Rephael Cattan

 We are continuing in siman 2. The Chayei Adam mentioned that the shiur of (non-primary) ervah which creates a problem is a tefach.. The Chayei Adam will discuss this shiur further in siman 7. The Chayei Adam holds it applies equally to one’s wife as it does to other women. However, the Rema brings an […]

 We are beginning siman 2. The Chayei Adam writes that any part of the body which is normally covered is considered ervah. Therefore, if a tefach or more is uncovered, one cannot recite torah or tefillah in its presence. The definition of a tefach is a tefach by a tefach; i.e., three inches by three

 We are continuing in siman 1. The Chayei Adam writes that the ervah of an individual creates an issur for a boy from 9, and for a girl from age 3. The Shulchan Aruch is machmir, and holds even from one day old is assur. However, the Rema holds of the ages mentioned above, because

 We are beginning Klal 4, where the Chyaei Adam discusses the issur of speaking divrei torah in front of ervah. This issur is independent of the problem of a person visualizing someone who is improperly dressed, as that is assur at any time, even when not davening or learning.   In the context of Klal Yisroel

 We are beginning siman 36, where the Chayei Adam continues the discussion about what is permitted to say in a beis hamerchatz (or any other place where it is assur to learn). The Chayei Adam writes that there is no issur to talk in a beis hamerchatz (about things which are not Torah). However, in

 We are continuing in siman 35, where the Chayei Adam discusses giving a psak halacha to prevent another from doing an aveirah in a place where it is assur to learn Torah. The Chayei Adam writes that one cannot prevent a person with language of psak, but should rather say “we do not do that”,

We are beginning siman 33. The Chayei Adam writes that if one davens and then realizes they davened in the presence of tzoah, if it was a place where one should have anticipated such a possibility, and they should have checked the area before davening, we apply the concept of zevach reshaim toeivah. The halacha

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