Rav Mordechai Yaffe, known as the Levush, was from the greatest halachic rulers during the era of the Acharonim, and wrote a commentary on the Shulchan Aruch and the Poskim. His name was Yaffe because he was truly beautiful. In fact, he davened that none of his children would have

Yonah was a simple-seeming Jew. He spent most of the day involved in farming or selling his produce, with a two-hour time period set aside for learning. He was a yarei shamayim who kept all the mitzvos, but did not stand out in any way for his avodas Hashem. Yonah

We’ll preface this story with a few other stories to illustrate two concepts that are vital for the understanding of our story. The first concept is rischa d’oraisa. This term is used to refer to passionate arguments regarding the proper understanding of a particular Gemara. When talmidei chachamim, each with

Rav Yosef Shaul Nathanson, a contemporary of the the Chasam Sofer and author of the Shoel Umeishiv, was considered one of the foremost gedolim of his generation. His chavrusah and brother-in-law, Rav Mordechai Zev, was equally brilliant, and the two of them learned together for many years. They each wrote

Great tzaddikim, by the merits of their holiness and piety, are able to accomplish extraordinary things. Their unadulterated faith and pure prayers are so powerful that their requests of Hashem are immediately fulfilled. Following are a few stories that demonstrate the power of a tzaddik’s word. *** Rav Chaim Ben

The Hassans were a prominent Jewish family in Italy. Blessed with solid business acumen and a great deal of mazel, everything they touched seemed to turn to gold. It was no secret that they numbered amongst Italy’s wealthiest families. Natan Hassan was a well-known philanthropist who supported many local and

A few centuries back, in a European city that was rife with anti-Semitism, a decree was enacted forbidding the Jews from constructing sukkahs for Sukkos. Of course, this law was cloaked in false safety concerns and building codes and blamed on the danger that the small, feeble huts boded to

Hershel the horse dealer was a clown; there was simply no other way to describe him. The man didn’t have a serious bone in his body. His stall at the market was always crowded with people; not just by those interested in purchasing a horse, but with throngs of shoppers

The skies were calm on the day of that fateful flight, giving no hint as to what was to come. Yaakov leaned back in his seat as the plane glided gracefully through the air. It was his first time flying, and he felt adventurous and excited. The friction of rolling

The year 1395 was a relatively quiet one for the Jewish community in the historic city of Prague. For two torturous years, they had suffered through devastating pogroms. Entire families were wiped out, murdered for their faith, leaving the survivors broken and bleeding. Now, in the calm that followed those