Scheduling Announcement
This Shabbat, Parashat VaYakhel-Pekudei, March 17th, Minha will be at 6:15 PM at Har HaLebanon, followed by Rabbi Mansour’s Seduat Shelishi Lecture, and Arbit.
This coming week, Rabbi Mansour shall be in South Florida. On Tuesday, March 20th through Thursday March 22nd, the Rabbi shall give the Daf class each morning at 6:00 AM from The Safra Synagogue in Turnberry. Rabbi Mansour shall be speaking on Tuesday night March 20th at 8:15pm at Netive Ezra.
In his absence, Rabbi Mansour is proud to have Rabbi Veisman speak on Monday night March 19th, in Brooklyn on the topic of the Bible Code. The class will be at 8:30 PM sharp a Har HaLebanon on the 2nd floor.
** We would like to inform our listeners of a new publication just written by Rabbi David Sutton. The book, "Stories of Spirit and Faith" contains over 130 fascinating stories about our ancestors in Aleppo. The stories are heartwarming, wholesome, spiritual, clever and witty.
Click "Stories of Spirit and Faith" to order it directly from its publisher ArtScroll at a special 20% discount. You can also order the Sephardic Heritage Haggadah co-authored with Rabbi Eli Mansour at the same 20% discount. For the discount, use the promotion code "yadyosef" when you check out. **
Today’s Halacha…
Chacham Ovadia Yosef, in his work Chazon Ovadia (p. 190), writes that it is a Mitzva to shave and cut one's hair before Yom Tov so that he is properly groomed on the festival. On Hol Ha'mo'ed, however, it is forbidden to shave or take a haircut, due to a Rabbinical enactment recorded already in the Mishna. Although some authorities permitted shaving and haircutting on Hol Ha'mo'ed in situations where one could not shave or cut his hair before Yom Tov, Halacha follows the stringent view, which forbids shaving and haircutting on Hol Ha'mo'ed even in such cases.
If a Berit Mila is performed during Hol Ha'mo'ed, would it be permissible for the child's father, the Mohel and the Sandak to shave and cut their hair in honor of the Berit?
In other cases where Halacha forbids shaving and haircutting, dispensation is indeed given to a father, Mohel and Sandak at a Berit Mila. During the period of Sefirat Ha'omer, the practice is to refrain from shaving and haircutting, yet, when a Berit occurs in this period, Halacha allows the father, Mohel and Sandak to shave in honor of the Berit. Does this provision apply to Hol Ha'mo'ed, as well?
Chacham Ovadia cites from a work entitled "Va'yomer Yitzchak" which rules stringently in this regard (listen to audio for precise citation). Halacha allows the father, Mohel and Sandak to shave and cut their hair during Sefirat Ha'omer because shaving and haircutting are not strictly forbidden during these periods. We refrain from shaving and haircutting merely as a Minhag, a custom that the Jewish people have taken upon themselves. On Hol Ha'mo'ed, however, shaving and haircutting are forbidden according to the strict Halacha, as mentioned already in the Mishna. We therefore cannot allow one to shave or cut his hair on Hol Ha'mo'ed even in honor of a festive occasion such as a Berit Mila.
Summary: It is a Mitzva to shave and cut one's hair in preparation for Yom Tov. On Hol Ha'mo'ed one may not shave or cut his hair, even if he did not have the opportunity to do so before Yom Tov, and even if he is the father, Mohel or Sandak at a Berit Mila.
