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Maghen Abot – e”H Ribi Mordechai Lebhar s”t

Laws of Berakhot

2. Berakha on Moufleta (Moroccan pancake)

The minhag is that on the pancakes known as moufleta, one says mezonot and ‘al hamihya, unless one makes a meal of it, in which case one says hamosi and Birkat Hamazon. This is despite the fact that moufleta is generally made of a thick dough consisting only of flour and water with no sugar or other additives except for the butter.

The halakha is that the berakha on a baked food made of thick dough (belila ‘ava) consisting only of flour and water with no sugar or seasoning added is hamosi, so it seems at the outset that one should say hamosi on moufleta. However, another qualification necessary to make hamosi is that the dough has “surat hapat”, that it looks like bread. Many posqim hold that moufleta, being very thin, does not have surat hapat. Furthermore, according to Ribi Mordekhai Eliyahu zs”l, since one tastes the extra butter smeared onto the pastry and thus notices that it is different from regular bread, moufleta should not be considered bread and its berakha should be mezonot. Additionally it is not common for people to make a meal out of moufleta, eating the requisite 240 grams. The custom of Ribi Shalom Messas zs”l, as well as nearly all great Moroccan Rabanim was to say mezonot on moufleta.

Netibot Hama’arab – e”H Ribi Eliyahou Bitton s”t

Various Customs

14. When cutting our nails we do it in the following order : We start on the left hand with the ring finger, and then the right hand starting with the index finger. This is all because of saqana (danger) as brought down by the Abudarham. Rbi Yosef Berdugo zs”l in Shufrea deYosef, Siman 6 was very strict on this in accordance with the Rama 260:61. However, Maran HaHida in Moré BaEsba’ 4:133 writes that one does not need to be strict.

15. We are very strict regarding the potential of scattering one’s nail clippings while cutting them, thus we cut them over a piece of cloth or something along those lines so that we can easily drop them in the toilette after or bury them. It is brought in the Gemara Nida 17a that there are five things that a person can do that can cause someone to die and he will be at fault; one of these things is someone who cuts their nails and throws them into the “public domain” because a pregnant woman could then step on them and, has veshalom, have a miscarriage. See the Ben Ish Hai (Shana Bet, Lekh Lekha Siman 14) and Pelé Yo’es(Chapter Giluah).

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Shi’urim :

* NEW 8/8 R. Assayag – Shi’ur – Destruction of The Bet Hamiqdash & Its Connection to Birkat Hatora

* NEW 7/8 R. Assayag – Shi’ur – Qina of the ‘Asara Harugé Malkhut

* 1/8 R. Leb’har – Laws of Tish’a Beab

* Darké Abotenou Shi’urim Archive

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Our Holy Sages, Hazal, teach us that “One who studies [at least] two laws daily is guaranteed a portion in the world to come.” -Masekhet Meghila 28b