There is a centuries-old custom not to “invite” guests to a brit and the accompanying meal but rather to merely “inform” them when and where it will be taking place.
Author: Ari Z. Zivotofsky
What’s the Truth about . . . Invitations to a Brit Milah?
What’s the Truth about . . . “Planting” Knives to Kasher Them?
While there are specific instances where thrusting a knife into hard soil ten times will kasher it, that does not work for other cutlery, and there is no halachic basis for leaving a knife in the soil for a long period of time.
What’s the Truth about. . .Fasting Forty Days Upon Seeing a Torah Scroll Fall?
The layers that have been added continue to develop. Irrespective of who fasts or for how long, this custom is a testament to the respect the Jewish people afford a sefer Torah.
What’s the Truth about . . . Joseph’s “Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”?
Was the ketonet passim an “Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat?” There are traditional interpretations that describe it as multi-colored, although that is not the prevalent opinion. But it was certainly not a “dreamcoat.”
“What’s the Truth about … Using Horseradish for Maror”?
Misconception: Horseradish (chrain) is the preferred item to use to fulfill the mitzvah of eating maror at the Seder. Fact: Among Ashkenazim, horseradish is widely used for maror. While horseradish often appears as the translation for tamcha, one of the vegetables listed in the Mishnah that may be used...
What’s the Truth about . . . Eating a Sandwich Wrapped in a Napkin?
The obligation to wash one’s hands from a vessel before eating bread1 is an early and important rabbinic enactment that was instituted for a variety of reasons.
What’s the Truth about . . . Eating a Sandwich Wrapped in a Napkin?
Every time a Jew eats bread and washes his hands, he is reminded of the complex tasks that went into making the uniquely human product of bread and of God’s wondrous creation of the human hand.
What’s the Truth about . . . How Much to Open the Torah for Hagbah?
Misconception: During hagbah, when the Torah is lifted in shul, the more columns of text visible to the assembled, the better. Fact: According to many authorities, when the Torah is lifted, at least three columns of the Torah scroll should be visible; this is not just the minimum requirement,...
What’s the Truth About . . . Standing for a Chatan and Kallah?
With regard to wedding celebrations, the overriding mitzvah is to bring joy to the new couple.
What’s the Truth about . . . Muslim Anti-Semitism?
Misconception: Unlike the Jews of Christian Europe who suffered pogroms, blood libels, Crusades, et cetera, the Jews living under Islamic rule were not persecuted. It was the rise of the Zionist movement that spurred Muslim anti-Semitism.