students of Rabbi Akiva died. However, to do "erusin" and "kiddushin" (engagement and betrothal) is OK. And even for "nisuin" (marriage), if someone did so, we do not punish him. Rema: however, from Lag Ba'Omer onwards, all this is permitted (Abudraham, Beit Yosef & Minhagim).

(9) A person should make an effort to pray in the synagogue with a congregation, and if he is unable, one should intend to pray at the time that the congregation are praying [This also applies to people living in small settlements, that do not have a minyan -- they, in any case, should pray Shacharit and Aravit during the time thatthe congregation are praying - Sefer Mitzvot haGadol] And similarly if one is unable and did not pray at the time when the community prayed, and prays as an individual, despite this, one should pray in the synagogue.

(5) ...Rabbi Hun stated in the name of Bar Kappara: Israel were redeemed from Egypt on account of four things; because they did not change their names, they did not change their language, they did not go tale-bearing, and none of them was found to have been immoral. 'They did not change their name', having gone down as Reuben and Simeon, and having come up as Reuben and Simeon. They did not call Reuben 'Rufus' nor Judah 'Leon', nor Joseph 'Lestes', nor Benjamin 'Alexander'. 'They did not change their language', as may be inferred from the fact that it is written elsewhere, 'And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew' (Genesis 14:13), while here it is written, 'The God of the Hebrews has met with us' (Exodus 15:3), and it is written 'It is my mouth that speaks unto you' (Genesis 45:12), which means that he spoke in Hebrew.

(4) How much charity should you give? The first year you should give a tenth of the principle; and thereafter, you should give a tenth of the profits you earn each year, [after deducting your household expenses.] This is the medial way [of giving charity]. The commandment is fulfilled in its excellence when you give a fifth the first year from the principle, and every year after that a fifth of the profits. You should not give away more than a fifth, so that you will not become dependent on others. This rule applies only during your lifetime. But as a dying bequest, you are permitted to [donate] up to a third of your estate to charity. You may not use your ma'aseir [charity] funds for other mitzvah obligations, such as buying candles for the synagogue or other items used for a mitzvah, but you must give it to the poor. If you have the opportunity to perform a mitzvah to help in the circumcision of a child, or to marry off a poor bride and groom, or similar situations; or to purchase Torah texts from which to study, and lend them to others for study; you may use the ma'aseir money if you would not be able to accomplish these deeds with your own money. If you buy Torah texts from ma'aseir money, you must be sure to lend them to others; but if you need them yourself, than your needs come first. You should also be sure to inscribe in them that they are from ma'aseir money, so that possession is not taken of them by your children after you.

(19) Therefore, when the LORD your God grants you safety from all your enemies around you, in the land that the LORD your God is giving you as a hereditary portion, you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven. Do not forget!

(20) Without a Blessing- Because there are some rishonim who hold that the sages only decreed washing your hands for foods that touch the 7 liquids in the times when we kept the laws of spiritual purity. Now-a-days, since we are all contaminated from the dead, we don't make a blessing because we don't make questionable blessings. The Magein Avrahahm brings in the name of the Lechem Hamudos that people are accustomed to not wash. They have what to rely on (e.g. the rishonim we just mentioned), but many achronim are very strict and say that the law is like the majority of rishonim who require washing even now-a-days. See the Bior HaGra who is very strict to even require a blessing on this. Therefore, even though we don't say a blessing, you shouldn't be so lenient as to eat without washing. This washing requires all the laws of washing like bread. However, less than an olive's volume, it is clear that you needn't wash at all on since even with bread many achronim are lenient on this.

(12) Seif 12 - It is customary to have a meal on the day of the circumcision. Rama: And it is customary to assemble a minyan [i.e., a quorum of ten] for the circumcision meal, and it is considered a “mitzvah meal” [i.e., a meal following the performance of certain commandments]. And anyone who does not participate in a mitzvah meal are like those outcast by God, but only if honest/worthy people are [in attendance] there. But if dishonest/unworthy people are [in attendance at the mitzvah meal], one is not obligated to eat there.

(1) There is a commandment to delight a groom and bride and dance before them and tell them they are beautiful and kind. Even if they aren't pretty. Rem"a: We see rabbi Yehuda the son of allay was dancing before the bride and nullifying the words of the torah to enter the bride to the canopy.