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NEWS
Guidelines to Yom Tov
Reviewed by Yated Ne'eman Staff
Approaching the month of Tishrei, much of Elul is spent
making the necessary preparations such as mussar seder,
introspection, building the succah and buying the arba
minim. However, little time is left for the all-important
review of the pertinent halachos: The laws of Rosh Hashanah,
the Aseres Yemei Teshuvoh, and Yom Kippur, as well as
building and living in the succah and hilchos arba
minim.
Rabbi Elozor Barclay and Rabbi Yitzchok Jaeger paired up four
years ago to embark upon the crucial project of presenting
the most common halachos in English, in a clear question and
answer format. The books are clear and to the point, and
cover the entire topic from beginning to end. They are a
perfect resource for the beginner, who benefits from the
clarity, precise terminology, and clear-cut answers. Even the
advanced ben yeshiva benefits from the books, as a
quick and efficient means of reviewing all the relevant
halachos without having to plow through vast quantities of
source material, and to familiarize himself with the
chiddushei halachos of the gedolei haposkim.
Their most recent publication covers the laws of Yom Tov, an
area of halacha little understood. This is in addition to
their previous six publications on the laws of the Yomim
Noraim, Succos, Pesach, Chanukah, Purim, and the Three Weeks,
as well as their volumes on Tefillah and Family Purity.
Much confusion abounds in the area of hilchos Yom Tov, due to
its similarity with the laws of Shabbos and due to a shortage
of time to study in the days leading up to Succos and Pesach.
This volume covers the melochos of Yom Tov,
muktzeh, simchas Yom Tov, as well as eruv
tavshilin.
The series is crowned with the lavish brochos and
haskomos of many Gedolim. HaRav Chaim Pinchas
Scheinberg, rosh yeshiva of Torah Ore writes, "These books
have been praised highly by numerous gedolei
harabbonim and have been received warmly by the English-
speaking Torah community. I offer my heartfelt blessing that
Hashem should guide and assist the authors in producing more
successful halachic works, which glorify and
strengthen the Torah."
HaRav Pesach Eliyahu Falk writes in his haskomoh to
Guidelines to Tefillah, "Once again, a great service
has been rendered to the Jewish English-speaking public by
the great `partners in zikuy horabim.' They have
prepared a sefer on the laws of tefilloh —
thereby giving the person who is praying easy access to
the numerous intricate laws that could apply to him at any
point during his prayers. This sefer is concise,
accurate, and well structured. The authors have performed a
great service, presenting these vital and complex laws in a
clear and straightforward questions-and-answers format. This
style arouses the interest and opens the mind, enabling the
reader to fully integrate the information."
Rabbeinu Yonah writes in his classic work, Sha'arei
Teshuvoh (shaar sheini, paragraph 10) that when a person
makes a firm commitment to learn halochoh, he becomes
a new person. He adds, "From the time he makes this mental
commitment and resolves as such in his heart, he acquires for
himself merit and receives reward as if he has fulfilled all
of the mitzvos."
No person can be certain of being signed and sealed in The
Book of Life. But according to Rabbeinu Yonah, if a person
accepts upon himself to study the laws of the Torah
diligently, he will immediately earn enormous reward that may
tip the balance in his favor.
Reviewing the halachos with the Guidelines series should
certainly stand a person in good stead, as we approach the
month of Tishrei.
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