Search results for: ""Pasul""
Lulav: Choosing: Condition
A lulav, willow branches, or myrtle branches are only disqualified/pasul if the leaves are so dry that they will crack if you bend them. Being moldy does not disqualify them.
Talit
An adult male is wrapped in a talit but one of the tzitziyot is made invalid/pasul.
Tefilin: Checking: When
It is customary to check tefilin twice in each seven year period. Tefilin do not usually require checking, but you should periodically check:
- Tefilin of the type that can become pasul (due to white-washed parchment).
- Tefilin that are moved a lot, such as from place to place where there are large changes in temperature.
- Tefilin in humid climates, such as Florida.
Tzitzit: For What To Check
Torn
In checking tzitzit, determine:
Tangled
There is no problem if tzitzit are tangled. However, to untangle them:
If any tzitziyot are so frizzy that the individual tzitziyot cannot be distinguished, they are invalid (pasul).
Note To prevent frizziness during laundering, wrap the tzitziyot tightly in a rubber band before drying them in a dryer, or hang them to dry.
Note
In checking tzitzit, determine:
- Are any loops torn?
- Are 8 strings visible on each corner?
Tangled
There is no problem if tzitzit are tangled. However, to untangle them:
- Is a superior way to fulfill the mitzva, and
- Allows you to easily check them to see if there are 8 tzitziyot.
If any tzitziyot are so frizzy that the individual tzitziyot cannot be distinguished, they are invalid (pasul).
Note To prevent frizziness during laundering, wrap the tzitziyot tightly in a rubber band before drying them in a dryer, or hang them to dry.
Note
- If the hanging end of a tzitzit string breaks below the lowest knot, the string is kosher.
- If more than one string breaks, or if one string breaks above the lowest knot, consult a rabbi since the tzitzit may not be kosher.
Introduction to Using God's Name in Vain
You may use God's correct names and not the defective version (Hashem, Adoshem, Elokim...) whenever you are teaching, even if you are only quoting a partial pasuk. This is the halacha, even though many people have the custom of using only the defective versions.
Blessings and Using God's Name in Vain
You may not use God's name unless there is a positive purpose. Anyone may say any of God's names anytime when studying Torah, even a girl or woman who is reading the Torah with cantillation/trop where she might need to repeat God's name or other words in a line/pasuk and thereby not say the entire pasuk as it is written.
It is permissible to use God's name (and not an altered name such as “Keil” or “Elokim”) in these cases:
It is permissible to use God's name (and not an altered name such as “Keil” or “Elokim”) in these cases:
- When reciting a sentence or phrase from the Torah.
- For any type of teaching of Torah, blessings, and prayers to children up to bar/bat mitzva age.
- In Shabbat songs/zmirot.
Note When singing zmirot on Shabbat, you should use God's correct name, since zmirot are a form of prayer.