Rephael Cattan

We are continuing siman 25, where the Chayei Adam is discussing the issue of tzoah on a person’s body. We learned that, bedieved, tzoah on the body is only an issue in the vicinity of the nose and mouth, but lechatchilla one should not have any tzoah on them at all. One place that these […]

We are beginning siman 25. We learned in siman 13 that if one passes gas, the one who passed gas is not allowed to learn or daven, but other people are allowed to learn but cannot recite brachos or daven (shiur 1517). In our siman, the Chayei Adam discusses a person who has tzoah on

We have finished siman 16 and left off with a question regarding shemiah (listening). If one is sitting in a car and thinking in Torah, if they see tzoah on the road, they do not have to stop their thoughts. The question we will discuss today is whether they would have to stop listening to

 We are beginning siman 16. We learned that when tzoah is in a different reshus, it is muttar to recite devarim shebikedusha, provided one cannot see or smell the tzoah. We also learned that it is a machlokes whether the tzoah must be blocked, or whether it is sufficient to close one’s eyes.  The Chayei

We are beginning siman 14. The Chayei Adam will discuss many points which we have already touched on. The Chayei Adam writes that one must distance themselves four amos away from wherever the tzoah is found. He explains that the pasuk says vehaya machanecha kadosh, and Chazal understood that a person’s machaneh is considered the

 We have finished siman 13. We learned that the Chayei Adam suggested that if tzoah is being moved, one may only have to distance four amos from it. The reason one could be lenient would be because its non-fixed state makes it a reiach she’ein bo ikar.   To review, Chazal understood that the issur deoraysa

 We are beginning siman 13, continuing the halachos of reiach ra (bad smells). The Chayei Adam writes that reiach ra is only an issue when the source of the smell is still present. If the item has been removed, and the smell is still dissipating, the smell is considered a reiach she’ein bo ikar. To

 We are beginning siman 12. The Chayei Adam writes that the same way one must distance from tzoah, one must distance from bad smells as well. It is similar to tzoah, as the same way one finds tzoah repulsive, bad smells are found to be repulsive as well. However, the Chayei Adam will point out

 We are continuing in siman 11, discussing the walls of a beis hakisei. The Chayei Adam writes that even if the beis hakisei has not been used yet, once a room has been designated as a beis hakisei, it becomes assur to learn or daven in that room. For example, if one is building a

 We are beginning siman 8. The Chayei Adam writes that the fecal waste of a katan is an issue of tzoah when the child is able to eat grains, and can eat a kazayis in the time it takes a regular adult to eat a peras (3 beiah). If the child does not eat baked

 We are continuing in siman 6. The Chayei Adam will address many other points in future simanim, but we will clarify some of these points now.  We learned in the previous shiur that there is a concept of graf shel re’i, something which is used to contain tzoah and is considered tzoah even when there

  We are beginning siman 6, which begins the halachos of tzoah.    The Chayei Adam begins the siman with a review of the source for the issur of tzoah (see shiur 1502). The Chayei Adam writes that the Torah teaches (Devarim 23:10) that when Klal Yisroel are at war, and certainly on a regular

 We have finished siman 5, and are clarifying the halachos of one who interrupts birchos kriyas shema and takes off their tallis and tefillin to go to the bathroom. We learned that when one takes off their tallis and tefillin, they do not need a new bracha on their tallis, but they would need a