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Author Archives: Harav Yosef Fleischman

Mold in rental apartment caused severe respiratory issues

Question: I was renting an apartment for 5 years. About six months into our stay, I contacted the landlord and said that I believe there is mold in our a/c vents and my children and I are getting sick. He sent over a handyman who sprayed some Lysol into the return and told us to […]

Bamidbar-Which Neighbor is Responsible for Garbage Disposal

BS”D   Question I have two issues with my neighbor concerning which of us is responsible for disposal of certain garbage items. Question 1 My neighbor’s tree recently fell into my backyard. Boruch Hashem no one was hurt and nothing was damaged. Do I have to take care of removing the tree from my premises […]

can I father give a daughter a lifetime gift of his house when there are 2 other siblings, a son and another daughter.

Question: My father died in 2001. I am the only son in the family and have 2 sisters. Approximately 5 years before my father died (my mother passed away in 1983) my father was asked by one of my sisters to buy his 4 family house from him. (This sister was married at the time, […]

suing another Jew in secular court- lose olam abah?

Question: Hello, Thank you for your help. I learned that it is prohibited to sue another Jew in secular court. (would this be informing?) My question is if a company (that may or may not have Jewish people on the board of directors) brings suit against another Jew in a secular court, may the Jew […]

Inheritance vis-a-vis non-observant siblings

Question: BS”D L’Kavod HaRav, I am a chozer b’teshuva for many years, and am the only orthodox member of my four siblings. The rest of the family is not observant. My sisters married jewish men one in a reform and one in a conservative wedding, and my younger brother married out to a non-jew. As […]

Parshas Vo’era-Is one who Gave Ma’aser Money to a Swindler Required to Give Ma’aser Again-Part 2

      Question: I gave some of my ma’aser money to someone who claimed to be poor. I found out later that it is well-known that he is a swindler and is not poor. Does that mean that I must give ma’aser again?   Answer: In part 1 we saw that there is a […]

Parshas Shemos-Is One who Gave Ma’aser Money to a Swindler Required to Give Ma’aser Again

        Question: I gave some of my ma’aser money to someone who claimed to be very poor. I found out later that it is well-known that he is a swindler and is not poor. Does that mean that I must give ma’aser again? Answer: The answer to your question depends on two […]

liability for a negligible(?) car damage

Question: Hi Rabbi(s) — My parents rented a car. My wife was registered as a driver on the car. My wife accidentally reversed into a parking meter. The damage done was the a red reflector strip on the back of the car mildly cracked and popped out of the area where it normally “fits”. This […]

Photo ownership

Question: My husband and I received a free photoshoot that included five free pictures. All additional pictures would cost $10 each. Before we reviewed the pictures with the photographer she had posted three of them to her public Facebook and Instagram account for advertising purposes. Because they were online I was able to screenshot them […]

Is this considered a change of ownership entitling me to pitzuyim from the previous murshei chatima?

Question: Shalom u’vracha, I work for an amuta that for some 30 years was run by two people who could not be chavrei va’ad as they received salaries from the amuta but were the murshei chatima and for all practical purposes ran the amuta including hiring and dismissing people from employment. These two people have […]

Suitable use of Ma’aser Kesafim

  1. Ma’aser kesafim cannot be used to fulfill a mitzvah, whether a mitzvah d’oraisa  (( The gemora in Beitza (19b) says, “All money that one must spend, can only be paid for withchullin… If a person commits to become a nazir on condition that he can pay for the expenses of his korban with money of ma’aser sheini, he is a nazir but does not bring thekorban.” […]

Bal Talin – Paying Wages on Time

In two places, the Torah writes about the obligations of an employer to pay his worker. In one place, there is a negative commandment not to delay payment – “Do not keep the wages of a worker with you until the next day” (Vayikra 19:13). In another place, there is a positive commandment to pay a worker on time – “Pay his wages that day, before the sun sets” (Devarim 24:15). In addition, the verse in Mishlei states “Do not tell a worker to come back tomorrow, and you have money to pay him” (3:28).
In this summary, the main issues of the prohibition, known as bal talin, are presented. This includes when to pay, the employer’s responsibility, hiring a worker through a third party, corporations and organizations, volunteered services, method of payment, and rentals.

Bal Talin – Paying Wages On Time – part 6: Different Types of Workers

In two places, the Torah writes about the obligations of an employer to pay his worker. In one place, there is a negative commandment not to delay payment – “Do not keep the wages of a worker with you until the next day” (Vayikra 19:13). In another place, there is a positive commandment to pay a worker on time – “Pay his wages that day, before the sun sets” (Devarim 24:15). In addition, the verse in Mishlei states “Do not tell a worker to come back tomorrow, and you have money to pay him” (3:28).
In this summary, the main issues of the prohibition, known as bal talin, are presented. This includes when to pay, the employer’s responsibility, hiring a worker through a third party, corporations and organizations, volunteered services, method of payment, and rentals.

Bal Talin – Paying Wages On Time – part 5: Rentals

In two places, the Torah writes about the obligations of an employer to pay his worker. In one place, there is a negative commandment not to delay payment – “Do not keep the wages of a worker with you until the next day” (Vayikra 19:13). In another place, there is a positive commandment to pay a worker on time – “Pay his wages that day, before the sun sets” (Devarim 24:15). In addition, the verse in Mishlei states “Do not tell a worker to come back tomorrow, and you have money to pay him” (3:28).
In this summary, the main issues of the prohibition, known as bal talin, are presented. This includes when to pay, the employer’s responsibility, hiring a worker through a third party, corporations and organizations, volunteered services, method of payment, and rentals.

Bal Talin – Paying Wages On Time – part 4: Methods of Payment

In two places, the Torah writes about the obligations of an employer to pay his worker. In one place, there is a negative commandment not to delay payment – “Do not keep the wages of a worker with you until the next day” (Vayikra 19:13). In another place, there is a positive commandment to pay a worker on time – “Pay his wages that day, before the sun sets” (Devarim 24:15). In addition, the verse in Mishlei states “Do not tell a worker to come back tomorrow, and you have money to pay him” (3:28).
In this summary, the main issues of the prohibition, known as bal talin, are presented. This includes when to pay, the employer’s responsibility, hiring a worker through a third party, corporations and organizations, volunteered services, method of payment, and rentals.

Bal Talin – Paying Wages On Time – part 3: Non Direct Employer

In two places, the Torah writes about the obligations of an employer to pay his worker. In one place, there is a negative commandment not to delay payment – “Do not keep the wages of a worker with you until the next day” (Vayikra 19:13). In another place, there is a positive commandment to pay a worker on time – “Pay his wages that day, before the sun sets” (Devarim 24:15). In addition, the verse in Mishlei states “Do not tell a worker to come back tomorrow, and you have money to pay him” (3:28).
In this summary, the main issues of the prohibition, known as bal talin, are presented. This includes when to pay, the employer’s responsibility, hiring a worker through a third party, corporations and organizations, volunteered services, method of payment, and rentals.

Bal Talin – Paying Wages On Time – part 2: The Employers Responsibility

In two places, the Torah writes about the obligations of an employer to pay his worker. In one place, there is a negative commandment not to delay payment – “Do not keep the wages of a worker with you until the next day” (Vayikra 19:13). In another place, there is a positive commandment to pay a worker on time – “Pay his wages that day, before the sun sets” (Devarim 24:15). In addition, the verse in Mishlei states “Do not tell a worker to come back tomorrow, and you have money to pay him” (3:28).
In this summary, the main issues of the prohibition, known as bal talin, are presented. This includes when to pay, the employer’s responsibility, hiring a worker through a third party, corporations and organizations, volunteered services, method of payment, and rentals.

Bal Talin – Paying Wages On Time – part 1: When to Pay

In two places, the Torah writes about the obligations of an employer to pay his worker. In one place, there is a negative commandment not to delay payment – “Do not keep the wages of a worker with you until the next day” (Vayikra 19:13). In another place, there is a positive commandment to pay a worker on time – “Pay his wages that day, before the sun sets” (Devarim 24:15). In addition, the verse in Mishlei states “Do not tell a worker to come back tomorrow, and you have money to pay him” (3:28).
In this summary, the main issues of the prohibition, known as bal talin, are presented. This includes when to pay, the employer’s responsibility, hiring a worker through a third party, corporations and organizations, volunteered services, method of payment, and rentals.

Personal Bankruptcy

Question: If a person experiences difficult financial times and begins to fall behind in his/her credit card payments. Is it halachally permissible to declare personal bankruptcy? Thanks Answer: It would be permissible to declare personal bankruptcy, although one should bear in mind the element of a possible Chillul Hashem. The concensus of the Poskim is […]

Contractor Who Abrogated the Terms of Employment

Question: We hired somebody to redo our windows and put in bars. The cost was 14,000₪. One of the conditions was no Arab workers – only Jews. A few weeks ago, Arabs came to measure the windows. We called the kablan and complained – he apologized and reaffirmed his promise of only Jewish workers. So […]

Borrowed Earrings That Got Lost

Question: A woman lent her sister her earrings, and the borrower left the earrings in her closet. Another sister was staying with the borrower, and asked to borrow her bracelet. It seems that the third sister, whilst borrowing the bracelet, inadvertently knocked the earrings onto the floor, and, unnoticed, they were swept away when the […]

Reporting A Thief To the Police

Question: Is it permitted to inform the police on a thief, seeing as the authorities will place the thief in jail – a punishment that goes beyond the Torah’s punishment for a thief? I saw a responsum in Igross Moshe (Orach Chaim Vol 5 no. 9) that seems to prohibit this, and a responsum of […]

May A Fundraiser Keep Back Funds To Pay His Own Salary?

Question: I am employed as a fundraiser by a yeshiva that is behind in paying salaries. Can I use cash that I raised, toward my salary? Keep in mind that when I asked the Rosh Yeshiva to pay my salary from part of the money that was deposited in the bank (i.e.money that the yeshiva […]