My friend tried to bring in his drone, not a new drone, back from the USA (even though he took it with him to the USA from Israel) was stopped by Customs at the airport and the drone was confiscated. This was not a taxes/duties issue but they confiscated due to communications regulations, even though the exact same drone is approved and sold in Israel already.

According to Fox News, the City of Los Angeles is looking into the possibility of the banning of the sale and production of fur.

Activist groups have met with city councilmen and pushed this proposal, which is being considered for passage into law.

For them the issue is largely fur coats and apparel such as handbags and the like. For the Jewish community it will mostly affect the availability of shtreimels.

If the law should pass, I guess it would still be possible to buy shtreimels outside of LA and bring them into LA personally, but many do not have the luxury of traveling to buy a shtreimel.

According to the article, they are also looking into "the legal ramifications regarding the fur hats often worn by Hasidic Jewish men". I guess that means they might consider including an exception based on religious grounds. The other option would be to either leave Los Angeles or start buying synthetic. I don't see why that is a problem, but if it wasn't done 200 years ago, there will surely be resistance to doing it now..

Buying online is about to get cheaper in Israel..

According to Globes, Finance Minister Yair Lapid yesterday signed an order exempting personal imports from customs taxes for purchases up to a maximum of $500 (up from the previous exemption of up to $325).

VAT isn't being changed, and will continue to be tacked on to purchases above $75.

Lapid says this is another step in lowering the cost of living.

The exemption from customs will be applied as long as 3 conditions are met:
1. the import is done via mail messenger or airmail.
2. the product is meant for personal use (and not for re-sale)
3. the price of the product is not greater than $500

The exemption will not apply to tobacco or alcohol products. It will apply to the most common internet orders of clothes (normally having a 6% customs rate), shoes (12%), and cosmetics and toiletries (12%).

I expect that this will cause an increase of Internet purchases of small electronics - digital cameras, computer accessories, etc.

Some guy tried to smuggle 30 iPhone 5s, worth about 150,000 NIS, inside a vest, or perhaps undershirt ("vest" is what brits call what we call undershirts), that he wore under his clothing. The "vest" was made, by his wife, to look like tzitzit, and it was made with special pockets sewn into it.

When he came in to Israel, he went through the "green line", the line where you are saying you have nothing to declare in customs. He triggered the suspicion of one of the customs agents, who stopped him for inspection, upon which the special garment with the hidden iPhones were discovered.
(source: Arutz 7)

I blame the exclusive importers for this - if they wouldn't charge ridiculous prices like 5000 NIS for an iPhone, people wouldn't have to smuggle them in. In the USA they are sold at prices starting at $200, and Walmart was even selling them recently for $129.

Just joking. The importer isn't to blame. he can charge whatever price he thinks people are willing to pay. Though he is ripping everyone off, people choose to smuggle and the smuggler alone is to blame...

When the Shulchan Aruch says that one should check his tzitzis to ensure they are kosher, it refers to one checking his own tzitzis, not the tzitzis of someone else...

It has been nearly two months since the Israeli government approved a decision to waive import duties on purchases of a great variety of products made over the Internet up to a value of 1200 NIS.

It seems the decision was passed but was never actually signed into effect. Until yesterday that is. Kef International, one of the major shipping companies, posted recently on their email list newsletter that despite having passed the approval, many people had suffered by ordering things based on the news announcement but in actuality the customs officials have still been charging the duties, because the Finance Minister had not signed the official order.

According to Ynet, yesterday Minister of Finance Yuval Steinitz finally signed the order and put the new regulation into effect.

Personally I still would not test it until I see the customs officials actually letting such goods through duty free. Though I also just found the original press release put out by the tax authorities yesterday making the announcement. So it seems pretty safe.

For a few additional details, this is how it works. The waiver of duties applies only on such goods delivered by mail - it does NOT include carrying items in your suitcase when travelling or any other such method. In addition to the waiver of duties on goods up until 1200 NIS, there is an additional waiver of the purchase tax  on some goods with a value of up to $75 (the bar was previously set at $50). As well, you should know that the price of shipping is included when considering the value of the goods.

I am still looking for the full list of goods the waiver applies to. According to Ynet, the tax authorities had posted the full list when the waiver was being considered. I have yet to find it.

Great news for people in Israel who buy things on the Internet and want to ship directly to Israel (rather than shipping in the USA, for example, and asking someone to bring it in for you - flights only allow one piece of luggage as part of the ticket price, so it is even more difficult now to ask people to bring things for you).

It used to be that when getting a shipment to Israel, it was hit or miss whether the package would get stopped and tagged for customs duties and taxes. Eventually they formalized a rule that anything over $50 in value would get stopped and tagged with taxes and duties.

While it still might have been worth buying abroad on the Internet, and paying the fees, as some items are either difficult to find in Israel or even more expensive than abroad even after paying the taxes, it was still frustrating. Packages might get stopped and delays in delivery would occur. Or, you didn't really know how much you would end up paying. Or, maybe you ordered an item that is difficult to find in Israel but at the final price including the extra duties you might not have considered it worth buying.

Yesterday the Israeli government approved an increase in the threshold for applying such taxes and duties. Instead of the $50 threshold (about 180 NIS), it is now 1200 NIS (about $320).

That means you can now order, without concern that you will end up paying a serious percentage more, all those goods you have wanted to order, such as books from Amazon, or your Vibram Bikila barefoot running shoes or whatever else you like to order from abroad. I guess anything that has import taxes, such as electronics or whatnot, will still have such duties applied, but on items where that is not an issue, there will be no need for concern about added VAT or customs, at least not until passing the threshold.

Not only that, but the other benefit, and this was the intended benefit for which the threshold was raised, is that the government expects raising the threshold will "force" local businesses to lower their prices. Now they will be competing not just with other local businesses, but with Internet based businesses as well!

When I go to daven vasikin in Hebron at the Me'aras Hamachpela, I usually prefer to daven in the sefardi minyan. When I went this past holiday, for no particular reason I davened with the ashkenazi minyan.

I noticed something unusual, but it is very common in places like Hebron. Despite the fact that the minyanim were split between ashkenazim and sefardim, in our ashkenazi minyan one of the two torah scrolls used was a sefardic torah scroll. As well, some of the people davening in the ashkenazi minyan were sefardim and the sefardi calls one hears during sefardi davening were commonly called out even in the ashkenazi minyan.

When our minyan was finished, I went over to the sefardi minyan to see what they were up to (they were just about finished). I saw some ashkenazim davening with them. As well, the minyan was being led by someone dressed in yerushalmi garb. While I could not see his face and don't know if he himself was sefardi or ashkenazi, the uniqueness of the experience was not lost.

Despite the fact that groups formed and people split into sefardi and ashkenazi minyanim, the people were still mixed, davening together and accepting each other's customs intermingled into the "other" group. You don't see that in too many places.

A short while ago there was a notice in the news about the IDF enforcing policy about beards. Soldiers in the IDF are not allowed to have beards unless they meet certain requirements. The army rarely enforced this and similar rules.

In an effort to improve the level of discipline, the army has decided to enforce these rules. no more beards. No longer being unkempt. No more letting things go. but because we live in a Jewish country, and the IDF has plenty of religious soldiers and wants to keep good relations with them, they had to show some flexibility on that. So they came up with a set of exceptions. Religious soldiers are allowed to have a beard, as long as they get the approval of their commanding officer.

Along comes sefirat ha'omer when we show outward displays of mourning, such as not shaving and getting haircuts, and suddenly we have a problem. People who were able to shave as per the army rules until now, suddenly cannot. But they do not have permission to let it grow out.

Yisrael HaYom newspaper wrote today about an incident in the army in which 6 soldiers affiliated with the Conservative movement wished to get permission to not shave during sefirat ha'omer. The army rabbi refused to give them recognition as religious soldiers and therefore their request was rejected. the rabbi said that he does not recognize the Conservative Movement as religious and therefore they cannot be considered religious. (they have appealed and are waiting for a response, but in the meantime they have had to shave because of this ruling).

I do not understand this rabbi's position. I understand he does not want to give any tacit recognition of the Conservative Movement - just like most Orthodox rabbis have the position of not sharing a pulpit at events with Conservative/Reform rabbis so as not to be perceived as approving of them in their positions. He thinks that by approving the request of 6 individual soldiers, he will be perceived as approving of the whole Conservative Movement.

It was not the Conservative Movement asking permission to be recognized as religious soldiers. It was 6 individual soldiers. And if they asked if they could put on tefillin, would the army rabbi not allow them saying they are not religious so they are not allowed? If they asked for time for davening, would he reject that as well?

These were 6 individual soldiers. Since when do we reject the right of individuals, no matter their affiliation, to perform mitzvahs (granted, not shaving during sefira is not actually a mitzvah per se, but it is a widespread Jewish custom)? What right did this rabbi have to reject the request of an individual to follow Jewish tradition?

The rabbi should be applauding every occurrence of his soldiers trying to keep tradition and custom, and not rejecting it.

(This post was cross posted at DB)

We are less than a mere week away from Holocaust Day, or Yom HaShoah. It falls out this year on May 1, the 26th of Nissan.

The adopted custom in Israel for commemorating the Holocaust is a moment of silence. Everybody stands still when the siren blares, from people working in offices to people driving down the highway. Everything comes to a standstill for that minute. Just as the siren wails and cries out to us to pause from our daily routine and think back to the atrocities people are capable of, and to the great suffering and tragedies we have experienced, the silence and the sight of all of Israel stopping to stand still during that moment also is a shock to the system called routine and beckons us to consider how we are all one - we all rejoice together and we all suffer together.

While the concept of "A Moment of Silence" is not a Jewish one, and perhaps that moment could be better used by forming some sort of Jewish method of commemorating the Holocaust (be it in prayer as is the common recommendation, or be it some other Jewish sourced method), that is the method currently in place. Until that will be changed, in the great debate (in the religious community) of whether people should stand still or not stand still, I am in favor of standing still.

Al Tifrosh Min Ha'Tzibbur. Do not separate yourself from the community. When all of Israel stands still, it appears to be a desecration to the memory of the Holocaust, and a desecration to the religious community, and subsequently a desecration of Hashem's name, when religious people are seen protesting the moment of silence by refusing to stand still.

Is your time so valuable and accounted for that that one minute of wasted time is your only bittul torah of the day? I know I waste plenty of minutes over the course of the day, so this one minute is not my biggest problem of bittul torah. In addition, the amount of time wasted protesting the moment of silence causes bittul torah to a far greater degree in total minutes wasted, than if the protester would just choose to "waste" that one moment standing in silence.

And, of course, who says that minute has to be wasted? One can recite a chapter of tehillim to himself in that moment. One can review a mishna in memory of the dead in that moment. One can find a way personally to utilize that moment in a more Jewish method of commemoration, while still standing still and avoiding the creation of a Chillul Hashem.


Tsfar is coming under criticism for his lack of sensitivity to the secular public, and "religious coercion".

But I agree with Tzfar. We do not need to use non-Jewish methods of commemoration. We can and should commemorate the Holocaust using Jewish methods. This is a Jewish country and should use Jewish methods and symbols in its ceremonies and events.

That being said, I am aware that, while Tsfar has raised the discussion in the public forum, nothing is going to be changed in the near future. Maybe in the long term he will successfully find a way to implement change, but for now we will continue with the moment of silence.

I see no reason to criticize Tsfar for his raising of the topic. I see no reason to criticize Tsfar for his suggestion and recommendation. Nowhere in the article did I see him call for people to not stand in silence while the rest of the country is. It seems to me that he is calling for a change in the system, which is something that is worthy of being discussed. Is it wrong, in a democracy, to question whether a system in place is really the best system and maybe a better one could be used?

I support considering a change in the system. But in the meantime, as long as the system is the moment of silence, I will be standing still when the siren wails.

Change. We don't like change too much (we prefer big bills, ha ha).

For example, the bima was always placed in the center of the shul. At some point in the mid-1800s, shortly after Reform Judaism opened its doors, they moved the bima to the front of the shul. the Rabbonim were always opposed to that move and fought it tooth and nail to ensure that Orthodox shuls would not adopt that style.

Very frequently no specific reason was given. just that we cannot change a custom that has been in place for so long. I think the Chasam Sofer gave a reason for insisting on the bima being in the center of the shul, being it is compared to the mizbe'ach, altar, in the Beis Hamikdash. the Noda B'Yehuda was also famously one of the Rabbonim who lead the fight against moving the bima and he said (as far as I know) that we cannot change what has become the custom in Israel.

Ostensibly, the reason is because once we allow change, even on what might be considered something small and possibly insignificant, we do not know where it will end up and what else will be changed. Case in point is that the Reform movement changed the location of the bima and many other time honored customs fell in its wake as well, and many things that were halchic in nature and not just custom (though I have no idea if the other customs were changed as a result of their success with moving the bima or if it was not connected).

I found another such custom that I had never before been aware of.

At Friday night dinner we generally read a couple paragraphs of a book on the Halachos of Shabbos. We are using the set of books called "the 39 Melachos", and I find that even though the author is generally very machmir in his psak, the background and information he gives in his explanation is very well elucidated and very thorough.

So we are currently learning the Halachos of Mocheik (erasing). He discusses an interesting question regarding the opening of a Paroches on the aron kodesh on Shabbos. Commonly the paroches is one piece of cloth that gets pulled open to one of the sides. However, there are shuls that use a Paroches made of two pieces of cloth, split down the middle. If there are words embroidered across the two pieces of cloth, thus splitting the words in two when the cloths are opened and separated, an interesting question is raised.

He quotes the Igros Moshe who suggests, if possible, to leave the paroches slightly ajar and not closed all the way, but if that was not possible or was not left like that, then one could be lenient and close (and open) the paroches on Shabbos.

The author explains this position and then he adds,

It should be noted that it is improper for a shul to have a Paroches that is designed to part at the center, because it deviates from the customary Paroches design (i.e. to be drawn open from one side) that has been the universally accepted tradition for generations. The synagogue should correct the impropriety by sewing the separate panels as one, or by installing a new Paroches made of a single curtain.

I was not aware there was a specific custom for the Paroches design. I am pretty sure I have seen shuls with one Paroches curtain, though I cannot think of any specific shul that I am aware of offhand. It could even be that the Paroches was always designed with one curtain so as not to have this problem of separating or joining letters that form words.

This shabbos is famously known as Shabbos Shira. This is because we read the Shiras Ha'Yam, the song of praise Israel sang after the splitting of the sea, in this week's Torah portion.

There is more happening this shabbos. It was a jam packed week and is a jam packed shabbos.

Not only do we read this week the Shiras Ha'Yam, but we also read the Parshas Ha'Man. That is the portion describing how Hashem began giving the manna to the Jews in the desert. This past Tuesday was considered a special day to read the portion of the Parshas Ha'Man and is, in tradition, considered a segula for one's livelihood.

In actuality, the portion is beneficial to be read every day, but Tuesday of Shabbos SHira is ocnsidered especially "seguladic".

The segula of it is that if you read it and consider what the real source of our sustenance is, from Hashem and not from our own efforts (though those are necessary), than Hashem will, hopefully, reward us with increased sustenance.

So on Tuesday we had the manna, on Shabbos we have the shira, and there is one more.

This shabbos there is the custom of feeding the birds with bread crumbs. The reason for this is two-fold, connected to the manna and connected to the shira.

One reason is because when Hashem first gave the manna, and on Friday the Jews were told to collect double portions as the manna would not fall on shabbos itself. When some decided to make trouble and put manna back out on Friday night so when everyone would wake up shabbos morning and see the manna outside they would think Moshe was wrong and it did fall on shabbos, the birds came to save the day. The birds came and ate the manna and the plot was foiled.

As thanks to them, this shabbos, on the portion of the giving of the manna, we put out bread for the birds.

The second connection is the birds speak in song. Song is considered the realm of birds. Ever hear the phrase "She sings like a bird"? So on this shabbos, when we use the tool of the birds, we sing the praise of Hashem for splitting the sea and saving us, we thank the birds for allowing us their tool, and we put out bread for them.

I remember growing up that we would put out the bread crumbs for the birds on shabbos. Only much later did I learn that many say that one should preferably put the bread out on Friday, as it is prohibited to feed wild birds on shabbos. One can only feed on shabbos pets that are in your own possession.

However, the custom still stands and some people say this is the exception. So some put the bread out on Friday, and some put the bread out on shabbos. If you wish to put out bread as per the custom and are unsure of what to do (Friday or shabbos), ask your local Rabbi for advice as to the best way of dealing with this custom.

We are now deep into the period knows as "The Three Weeks". A full week has passed. This period of time is meant to be one of mourning over the destruction of the Temples, and also of the various Jewish communities throughout history. It is a time of introspection and self-analysis.

It is difficult to arouse such feelings, in today's day and age. We, for the most part, have little understanding of what life was like with the Temples, and therefore it is difficult to arouse the appropriate levels of "mourning" and consideration. It was a long time ago, we never experienced it, it is very difficult to honestly mourn.

That is why, I think, that the mourning is barely visible on most people. Sure, we keep the customs associated with the time period - we do not listen to music, no weddings, no buying new clothes, etc.. but the actual mourning is missing.

There is one aspect that one will now begin to notice while walking the streets of Israel. That would be: no haircuts or shaving.

All of the sudden, everyone here looks like Bruce Willis. Everyone has the 5 o' clock shadow. Soon everyone will have the short, messy beards. One of the customs of the Three Weeks is no haircuts and shaving.

From what I remember in the US, most people use the excuse of "parnassah" to allow themselves to shave and get haircuts (it is a valid excuse and I am not criticizing it). Meaning, it is detrimental to their earning a livelihood, as it is inappropriate to show up to work, among the non-jews, looking "disheveled" because of not shaving. It is not acceptable, and many shave for that reason.

In Israel, a Jew can live like a Jew is supposed to, if he so desires, and the parnassah excuse is used much less frequently. One can work in the most secular of offices in Israel and does not have to shave. He can follow the Jewish customs and not be concerned about such repercussions.

Just walk down the street and see how suddenly everyone is sporting short beards, which will soon be longer. It is considered acceptable and legitimate to keep your religious practices, and one need not fear any external forces.

Only in Israel. Another reason to live in Israel - a person can live like a Jew.

The common custom is not to eat matza from Rosh Hodesh Nissan until Pesah night. The purpose of this minhag is in order to increase ones desire for matza at the seder and he will enjoy it that much more. If he has been eating matza prior to Pesah, the matza is nothing special and he will enjoy it less at the seder.

Having grown up in the yeshiva world, that custom is universally accepted and I kept it as well. Since leaving my parents house, I, over time, have picked up many "customs" that I did not know about prior. Most of my minhagim I kept over time, some I dropped and have come back to as I got older, some I dropped and never thought about - just assuming we did it wrong before out of ignorance. I have since realized, and been told so in discussion with various Rabbonim, that the yeshiva world is the greatest destroyer of minhagei yisrael, as everyone tries and feels the need to fit in and conform they all too often drop their own minhagim and adopt foreign minhagim...

I looked into the custom of not eating matza before Pesah. I did not do a completely comprehensive search, but enough to come to a conclusion.

The Rama in 471:2 of the shulchan aruch says Matza that one can fulfill his obligation with at the seder is prohibited from eating the whole day on the 14th of Nissan.
The Mishna Brura 11 says the reason for this prohibition is in order to differentiate between the eating of pre-Pesah and Pesah. Meaning, if one eats matza straight through with no break, one cannot tell on Pesah that he has done a mitzva of eating matza. So we take a day off of matza to delineate when the mitzva is a mitzva and when eating matza is just for your enjoyment.
The Mishna Brura in 12 says there are those whose custom it is to not eat matza from Rosh Hodesh Nissan.

That custom has taken root in the yeshiva world and most people who are products of the yeshiva world refrain from eating matza from Rosh Hodesh, myself included.

I have a number of books of customs of the German communities. I searched through all of these books and have not found any mention of such a custom of refraining from eating matza from Rosh Hodesh Nissan.

I am now convinced that Jews of German descent do not have such a custom and we simply should adhere to the prohibition of not eating matza on the 14th of Nissan. That is not a custom, but an actual Rabbinic prohibition.

The thing is, it is bad enough we have to eat matza for 7 days. Who desires to eat matza before Pesah when you don't have to? But I now know that I do not have to be so careful and refrain when I could "nosh" on the matza...

An interesting custom I just found: I found in the compilation of minhagim by Machon Moreshes Ashkenaz a minhag to eat kneidlach on pesah. By calling it a minhag it means it is not just a common food eaten, but there is an actual minhag to eat kneidlach (matza balls). They write that "A Pesah food that been accustomed to eat throught all the German communities is Kneidlach made from matza meal. The Ashkenzaik gedolim were not concerned about matza shruya (a.k.a. gebrokdts), especially on our thin matzas which have no crumbs of flour. And furthermore, the opposite is true. One who refrains from eating any desirable food that has been accustomed to eat from earlier times has annulled simchas yom tov m'd'oraisa .

So when you are eating your kneidlach (if you eat gebrokdts), you are not just eating a great Pesah food, but you are continuing an actual custom and fulfilling your mitzva of simhas yom tov.
B'Teavon and Hag Sameah