1) When buying a new clothes (simple) and staff for household (table covers,duvets,etc) – which bracha to say?
2) If it’s permitted to buy original tea blends from China (not packed, there is no kashrut sign)?
3) Which Torah,Mussar, Halacha books to learn for baal tshuva who don’t have a mashpia or teacher? Please list a Torah books to grow in Torah for self education, especially for woman raising children?
Thanks a lot.
Answer:
1) No berachah is recited when buying simple clothes and household items. Only those “important” items that bring a person joy warrant a shehecheyanu berachah.
2) It is permitted to buy such tea blends, provided that no extra ingredients/flavorings are added (this is normally the case for Chinese tea). One should be careful for possible concerns of bugs in the leaves.
3) The basic books to read are English works that detail practical halachic practice in areas such as Shabbos, Kashrus, and day to day living. Beyong this, there is a wealth of books on education, on wellbeing, on personal growth, and so on. I recommend having a look at the websites or publishers such as Artscroll, Feldheim, Urim, the Israel Bookstore, and others, where you’ll find a great deal of material.
