Pose Your Own Questions

One of the most important aspects in the development of halachah as we know it is the famed "שו"ת" - the "Responsa." Throughout the ages, Jews have been sending in questions to their Rabbis and receiving answers, expanding and formulating the scope of Jewish law.
What if you're a Rabbi and wish to share a thought, but did not yet receive the letter in the mail prompting you to reply - how would you teach the world your ideas?
Well, you can compose your own "questions." R. Yisroel Isserlan was a Rabbi who wrote many teshuvos, collected in the sefer "שו"ת תרומת הדשן". His voluminous work serves as an important source for Ashkenazi law, oft quoted by the Rema in Shulchan Aruch, and indeed, he authored many of his own questions.
Knowing that, the Sha"ch rules that any ideas that could be gleaned from his questions have halachic force. In fact, if the question implicates a stringency over the answer, we follow the chumrah of the question.
ש"ך יו"ד סי' קצ"ו סק"כ

Sincerity Counts

A thought from R. Yehuda HaChassid, author of "Sefer Hachassidim":
"If you ever wondered about the people that err in their pronunciation and say "ה" instead of "ח" or "ס" instead of "ש" or "ט" instead of "ק" or "ר" instead of "ד" - how could such people pray, read from the Torah, or say anything holy? Why, when they recite the words "ונפשנו חכתה" [and substitute the ח for a ה which means "we hit"], are they not blaspheming? Wonder not, for our Creator the knower of hearts wants only purity and sincerity; being that such a person does not know how to speak properly, He reckons it as if he did say it, and indeed beautifully.
"Similarly, those who read Pesukei Dezimrah with a loud, sweet, sing-song voice, yet do not know the verses and thus recite it with errors, their prayers and songs are accepted on high as a pleasant korban.
"Hashem also rejoices over this, saying 'Look - see how much he is singing before me to the best of his capabilities!' Regarding this it is said 'And his skipping is beloved to me' - his errors are indeed beloved...
"It once happened that a kohen blessed the nation and mistakenly said "ישמדך - He shall destroy you." A certain scholar present removed him from the platform, as he did not know how to properly pronounce the words. From heaven they showed this scholar that if he did not return the kohen to his place, he would be duly punished."
ספר החסידים סוף סי' יח
ועי' שו"ת הרדב"ז ח"א סי' שצ"ד באופן אחר
ועי' בברכי יוסף או"ח סי' נ"ג בד"ה יש להסתפק ובשו"ת דברי חיים או"ח ח"ב סי' י בענין עלג
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Why is it Called "Minchah?" Part III

...Finally, one more reason:
When the three angels came to Avraham to inform him of the birth of a son, Yitzchak, Avraham fed them much bread. The Ramban (בראשית יח, ו) explains that the abundance of bread that Avraham brought them served as an Olah offering, thanking Hashem for the good news. The prosecuting angels on high were quick to accuse "Look, he's offering to mere angels and not to You, Hashem!" Hashem replied "Rest your case; you will see - I will ask him to offer his own son, and he will do so without hesitating (סמהדרין פט, ב)." And so it was.
Now, at this meal, an accompanying Minchah was not offered. On the way to perform the Akeidah (which was born out of the prosecution by the meal above), Yitzchak noticed that his father was prepared to repeat his mistake: he was ready to offer Yitzchak as an Olah without a Minchah. "What's this - an Olah without a Minchah?!" Yitzchak exclaimed, "I will institute a tefillah in place of the missing Minchah," Yitzchak concluded. Hence, the prayer bears that name.
של"ה חלק תורה שבכתב דרוש לפ' וירא סי' יד-טו
ועי' בפי' זרע יחצק למשניות ברכות פ"ד מ"א שמביא א"ז בשם המדרש שאינה ת"י
ועי' עוד בס"ספר החיים" (אחי המהר"ל) כעין דברים הללו, ואפשר שמשם שאב השל"ה דבריו
ועי' עוד בענין שם מנחה בחי' חת"ס פסחים קז, א ד"ה סמוך למנחה. ספר "תוספת ברכה" בראשית כד, סג. תיו"ט ברכות פ"ד מ"א
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Why is it Called "Minchah?" Part II

...Developing this idea, some point out the lesson to be learned from the sun's descent in the latter part of the day: just as the sun bows towards and offers itself to its Creator, we should offer ourselves as well.
Others explain the title "Minchah" and the lesson therein as follows: The morning Tamid was offered as atonement for all the nocturnal wrongdoings, whereas the fats and limbs that were burned in the evening served as an atonement for the day-time sins. What purpose did the afternoon Tamid serve? Nothing - it was a selfless gift to G-d. As such, a most befitting title would be simply "Minchah - present."
To answer the question as to why Eliyahu was delivered specifically at the time of "Minchah" and to explain it's unique qualities, the Aruch Hashulchan explains that the minchah was the last offering of the daily service in the Beis Hamikdash. As such, it had the power of the "concluding offering," similar to the power of Ne'ilah on Yom Kippur. Thus, it deserves to have a namesake.
שו"ת רמ"ע מפאנו סי' כ"ב
שו"ת אמונת שמואל סי' כ הובא באלי' רבה סי' רל"ב ס"ק"א
ערוך השולחן ריש סי' רל"ב
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Why is it Called "Minchah?" Part I

Jews pray three times a day: morning, afternoon, and evening, or Shachris, Mincha, and Ma'ariv. Shachris means "morning," a suitable name for the morning prayer. "Ma'ariv" means "evening," a suitable name for the evening prayer as well. "Minchah" means "offering" - how does that match up?
The tefillos were established correspondent to the korbanos in the Beis Hamikdash. Two daily offerings were brought, corresponding to Shachris and Minchah (the fats and other limbs burned all night, hence the Ma'ariv prayer.) Along with the Korban Tamid, a "minchah" was brought. But this was with BOTH Tamid's - why did the afternoon prayer specifically merit the name?
Tosafos (פסחים קז, א ד"ה סמוך למנחה) grapples with this question. They suggest that it's a reference to the passuk that describes Eliyahu's salvation at the "time of minchah" (מלכים א' יח, לו. ברכות ו, ב). But this itself begs the question - why meritorious factor of the "afternoon" attributed more to the minchah than the tamid?
Some suggest that the name has an entirely different meaning: When Adam sinned and Hashem surprised him with a visit, the Torah records the encounter to have been "לרוח היום." Targum translates "למנח יומא - when the day descends." Hence, the translation of "מנחה" is "descent," referring to the sun's descent in the latter part of the day when the Minchah is prayed.
אבודרהם תפילת מנחה ופי' הרמב"ן שמות יב, ו
תורה תמימה בראשית כד, סג הערה לו
ועי' בספר "הכתב והקבלה" (ויקרא ב, א) שמקשר פי' מנחה - שפלות עם פי' מנחה - מתנה
שו"ת הרמ"ע מפאנו סי' כ"ב
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Writing Skills of Old

R. Massoud Chai Rokeach was a late seventeenth, early eighteenth-century Rabbi born in Izmir, Turkey, and, eventually, the Cheif Rabbi of Tripoli, Libya where he passed away. He authored a book of commentary on the Ramabam, publishing the words of the Rambam together with his glosses flanking the sides.
In his introduction, he saves his reader the question and asks "Here the child asks (כאן הבן שואל)" - if I'm printing the words of the Rambam, why did I leave out the famed counter-attacks from the Ra'avad printed in every classic edition of the Rambam?
He explains that the great luminaries the Maggid Mishneh and the Kessef Mishneh already did a highly satisfactory job and they have first-rights - why add?. Now, if he wouldn't be defending the Rambam's position against the Ra'avad anyway, what purpose is there to bring the attack without the defense? Just to quote the discussion? This is also be needless, for why add words for naught?
A good lesson in writing...
הקדמת המחבר לס' "מעשה רקח" על הרמב"ם בסופו
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"Titura" - What Does it Mean

The body of the tefillin is made up of three parts: the Bayis, Titura, and Ma'avarta.
The "Bayis - house" is the main body, or square, of the tefillin which "houses" the scrolls carefully placed inside. The "Ma'avarta -passageway" is, as its name clearly indicates, the protruding piece of leather with the hollow inside through which the straps "pass through," and hang, from the tefillin (kind of like a belt loop on a pair of pants - רש"י מנחות לה, א ד"ה מעברתא). The Titura is the bottom square piece of leather which closes the Bayis.
What does it mean?
"Bridge." That's right, the bottom slab of leather acts as a bridge over the gaping hole that the bottomless Bayis leaves. In what language? Aramaic of course.
מנחות לה, א וברש"י ד"ה תיתורא
שו"ע או"ח סי' ל"ב סמ"ד ושו"ע הרב שם סס"ו