Do it Yo'self
According to the Gemara Menachos, what does וספרתם לכם instruct us?
You gotta count for yo'self
What languages is it acceptable to count ספירה?
Any language you understand... if you don't understand it, we don't call it a counting... no mitzvah!
Why were Rabbi Akiva's students killed?
They didn't respect each other...
Yes, דרך ארץ קדמה לתורה... no דרך ארץ, no תורה
These Kollel guys had nothing else except Torah... Once their Torah was taken away because they didn't have enough דרך ארץ, their lives were taken away as well.
להסתפר
To give a haircut
This is one of the forms of אבילות (mourning) during ספירה... also no getting married, listening to music, or dancing
When can you be מוציא someone in ברכות המצות?
What about ברכות הנהנין?
You can always be מוציא (take someone out of their obligation) for a ברכה on a מצוה... I gotta help you out because כל ישראל עריבין זה לזה (each Jew is responsible for the other). Even if you already blew shofar and said the ברכה, you can still be מוציא someone later.
But for ברכות הנהנין (food ברכות), you can only be מוציא someone if you're eating something in the same ברכה category... a שהכל can be מוציא a שהכל... etc.
Even though you have to make ברכות on food, no one commanded you to eat that protein bar RIGHT NOW... but with mitzvah's, Hashem said you have to do that mitzvah today (shofar on RH, etc.)
What's a מצות עשה שבזמן גרמא? Let's hear some examples!
A mitzvah that's positive (you gotta do it), and time-bound (with a deadline)...
Tallis, tefillin, shema, kiddush, havdalah, omer, etc.
Women are פטור from these mitzvos (but still highly encouraged to do some of them!!)
What do we mean when we say "I'm keeping first half of ספירה"? What's the explanation behind this שיטה?
No haircuts, music, etc. after פסח until ל״ג בעומר
The students stopped dying on ל״ג בעומר... yes, we need some אבילות on ל״ג בעומר too, so the אבילות stretches until the morning
We say מצקת יום ככולו... part of the day of אבילות is like you had a whole day of אבילות
היינו
"That is", usually an intro to describing something
Found on page 7, the 33 days of אבילות can't be on a day without תחנון
Also on page 8, keeping both חומרות of ספירה would result in אבילות from Pesach until Shavuos
Is ספירה like the rest of the מצות תלוי באמירה?
No! מצות תלוי באמירה are mitzvos that depend on speaking, like Kiddush and Havdalah.
With these mitzvos, we say שומע כעונה - hearing the words is like you said them (as long as everyone has in mind to be מוציא and יוצא)
But in ספירה, the תורה is מגלה (reveals) each person needs to do it themselves... וספרתם לכם
Let's get out those ping-pong paddles... are women חייב in ספירה?
1. Well... it's a מצות עשה שבזמן גרמא, so technically not
2. But, women accepted the mitzvah by the time of the מגן אברהם... that means they're חייב
3. But, by the time of the משנה ברורה, no women counted, that means they're פטור
Because of all the "back and forth", women should count, but no ברכה because of ספק ברכות להקל, that means whenever there's a question of ברכה or not, we say NO ברכה!!
What do we mean when we say "I'm keeping second half of ספירה"? What's the explanation behind this שיטה?
Start at Rosh Chodesh Iyar, take a break on ל״ג בעומר, and continue until (3 days before) שבועות
This is because we don't have אבילות when there's no תחנון, so אבילות can't start until after Nissan!
"Rhymes with candy-cane"
Sounds like כל שכן
This means "all the more so"... if we say one kinda complex thing is true, "all the more so" the simpler thing should be true
Found on page 6... one city (or shul) shouldn't have different people doing two different שיטות of אבילות, we should be unified... כל שכן don't rely on the קולות (leniencies) of both opinions
Is there any room to say you COULD be מוציא someone for ספירת העומר?
The ביאור הלכה argues "possibly"... you can always be מוציא someone in ברכת המצוה, why should ספירה be any different?
But למעשה (practically speaking), the ביאור הלכה advises to count for yourself... even if you already had in mind to be יוצא from your friend, go back and count without a ברכה... that's cuz ספק ברכות להקל
What's the two reasons from the ספר שלחן שלמה that women shouldn't make a ברכה when counting ספירה?
Can we get a דיוק for each reason?
1. Women might not get the right day... but what if they have a smartphone app reminder?
2. Women don't know Hebrew... but what if they do?
Theoretically according to these two דיוקים, women could count with a ברכה, but each family should ask their פוסק (Local Orthodox Rabbi)
According to the משנה ברורה, which half of ספירה should you keep?
You can pick either one... some people keep both because they're in ספק which שיטה is the עיקר שיטה, however the משנה ברורה says you don't need to be מחמיר (strict) on a ספק of a מנהג
We פוסקין (decide the Halacha)
Found on page 3... קיימא לן
We פוסקין in ברכות הנהנין you need to be eating the same category of ברכה to be מוציא someone else... but in ברכת המצוה you can always be מוציא... why can't I be מוציא someone else in ספירה???
Huh? Huh? Huh???