A Mechanic’s Warning and a Seller’s Duty: Volume 6, Issue 32, Matos-Massei

July 11, 2026; 26 Tammuz, 5786 Sponsored anonymously for the Refuah Shleimah of Yair Nissan Ben Sara

QUESTION: I own a 2016 Toyota Camry. My mechanic told me that, in his opinion, the transmission will likely last another 18 months. I listed the car for sale but did not mention this to the buyer. The buyer had his own mechanic inspect the car, and that mechanic did not raise the same concern. The buyer has now offered me a good price. Am I required to disclose what my mechanic said?

ANSWER: In this case, you are not obligated to volunteer your mechanic’s opinion. The relevant Halachic principle is Geneivas Da’as—the prohibition against deception. Withholding information is forbidden when a customer reasonably assumes that the seller is offering objective, disinterested guidance. But when the seller is plainly acting in his own interest, the buyer understands that reality. A private owner selling his own used car fits that category: the buyer knows the seller wants to sell and is not serving as his trusted adviser. He therefore cannot assume the seller will volunteer every possible future problem, such as a transmission that may fail in another 18 months...

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True to His Voice: Volume 6, Issue 31, Chukas-Balak

June 27, 2026; 12 Tammuz, 5786 Sponsored anonymously L’Ilui Nishmas Golda Shprintzah Bas Pinchas

It was the winter of 1918. In Chicago, a crowd had packed the auditorium to hear Yossele Rosenblatt — the most celebrated Chazzan (cantor) of his generation, and perhaps of all time. He had come to raise money for Jewish victims of World War I in Europe, but the hall had become more than full; hundreds were left outside, unable to get in. And seated in a box that night was a man who knew greatness when he heard it: Cleofonte Campanini, General Director of the Chicago Opera Association, the impresario who had discovered many opera stars.

When the concert ended, Campanini did not wait. He asked to be introduced to Yossele and came straight to the point. He had heard a voice that belonged on the grandest stage, and he offered Yossele the role of Eleazar in Halévy’s "La Juive" — for $1,000 a performance. In today’s money, that is roughly $23,600 for a single night...

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A Collision of Conscience: Volume 6, Issue 30, Korach

June 20, 2026; 5 Tammuz, 5786 Sponsored anonymously for the Refuah Shleimah of Yair Nissan Ben Sara

It began with the sudden crack of a car door against our vehicle. A woman had parked beside us and flung her door open at the exact moment we passed, striking our car with a force that left the damage staring back at us. But instead of apologizing, she turned the blame on us. She claimed we had driven into her door and threatened to take us to court. I was burning with anger. I told my husband we could not simply let this go—we had to fight, to defend ourselves, to demand justice. But he would not. My husband does not avoid conflict out of fear. He does it from strength. He chooses peace when pride demands a battle. “Let it go,” he said quietly, and kept driving. Out of respect for him, I swallowed my protest. But inside, the ache for justice did not leave me.

So I did the only thing left to do: I prayed. I asked Hashem to make it right in another way. Perhaps, I thought, someone else would hit that very same spot, and then the repair would somehow be covered. It was an unusual prayer—almost too strange to say aloud—but I meant every word. The very next day, something astonishing happened...

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