About DSH



  
  ,יִשְׂמְחוּ הַשָּׁמַיִם, וְתָגֵל הָאָרֶץ -Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice.
(-Tehillim 96)
  
 Due to the kindness of Hashem, the Daily Sephardic Halacha (DSH) was founded on Sunday the 23rd of Tammuz 5770. July 4, 2010. The goal was to help our Jewish brothers and sisters familiarize themselves with areas of halacha that are relevant to daily life. This remains the mission of the Daily Sephardic Halacha to this day.

    The pioneering group of recipients consisted of barely ten people, most of them of immediate family. Initially it was sent as a text message only, there was no option for email. Over the next month or so the DSH became more standardized, with a template being used instead of the introduction and post script being written from scratch daily. As it progressed it very slowly became more widespread.  

A little over 3 months after the first halacha was sent out, the DSH launched its website, 613dsh.com. With the new web presence, the DSH gained a little more exposure. By the end of the first year there were close to 30 people receiving the DSH. By the end of the second year there were close to 90. Over the next year the functionality of the DSH came to a standstill due to lack of funding, among other issues. The halachot stopped going out and the website was shut down. However, before the website went down the total amount of people subscribed rose to about 130 people.

Baruch Hashem within a number of months the DSH had a revival of funding and the entire infrastructure of the DSH was revamped. A newer, simpler, and more user friendly website was created in the form of a blog. In order to add to the fresh spirit the website name was changed from 613dsh.com to sephardichalacha.org. The DSH plans to expand further with the help of Hashem. One project currently on the horizon is the creation of an app from which users will be able to access past halachot, look up archives, recommend halachot to others to view, ask questions, and request elaboration on specific topics.

    Initially the DSH was under the guidance of my father,  Rabbi Mordechai Bayar HY"D. When he passed away suddenly just over two weeks after the first halacha went out we were at a standstill and were not quite sure whether or not to proceed. It was decided to proceed in his memory, and we hope that we have brought him pride and nachat in his place in Gan Eden.

     Rabbi Bayar followed the teachings of Hacham Ovadia ZT"L. We have adhered to these teachings throughout our history and will continue to do so with the help of Hashem.  

All of our halachot come directly from the Yalkut Yosef. Where it is possible even the examples given are the examples mentioned by Hacham Yitzhak Yosef . Occasionally we have given our own examples, whether true or imagined, in order to make the subject matter more clear to our readers. Even less often we have used a source other than the Yalkut Yosef. At these times we have quoted from the Hazon Ovadia for added explanation or to include a halacha not mentioned explicitly in the Yalkut Yosef. We have not, and we don't plan on, citing any source other than these for final halacha. Obviously we will quote the Gemara, Rambam, Bet Yosef, Shulachan Aruch, Magen Avraham, Mishna Berurah and various others for the sake of example and explanation. However anytime a final halacha is given it follows the view of the Yalkut Yosef and occasionally the Hazon Ovadia.

One might ask, "What is the need for such a service? What is unique about Sephardichalacha.org?  There are already a handful of email services that offer a daily Sephardic halacha to the masses."
 Indeed, there are a number of such services and the question is certainly a valid one.

To answer this question the following must be understood. It is well known that among the Sephardic Jews Rabbi Yoseph Karo has been accepted as our unchallenged posek. We follow his teachings however strict or lenient they may seem. However, over the more recent years of our long exile this attitude shifted somewhat for a variety of reasons. In some cases it was to satisfy the opinions of other poskim and in some situations it was because we adopted customs of our Ashkenazic brethren. Hacham Ovadia dedicated his life to returning the authority of Rabbi Yosef Karo back to the forefront of Sephardic halacha. In his own words he worked "to return the crown to its former glory."

Of the daily Halachot that are currently published there are hardly any that are committed to following the guidance and furthering this goal of Hacham Ovadia. There are those among them that follow the authority of the Ben Ish Chai, as well as other giants of the Torah world. However we follow strictly the piskei halacha of Hacham Ovadia and the Shulchan Aruch.
Additonally, of the publications that do teach in accordance with Hacham Ovadia there are virtually none that are committed to brevity. While elaboration in halacha is certainly commendable, one has to know his audience. The average individual reads his emails on his cell phone and does not have the time for an elaborate pilpul, whereas a concise but complete halacha can be read while in line at the bank, the market, and other such places.
Last but not least, a large chunk of the English speaking community finds much of the halachik literature inaccessible. Our goal is to help make this necessary aspect of Torah accessible to all who desire it. 
It is with this in mind that the Daily Sephardic Halacha is being offered. We sincerely hope that the public will benefit from it. 

May Hashem grant all of us much hatzlacha in all of our endeavors and may we merit to see the moshiach  and the rebuilding of Yerushalayim very soon! 

 כח  וּשְׁמַרְתֶּם לַעֲשׂוֹת, כַּאֲשֶׁר צִוָּה ה אֱלֹקיכֶם אֶתְכֶם:  לֹא תָסֻרוּ, יָמִין וּשְׂמֹאל .כט  בְּכָל-הַדֶּרֶךְ, אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה ה אֱלֹקיכֶם אֶתְכֶם--תֵּלֵכוּ:  לְמַעַן תִּחְיוּן, וְטוֹב לָכֶם, וְהַאֲרַכְתֶּם יָמִים, בָּאָרֶץ אֲשֶׁר תִּירָשׁוּן. 

"28 You shall observe therefore as the LORD your God has commanded you; you shall not turn aside to the right or to the left. 29 You shall walk in the way which the LORD your God has commanded you, in order that you will live, and that it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which you shall possess." (-Devarim 5)

With Gratitude to Hashem for having allowed me the opportunity to spread his Torah and to bring his nation closer to him.