**We would like to inform everyone of our upcoming Holiday schedule at Congregation Bet Yaakob with Rabbi Eli Mansour:
This Thursday night, Oct. 12th, Hoshana Raba, Rabbi Eli Mansour will begin study at 11:30 PM. Class will be held in the basement of Har HaLebanaon in Brooklyn. Refreshments and appetizers will be served. Following, on the morning of Friday Oct. 13th, Shacharit will begin at about 6:00 AM in the basement of Har HaLebanon. The Seuda has been sponsored by Mr. Eddie B. Sitt.
This coming Shabbat, Shemini Atzeret, we will have Tefilah on the 2nd Floor Midrash beginning at 7:00 AM. Following Tefilah we will walk to the home of Touvi and Jennifer Assis for Seudat Yom Tov and lecture by Rabbi Mansour. The Seuda and lecture is for men only and will be held in Touvi Assis’ Succah.
This Sunday, Oct. 15th is Simhat Torah. On Sunday morning, we will begin Shacharit at 7:30 AM. Tefilah will be held in the basement of Har HaLebanaon. Following Tefilah, we will have Hakafot, and full meat Mazza. The Seuda has been donated by Mr. Ouri Nidam (our caterer.) There will be a Ladies section, and children are invited to attend with their parents.**
Today's Halacha...
Is it permissible to hang in one’s Succah photographs of great Rabbis?
The Ben Ish Chai (Rabbi Yosef Chayim of Baghdad, 1835-1909), in Parashat Masei, cites a Kabbalistic tradition forbidding hanging pictures of people in one’s home. Many people, however, do not follow this practice, and permit hanging photographs. Chacham Ovadia Yosef rules (Chazon Ovadia, p. 77) that those who are lenient in this regard, and are accustomed to hanging pictures of Rabbis in their homes, may hang such photographs in their Succah. There is a Halachic principle of “Teishvu Ke’ein Taduru,” that one’s residence in his Succah should resemble his manner of residence in his home. Hence, somebody who hangs photographs of Rabbis in his home may do so in his Succah, as well.
Is it permissible to hang in one’s Succah decorations sold primarily for use on gentile holidays?
Chacham Ovadia rules that the use of these decorations in one’s Succah is permissible, for two reasons. Firstly, the decorations may have initially been designated for use on the gentile holiday, but in fact were not yet used in this capacity. Halacha says that “Hazmana Lav Milta” – the mere designation of an item for a given purpose does not lend it a formal Halachic status. Thus, these decorations, which have yet to be used for a non-Jewish holiday, are permissible for use in the Succah. Secondly, the decorations were manufactured for whoever would purchase them. Although they are generally purchased for use as part of a gentile holiday celebration, the manufacturer does not produce them exclusively for this purpose. The company is happy to sell the product to anybody interested in purchasing it, and thus these decorations are not forbidden for use at all.
Summary: One who customarily hangs in his home photographs of Rabbis may do so in his Succah, as well. It is permissible to decorate one’s Succah with decorations made for use as part of gentile holiday celebrations.
