as a therapist who goes into the homes of children, I had some questions on hail hogs yichud.
1. If the (non Jewish ) father opens the door for the therapist, when the mother is ordinarily the one who does so, do I need to ask if the wife is home and for how long? She may be in a different room, she may have gone out for a very short time, or she may be out for a longer time.
2 . if either the husband or wife says she is going out, but she will be right back, is it okay for me to be there when the husband is home. ‘Right back’ is his or her perception/plans, but she may come back an hour later.
3. If the wife is definitely planning to be out for awhile, so I need to keep the door open- What is the halachah when there are two doors: one to their apt/home, and one shared door to the entrance of the 2family home. is it enough to keep the door to their home open, even if the other one is closed or locked? Presumably, people from the other home could get in, although that is uncommon. Or, do both doors need to be opened?
Thanks.
Answer:
1. You should ask if the wife is home. This is probably the right thing to do professionally, too, to avoid being alone with a man, so that the question is quite legitimate. Note that even a wife being at home doesn’t actually help for a non-Jewish man, so that a door should be left open, or the therapy should be conducted in a room with a window to the street.
2. If the wife is coming right back, this if fine.
3. One door is enough, if there is some chance of people walking in.
Best wishes.
For more details, please see our articles on the laws of yichud, where the question of yichud with non-Jews is also discussed.
