Dose of Halacha

Question: I know that some people eat in the sukka on Shemini Atzeres while others don’t. My parents aren’t religious and so I don’t have a specific custom. What should I do? Answer: The Gemara (Sukka 47a) writes that there is a machlokes as to what one should do on Shemini Atzeres in chutz laaretz when there is a safek as to whether to treat it as the seventh or eighth day of Sukkos. The Gemara concludes that one should not shake the lulav and esrog though one should sit in the sukka without reciting the beracha, leishev basukka (See Rambam, Sukka 6:13; Rema OC 668:1; Yechave Daas 2:76). Tosafos explains that as people sometimes sit in a sukka during the year, it is less obvious as to why they are doing so than shaking one’s lulav and esrog . R’ Tzadok Hakohen wrote a sefer (Meshiv Tzedek) defending the practice of not eating in one’s sukka on Shemini Atzeres. Likewise, t he Aruch Hashulchan (OC 668:4) justifies this minhag explaining that Tosafos’ rationale would...

Question: At what age should our son get his own aliya on Simchas Torah? Answer: The Rema (OC 669:1) writes that on Simchas Torah we add on extra aliyos, reading the same parsha a few times. The Mishna Berura (669:12) explains that we want to give everybody an opportunity to participate in the simcha of the Torah. R’ Shlomo Zalman Auerbach (Halichos Shlomo, Sukkos 12:15) adds that when everyone receives their aliya they get to recite the beracha , ‘ asher bachar banu.. venosan lanu es toraso , Who chose us.. and gave us His Torah’ (See Rivevos Ephraim 2:176) While the Mishna Berura (282:12) writes that we shouldn’t call up a child under bar mitzva for an aliya during the year , the Rema writes that on Simchas Torah we are accustomed to give all the children a joint aliya . The Mishna Berura (669:13) explains that this serves to train them in the mitzva of reading from the Torah. According to the Shaarei Ephraim (8:57) this is also to give them a love for the Torah. The...