Reb Chaim Gelb zt”l – The Williamsburg Baker Who Became a One-Man Chessed Machine
by Rabbi Yair Hoffman
Recently, it was my father z”l’s birthday. He was enamored with the geography and history of Williamsburg Brooklyn. In honor of his birthday, a...
Rav Yeruchem Olshin Shlita on the Parsha!
Reformulated by Rabbi Yair Hoffman
The Connection Between Yaakov Avinu and the Yom Tov of Sukkos - After Yaakov Avinu's encounter with Eisav, the Torah tells us, "Yaakov nasa Su...
VeSain Tal uMatar
By Rabbi Yair Hoffman
Beginning tonight, Wednesday evening, December 4th, 2025, we begin reciting the phrase “V’sain Tal Umatar” (And give dew and rain for a blessing) in the Sh...
The Pardoned Turkey, Animals, and Bechira Chofshis
By Rabbi Yair Hoffman
Every year, in a tradition dating back decades, the President of the United States stands in the Rose Garden and grants an official pardon to a turkey just b...
Thanksgiving and Halacha
By Rabbi Yair Hoffman
Some call it the Great Divide between Modox and More Yeshivesh. However, the question has not yet entered the list of “Shidduch questions” that are general...
Donkey-Riding versus Bronco-Driving: A Halachic Analysis
By Rabbi Yair Hoffman
This article calls into question what seems to be a lax attitude to driving a car while being distracted. It is something that many of us have been g...
Hatzolah Men in Pajamas in the Middle of the Night
By Rabbi Yair Hoffman
The Question
Most parents of Yeshiva kids or day school kids have heard Rabbi Alter Yachnes zt"l's song, "Pharaoh in Pajamas in the Middle of the Night," bu...
The $60 Question: A Test of Emunah in Moshiach’s Arrival
By Rabbi Yair Hoffman
Your passport has expired. The renewal fee stands at $130. For an additional $60, you can receive expedited service that reduces processing time from 6-8 w...
Rav Shamshon Rafael Hirsch for 5786 and the Big Secret
By Rabbi Yair Hoffman
With the Yomim Tovim over, Rosh haShana and Yom Kippur with its additions to the Shmoneh Esreh and Sukkos with its Hoshanos and daily Mitzvah of the Lulav – ...
63rd Yartzeit of Rav Aharon Kotler
NEW YORK - (VINnews/Rabbi Yair Hoffman) - Tonight, the second of Kislev marks the 63rd Yahrtzeit of Rav Aharon Kotler zt”l. In honor of the Yartzeit, this author has issued a...
On Candace Owens, Zohran Mamdani, and the World Situation: Watch Roy Neuberger
https://youtu.be/axHkLBR_s_s
Rav Chatzkel Abramsky zt”l on Eretz Yisroel: A Necessary Re-Alignment
Translated by Rabbi Yair Hoffman
Recently, one of my sons was explaining to a sister that her car desperately needed a re-alignment. In light of a certain book that has been ci...
Will the Real To’ameha Please Stand Up??
by Rabbi Yair Hoffman
Recently a reader of an article about overboard alcohol practices in our community commented that he never heard of the Mitzvah of tasting food before Shab...
A Welcome Step Forward: Why the OU’s New Beer Policy Should Extend to All Alcoholic Beverages
by Rabbi Yair Hoffmam
The Orthodox Union's recent announcement requiring kosher certification for all beers served at OU-supervised establishments and ev...
Dr. Haym Soloveitchik versus Dr. Israel Ta-Shma ob”m on Wine
By Rabbi Yair Hoffman
In an earlier article today, about the OU now requiring certification on beers at all OU events, I argued that the Kashrus agencies should change their pol...
When Community Leaders Show Hakaras HaTov: A Lesson from Lawrence
By Rabbi Yair Hoffman
On November 9, 2025, something remarkable happened at the Lawrence-Cedarhurst Fire Department. Mayor Samuel Nahmias, Trustee Aaron Parnes, and Deputy Mayor A...
First Time Ever Published Work of Rav Shimshon Pincus zt”l on Yitzchok Avinu
Translated by Rabbi Yair Hoffman
The following is dedicated l'Ilui Nishmas a precious neshamah who was taken from this world far too soon—Daniel Reuvain Aryeh ben Aharon Yisroel...
How Litvish Gedolim Viewed the Baal Shem Tov’s Igeres HaKodesh versus Chassidish Gedolim
By Rabbi Yair Hoffman
Throughout the 1980’s, whenever the opportunity presented, I posed a question that bothered me to a number of Gedolim: litvish, chassidesh and sephar...
How President Trump Might Respond to President Herzog’s Dis – Regarding a Pardon for Netanyahu
by Rabbi Yair Hoffman
As many people have heard today, President Trump wrote a letter to President Herzog formally requestiong that he pardon Prime Minister Netanyahu, and that ...