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Daily Halacha Podcast - Daily Halacha By Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

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Understanding the Structure of Kaddish

Daily Halacha Podcast - Daily Halacha By Rabbi Eli J.... ·

2026/01/30

There are several different kinds of Kaddish, the first of which is commonly known as "Hasi Kaddish" – "half-Kaddish." The term "Hasi Kaddish" is actually a misnomer, as the text of this Kaddish is in fact the complete original text, composed either by the Ansheh Kenesset Ha'gedola (Men of the Great Assembly) at the beginning of the Second Commonwealth, or several generations later, by the Tanna'im. The prayers added to the other Kaddish texts were introduced later, during the period of the Geonim

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Why is Kaddish Written in Aramaic?

Daily Halacha Podcast - Daily Halacha By Rabbi Eli J.... ·

2026/01/29

Numerous different theories have been advanced to explain why the Kaddish prayer was written in Aramaic, and not in Hebrew. One reason given is based on the tradition that angels do not understand Aramaic. Kaddish is such a precious and valuable prayer that the angels would feel envious if they heard us recite it and they understood its meaning. This prayer was therefore composed in a language which the angels cannot understand. The Mahzor Vitri (Rabbenu Simha of Vitri, France, d. 1105) questioned

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The Special Significance of Kaddish

Daily Halacha Podcast - Daily Halacha By Rabbi Eli J.... ·

2026/01/28

The Aruch Ha'shulhan (Rav Yechiel Michel Epstein, 1829-1908) writes that the text of the Kaddish prayer was likely written by the Ansheh Kenesset Ha'gedola ("Men of the Great Assembly") during the first years of the Second Commonwealth. This prayer expresses the wish that G-d's Name should be glorified and become known throughout the world. The destruction of the first Bet Ha'mikdash marked a grave Hilul Hashem – desecration of G-d's Name – and so when Jews returned to their land and began

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Situations Where One May Not Respond When Hearing...

Daily Halacha Podcast - Daily Halacha By Rabbi Eli J.... ·

2026/01/27

Normally, a person who hears Kaddish or Nakdishach may respond even if he hears from a distance, and is not present with the Minyan. There are, however, exceptions to this rule. The Shulhan Aruch writes that a person standing outside a synagogue may respond to Kaddish or Nakdishach, but then adds that according to some opinions, this is not allowed if there is "Tinuf" (filth, such as a trash can), or a non-Jew, in between him and the congregation. At first glance, it appears that the Shulhan Aruch

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Is One Credited With Praying With a Minyan If He...

Daily Halacha Podcast - Daily Halacha By Rabbi Eli J.... ·

2026/01/26

If a person prays outside the room where the Minyan is taking place, or in an adjoining room, and he hears the entire service and fully participates, does he receive the same credit for praying with a Minyan as those inside the sanctuary? Halacha establishes that men in a different room – or, for that matter, in the ladies' section – cannot be counted toward the Minyan, as ten men must be together in the same room to form a Minyan. But once a Minyan is formed, are those outside the room considered

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Responding to Kaddish, Barechu or Nakdishach From a...

Daily Halacha Podcast - Daily Halacha By Rabbi Eli J.... ·

2026/01/25

If a person happens to be in the vicinity of a prayer service, and he hears Kaddish, Barechu or Nakdishach, is he required to answer? The Ben Ish Hai (Rav Yosef Haim of Baghdad, 1833-1909) seems to indicate that one who hears these parts of the service is required to respond, even if he is in a different room and not part of the Minyan. By contrast, several other Poskim, including Hacham Bension Abba Shaul (Jerusalem, 1924-1998), maintained that although one is permitted to respond in such a case,

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Counting For a Minyan Men in a Different Section of...

Daily Halacha Podcast - Daily Halacha By Rabbi Eli J.... ·

2026/01/23

Occasionally, there are men who sit in the ladies' section in the synagogue on weekdays, when women generally do not come to the synagogue. While this is permissible, it is important to realize that they cannot be counted for the Minyan. If there are only ten men in the shul, and one or several of them are in the ladies' section, they do not form a Minyan, because the ladies' section is considered a separate domain. At least ten men must be present in the main section to form a Minyan there. In some

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Forming a Minyan When a Narrow Room Extends Into a...

Daily Halacha Podcast - Daily Halacha By Rabbi Eli J.... ·

2026/01/22

In order for ten men to form a Minyan, they must all be situated in the same room. In some circumstances, though, two rooms might perhaps be considered a single room. One such situation is where a narrow room opens into a wider room. If some men are in the narrow room, and some are in the wider room, can they form a Minyan? The basic principle in such a situation is that a minority of the people can be seen as joining the majority if the majority is in the large room, but not in the reverse case

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Forming a Minyan in Two Rooms if the Hazzan Stands...

Daily Halacha Podcast - Daily Halacha By Rabbi Eli J.... ·

2026/01/21

Ten men form a Minyan only if they are all assembled in the same room. If the ten are interspersed among two rooms, then even if there is no door between the two adjoining rooms, and they can all see each other, they do not form a Minyan. (However, if ten men are situated together in one room, then others who are situated in the adjoining room are considered to pray with a Minyan.) The Tur (Rabbenu Yaakob Ben Asher, 1269-1340) cites his father, the Rosh (Rabbenu Asher Ben Yehiel, Germany-Spain,

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Forming a Minyan in Two Rooms if the Hazzan Stands...

Daily Halacha Podcast - Daily Halacha By Rabbi Eli J.... ·

2026/01/21

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Can a Person Outside a Window be Counted Toward a...

Daily Halacha Podcast - Daily Halacha By Rabbi Eli J.... ·

2026/01/20

If nine men are assembled in a room, and a tenth men is outside by the window, can this tenth men be counted so a Minyan can be formed? It is clear that the fellow outside cannot be counted if the window is closed. Even if the window is open but there are security bars running across the area of the window, the man cannot count toward the Minyan. Regarding the case of an open window, different views exist among the Poskim. The Bet Yosef cites Rabbenu Yeruham (1290-1350) as ruling that the fellow

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Can a Person Outside a Window be Counted Toward a...

Daily Halacha Podcast - Daily Halacha By Rabbi Eli J.... ·

2026/01/20

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Does a Person Count Toward a Minyan if He Stands in...

Daily Halacha Podcast - Daily Halacha By Rabbi Eli J.... ·

2026/01/19

Ten men combine to form a Minyan only if they are together in the same room. The Rishonim debate the question of whether a person can count toward a Minyan if he is standing in the doorway. If nine men are inside the room, and the tenth is in the doorway, do they form a Minyan, or must the tenth man come out of the doorway inside the room? The Bet Yosef brings the view of Rashi, that the area underneath the lintel is considered part of the room, such that a person standing there counts toward the

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Does a Person Count Toward a Minyan if He Stands in...

Daily Halacha Podcast - Daily Halacha By Rabbi Eli J.... ·

2026/01/19

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Forming a Minyan in a Room With a Partition

Daily Halacha Podcast - Daily Halacha By Rabbi Eli J.... ·

2026/01/18

If ten men wish to make a Minyan in a room with a curtain that separates the room into two sections, must they all be together on one side of the curtain, or are they considered a Minyan even if some are on one side and some on the other? The Halacha in this case depends on the purpose of the curtain. If the curtain was hung for privacy purposes, so that people on one side would not see the people on the other, then we can disregard the curtain with respect to the formation of a Minyan. Such a

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Forming a Minyan in a Room With a Partition

Daily Halacha Podcast - Daily Halacha By Rabbi Eli J.... ·

2026/01/18

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Can Someone Who is Sleeping Be Counted Toward a Minyan?

Daily Halacha Podcast - Daily Halacha By Rabbi Eli J.... ·

2026/01/16

If a Minyan consists of precisely ten men, and one of them falls asleep, is the group still considered to comprise a Minyan, allowing them to recite Kaddish, Nakdishah, the Hazan's repetition of the Amida, and so on? The Shulhan Aruch writes that the sleeping individual may be counted as part of the Minyan. In the Bet Yosef, he explains that this is based on a ruling of the Maharam Me'Rutenberg (Germany, d. 1293). The Tureh Zahab (Rav David Segal, Poland, d. 1667), however, disagreed. He maintained

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Can Someone Who is Sleeping Be Counted Toward a Minyan?

Daily Halacha Podcast - Daily Halacha By Rabbi Eli J.... ·

2026/01/16

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Can Ten Men Form a Minyan if They are In Two...

Daily Halacha Podcast - Daily Halacha By Rabbi Eli J.... ·

2026/01/15

The Shulhan Aruch (Orah Haim 55:13), based on the ruling of numerous Rishonim, writes that ten men cannot combine to form a Minyan if they are not together in the same room. For ten men to comprise a Minyan, they must be in one room. If ten or more people are together in the same room, then men in an adjoining room, or outside in the hallway, can pray with them and thereby be considered as praying with a Minyan. A number of Rishonim maintained that people in different rooms can combine to form a

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Can Ten Men Form a Minyan if They are In Two...

Daily Halacha Podcast - Daily Halacha By Rabbi Eli J.... ·

2026/01/15

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Daily Halacha Podcast - Daily Halacha By Rabbi Eli J. Mansour

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