As we approach the onset of the second month of Adar – Adar Sheini – we dedicate the present article to the oft-confusing identification of the “true” month of Adar. As we shall see, choosing between the two months of Adar has ramifications embracing a wide range of halachic issues. For instance, in which of […]
Author Archives: Rabbi Yehoshua Pfeffer
Yahrzeit in Adar on Leap Year
Shalom Kindly advise what the halacha is if one (mistakenly?) said kadesh for a grandparent who passed away on adar aleph, during this adar aleph, does one have to say kadish in adar beit again? Thank you. Answer: If a parent passed away in Adar Aleph of a leap year, the appropriate time for saying […]
Do you Make a Bracha for Chewing Gum
1. What is the common custom as to whether or not to make a Bracha on chewing gum? 2. Do you say a shehakol if you take a drink of water for the sake of swallowing a pill? Answer: 1. A berachah is required, because a person swallows the “taste” that emerges from the chewing gum, […]
Does Contract Need to be Signed?
I’m trying to work out an agreement with a client. I’ve sent him the agreement and asked him to sign it. He agrees with the terms, but he insists that today a signature isn’t necessary. It’s enough for him to reply by email that he agrees to the terms. Would this be true in the […]
Signing for Somebody Else
Someone asked me to fill out their visa application online for the US consul because he doesn’t speak English. This is permitted however at the end it says clearly that the person applying must sign himself. It will be very difficult for the person to come down to my home to sign, is it permitted […]
What is the Bracha for Tortilla?
What is the bracha for tortilla? Thanks very much. Answer: For corn tortilla, the berachah is shehakol. For wheat, it seems that the berachah will usually be hamotzi, because it is essentially a bread product. However, if it is made as a snack (such as certain types of “wraps”) and eaten as a snack, mezonos […]
What is the Bracha for Pasta
What is the bracha for pasta? Many thanks. Answer: The bracha for pasta, which is made of wheat, is “borei minei mezonos.” Best wishes.
Can you Get Married on Rosh Chodesh
Can you get married on Rosh Chodesh? Answer: Yes, it is permitted to get married on Rosh Chodesh. In general it won’t be permitted to fast on Rosh Chodesh (Nissan in the exception; see Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 573:1). Best wishes.
Can you Shave on Rosh Chodesh
Can you shave on Rosh Chodesh? Thanks. Answer: Those who are careful not to take haircuts on Rosh Chodesh should also preferably refrain from shaving on rosh chodesh. However, because there is no actual prohibition of haircuts on Rosh Chodesh (see here), and because shaving is still more lenient (because there is room to distinguish […]
Can you Take a Haircut on Rosh Chodesh
Can you take a haircut on Rosh Chodesh? Thanks very much for the great service! Answer: Some have the custom of refraining from taking a haircut on Rosh Chodesh. This is not a strict halachah, but rather a custom that some are particular for. Under difficult and extenuating circumstances, even those who are particular can […]
Should You Fast / Daven on Yom Kippur Katan?
Should you fast or daven the special prayers for Yom Kippur Katan? I have never done this in the past, but my son, in yeshiva, urges me to do so. What is the status of these customs? Answer: Yom Kippur Katan, which is observed by fasting or by reciting special prayers on the eve of […]
Yichud For Babysitter
Is it permissible for an uncle (over bar mitzvah) to babysit his 2 nieces and nephew at night? Details: girl 1-age 8, girl 2-age 6, boy-age 4. They all go to sleep (or are already in bed/sleeping) except for the oldest girl, who stays up for awhile until she goes to sleep. No one else […]
Halachic View of Sudanese
What is your opinion regarding the Sudanese (religious law)? Answer: The question is not entirely clear, but I assume it to be: What is the opinion of religious law concerning Sudanese immigrants to Israel. The Torah urges us to “love the stranger.” Although the Talmudic Sages generally understand this as a reference to proselytes, the […]
Listening to Women Singing in Halachah
Is there a problem in halachah of listening to women singing? Answer: It is not permitted to listen to a woman singing if the performance is “live.” For recorded voice, there is room for leniency. Best wishes. Sources: The Rambam (Issurei Biah end of Chap. 21), the Rosh (siman 37) and the Tur (Even Ha-Ezer […]
Can Jews listen to non-Jewish music?
Can Jews listen to non Jewish music? Answer: In principle there is no prohibition of listening to non-Jewish music. However, this depends greatly on the nature of the music, and there is a gulf between classical music (which is also non-Jewish) and most modern pop-music, where both the lyrics and even the accompanying music often […]
Must you Eat Meat at Purim Meal?
Kvod harabanim, Is there a mitsva to eat meat at the mishte shel Purim, as well as for yamim tovim ? Or is it possible to organise a ‘halavi or parve mishte ? Thanks a lot for your answer, shalom uvracha. Answer: Several poskim write that there is an obligation to eat meat at the […]
Selling Watch with Cross (Idolatry)
Is it permitted for me to sell online a wrist watch with a cross on the face and band of the watch? Answer: Yes, this is fine, and there is no need for any concern. Best wishes. Sources: The Rema (Yoreh De’ah 141:1), based on the Mordechai (citing from Raavya) and Terumas Hadeshen (196) writes […]
Can you Take Out Garbage on Shabbat
Assuming an eruv is present.Can you take out the garbage can with garbage to the front either on Shabbat or Yom Tov for pick up? Answer: If garbage has decomposed to a state where it is causing a disturbance (giving off a bad smell), so that one can’t use the area (e.g. kitchen) comfortably, it […]
Can you Have a Brit on Shabbat
Can you have a brit on Shabbat? Answer: Yet, if the baby was born on the previous Shabbos – meaning from Friday night (after nightfall) until Saturday night (before sunset) – one can and must perform the bris milah on Shabbos. If the baby was born between sunset and nightfall either on Friday or on […]
Can you Say Tehillim at Night
Can you say Tehillim at night? Answer: For times of need, it is permitted to recite Tehillim during the entire night – at least for Ashkenazim. When there is no specific need, some maintain that it is nonetheless permitted, whereas other authorities, who heed kabbalistic sources, are more stringent. In the second half of the […]
Can you Sit Shiva on Shabbat
Can you sit shiva on Shabbat? Answer: No, one does not sit shiva on Shabbos. The reason for this is that Shabbos is a time that transcends the sadness and mourning of the shiva week. Therefore, one does not sit low, and do other acts of mourning on Shabbos, even in the shiva week. The […]
Can you Flush the Toilet on Shabbat
Can you flush the toilet on Shabbat? Answer: Yes, it is permitted to flush the toilet on Shabbos. The reason for this is that the mechanical action of releasing the water that “flushes out” the old water involves no melachah (prohibited act of labor), and therefore no prohibition is involved. Best wishes.
Are Garbage Cans Muktzeh on Shabbat
Garbage is being picked up in my area on Shabbos. Assuming i can put the garbage out onto the curb before shabbos. Can I then bring the empty cans back onto my property assuming an ERUV. After the garbage is picked, are the empty cans mukza due to BOSIS, or any other reason? Answer: The […]
Can Jews Have Girlfriends
Can Jews have girlfriends? Answer: A girlfriend, in the modern sense of the concept, is a partner with whom one engages in a close and intimate boy-girl relationship. In Judaism this closeness between man and woman is reserved for the sanctity of marriage, a relationship of dedication and trust. This is why a girlfriend-boyfriend relationship […]
Can You Mine on Shabbat
There is a big trend now that involves “mining” crytocurrencies. Crytocurrencies are digital mediums of exchange, or digital money. People can procure these currencies by “mining”. Mining is the term given to the process of producing virtual currencies like bitcoin and litecoin, where computers solve mathematical equations and are rewarded with coins for their efforts. […]
Being a Filmmaker in Halacha
BH Hello thank you for this service. You should only do more good and receive more blessings. I had a question regarding a certain predicament that I am in. Firstly, I am a baalei teshuvah and I am around 5 years in. I have studied in a yeshivah for around a year. Before I became […]
Relying on Signs and Omens
BSD Hi I had a shaila on an article on the website about nichush and omens in halacha. https://dinonline.org/2013/08/03/of-signs-and-lots/ I was confused on the Halacha le Maaseh . If one stipulated beforehand to accept a siman is that permitted? I know the Rambam says it’s forbidden but what is the Halacha la Maaseh. If I […]
Wrote Ben in Place of Bat in Ketubah
Instead of writing the name of the kallah (bride) Rivka bat Chaim it was written Rivka ben Chaim. In such a case what’s the halacha? By a kasubah is it kosher? Does it have to be written again? What about in the case of a get is it kosher? Should another get be written and […]
Comparison Between Islam Christianity and Judaism
To any rabbis I actually got two questions I would like to ask. 1)Which religion is actually closer to Judaism, Islam or Christianity? 2)Is Christianity the only religion so far, came from Judaism? I know that Christianity and Islam both come from Judaism ( If I am correct). I would like to know historically which […]
Can You Buy from Tax Evaders
Is it permitted to give business to someone (or a company) who you have confirmed does not pay income tax (works “off the books”)? Answer: It might be ‘formally’ permitted to do so according to halacha. Paying taxes is the responsibility of the seller, not of the buyer. At the same time, it is certainly […]
Water for Mishloach Manot
Can one use Perrier water for Shaloch Manos with one other item? Answer: This is an interesting question. Based on the Gemara (7b), all authorities agree that one can give drink for mishloach manos (Terumas Hadeshen 111; Ran, Megillah 3b; Peri Chadash 695:4; Magen Avraham 11, and others). It is possible that water was not […]
Dividing Estates Among Siblings
2 brothers were left a piece of real estate by their father. Reuven wants to divide the land and sell while Shimon doesn’t. The reason Shimon wants to keep the property is that it generates income at a higher interest rate than can be received otherwise and selling it will result in a tax that […]
Can You Wash Dishes on Shabbat
can you wash dishes on shabbat? Answer: If the dishes are required for use on Shabbos, it is permitted to wash them. According to some authorities it is permitted to wash dishes even for the purpose of having the house and kitchen clean and tidy. Dishes must not be washed with sponges that involve a […]
Can You Ride a Bike on Shabbat
Can you ride a bike on Shabbat? Answer: It is not permitted to ride a bicycle on Shabbos. Please see sources for more details. Best wishes. Sources: A variety of reasons is suggested by the great majority of authorities who prohibit the practice of riding a bicycle on Shabbos. These reasons reflect the complexity of […]
Can You Run on Shabbat
I enjoy running on a daily basis, but I’m not sure it’s permitted to run on Shabbat. Can you run on shabbat? Answer: It is not generally permitted to run for exercise purposes on Shabbos. However, if you take pleasure in running — not pleasure in the “workout” but in running per se — it […]
can you use an umbrella on shabbat
can you use an umbrella on shabbat? Answer: The universal custom is not to use an umbrella on Shabbos, and this follows the opinion of most authorities. It is customary to avoid even carrying an umbrella that was already opened before Shabbos, and it is forbidden to do so on account of mar’is ayin. Of […]
What is the Bracha for Quinoa
What is the correct beracha for quinoa? Answer: Quinoa is a grain crop (related in a certain sense to spinach and beetroot) that is not one of the “five grains” that have special importance. As a non-fruit growing from the ground, its beracha is ha’adama. Best wishes.
The Two Months of Adar: Which is the True Month?
As we approach the onset of the second month of Adar—Adar Sheini—we dedicate this week’s article to the oft-confusing identification of the “true” month of Adar. As we shall see, classifying the “principle” month of Adar might have ramifications that embrace a wide range of halachic issues. In which of the Adar months is […]
What is the Bracha for Rice
If cooked and therefore soft and sticky, the berachah is mezonos. If uncooked, such as puffed rice, the berachah is ha’adamah. Best wishes. Sources: The opinion of Rabanan as recorded in the Beraisa on Berachos 37a is that rice is mezonos with a brachah acharonah of al ha-michya. The gemara challenges this with another beraisa which says […]
What is the Bracha for Bananas
What is the beracha for bananas? Answer: On bananas one recites ha’adamah. Please see sources. Best wishes. Sources: Bananas are perennial plants whose new fruit grows directly from the root every year. Whether the bracha on bananas depends on a dispute among rishonim. According to the Rosh, the bracha recited is ha’eitz since the root […]
What is the Bracha on Pizza
I sometime eat pizza as a snack. What is the beracha? Answer: The berachah on one slice of pizza, which is eaten as a snack, can depend on how the pizza is made. If baked with fruit juice, milk, and so on, its beracha will be mezonos. If baked with water alone, some write that […]
The Name Philip in a Get
If someone giving a get has the English name “Philip”, how is this written in the get? Traditionally there is no usage in Hebrew (biblical or rabbinic) of a “peh” at the end of a word (I’m sure modern Hebrew has taken words from outside that end with a “peh” sound and spell them in […]
Expenses Paid Upon Agreement later Broken
An opportunity to acquire a business presents itself to Reuven. He approaches Shimon to be 50/50 partner and lead negotiations with the seller. Shimon hires a lawyer and accountant to help him crunch the numbers. After a price has been settled (thanks to shimon’s negotiations) Reuven decides that he can only go forward with the […]
Timing of Derasha in Shul
I’ve been in a number of shuls where the Rov of the shul will get up before Krias HaTorah on Shabbos and say some sort of “drasha”. Sometimes it was connected to the parsha or inyunei d’yoma (i.e. before a yom tov, etc.) Or sometimes to “strengthen” the kehillah with words of “chizzuk” or mussar. […]
Circumcised Before Eighth Day
I appreciate your sending me an answer regarding our 33 year old son and circumcision. We do understand that this is something that must come from his own heart and mind. The other question though, I didn’t see an answer to and that was, does my husband need to do something on that vein since […]
Inviting Non-Jew to Pesach Seder
Question: Can a non-Jewish woman attend a Pesach seder? Does it make a difference if she is studying to become Jewish and has renounced her born religion? Does it make a difference if the Seder is in a private home or in a synagogue/hall and open to all who pay in advance? Answer: It is […]
Pregnant Women Stepping on Nails
Hi Rabbi! How are you? What is the story regarding pregnant women standing on finger/toe nails? I have seen the Gemora in Moed Katan but no po skim bring it down! Are we choshesh for this or not? Thanks so much! Answer: The Gemara (Mo’ed Katan 18a; Niddah 17a) writes that “the righteous burn their […]
Assorted Questions
Hi, can I use a towel used to dry myself after a shower to dry my hands after doing netilas yadayim to eat bread or to make any brache after going to the bathroom (or did it become contaminated,tameh, and or dirty by touching normally covered body parts )?If I dried my hands in a […]
Lechem Mishneh: The Double Bread of Shabbos
This article discusses the issue of lechem mishneh, the double-portion of bread that opens our Shabbos meals (commemorating the manna of the wilderness). Is lechem mishneh a full obligation? Are women obligated? Are complete loaves of bread required? Is lechem mishneh required even for cakes and pastries? These questions, and others, are discussed below.
Questions of Shabbos and Others
B”H Shalom Rabbi I am a fresh Jewish convert and I have 2 Non-Jewish grown-up children from a previous marriage and I would like to ask a few questions if I may. 1. Is it permissible for me to hug and kiss my Non-Jewish son? 2. On Shabbat is it permissible to apply lipstick,eyeliner or […]