If one holds that you are not allowed to open soda bottles on Shabbos, does that mean you are not allowed to open them on Yom tov as well or… Read more »
Category: Ask
School on Chol Hamo’ed
Is it permissible for a principal to make his teachers come on Chol Hamo’ed Sukkos? Answer: If it is a davar ha’aveid, meaning that the school would otherwise incur a… Read more »
Kohen for Chasan Torah
Can a kohen be called up for chasan torah or chasan bereishis? Answer: Yes. It is a “special” aliah, and there is no problem for a kohen to get either…. Read more »
Shehechiyanu at Candle Lighting
Many Ashkanazi women have the minhag that on Yom Tov night they light candles and make the beracha for Yom Tov and then also the shehichiyanu, even though the husband… Read more »
The Obligation to Forgive
If someone has wronged you terribly, and has not asked you mechila because she believes she has not done, and does not do anything wrong, am I required to forgive… Read more »
Distance from Avoda Zara
Does one have to cross the street so as not to walk in front of a church? Answer: There is no obligation to actually cross the road, but one should… Read more »
Medication on Shabbos
Can one who takes daily medicine that helps one concentrate better in all areas of life take this medication on shabbos, or do we say that since if not taken… Read more »
Reassembling an Electric Urn
I bought an electric urn. According to Reb Moshe zts”l the internal electric wiring does not require tevilah. Would taking apart the internal mechanism and re-assembling it relieve the requirement for… Read more »
Freezing the Soup on Yom Tov
If soup was served at a meal on yom tov and there is leftover soup in the pot, can one freeze the soup after the meal so it stays fresh… Read more »
Anti-nausea Pill on Yom Kippur
If a woman is 6 weeks pregnant and has had symptoms of on and off nausea and vomiting for days before yom kippur, and the only thing that helps her… Read more »
Meaty Pot in Milky Sink
How do you kasher a treif pot – a fleishig pot was washed in the milchig sink? Answer: Unless there was actually milk or milky food residue in the sink or… Read more »
Crying on Yom Kippur-Shabbos
Is it permitted to cry on Yom Kippur that falls on Shabbos — if one is not allowed to cry on Shabbos? Answer: It is permitted to cry in prayer… Read more »
Bishul Akum for Potatoes
If a gentile cooks a baked potato is that bishul akum? what about if the gentile slices the potata into french fries? Are these items considered to be served at… Read more »
Rice or Cake First
If one has rice and noodle kugel and cake on the table, can one make birkas mezonos on the rice if one wants to eat the rice 1st and then… Read more »
Treats on Yom Kippur
Are we allowed to give treats to children under Bar/Bat Mitzvah who are not fasting on Yom Kippur? On the one hand Yom Kippur is a Yom Tov, but on… Read more »
Pregnant Women at Kevarim
What is the deal with a pregnant lady going to kevarim? Is there any difference in regards to kivrei tzaddikim, such as Kever Rochel and the like? Answer: There is… Read more »
Source for Bowing at the Beginning of Kedushah
Is there a source for bowing when saying ‘vekara zeh el zeh veamar’ during kedusha? Thank you! Answer: There is no clear source for the custom. However, the pasuk in… Read more »
Shehecheyanu on New-ish Fruit
a) If a certain fruit has more than one “season” per year, does one make a new shechiyuna on the fruit each season or yearly? For example, let’s say grapes… Read more »
Grinding Ice on Shabbos
If one were to make ices before Yom Tov (basically a big peice of frozen juice), and before serving the ices one were to take the spoon rub it against… Read more »
Washing Children’s Clothes
Question: I have a question regarding laundry on chol hamo’ed. I know that we can wash children’s clothing that is needed for the chag if there’s no replacement. We’re in that position… Read more »
Relief on Shabbos
Question: Is it permissible to urinate or defecate on grass or dirt during Shabbos? Answer: It is permitted to urinate on grass (O.C. 336:3). It is also permitted to defecate… Read more »
(Don’t) Turn OFF the Water!
Question: If I turn on a hot water tap on Shabbos by accident, am I allowed to switch it off? Answer: If you accidentally opened a hot water faucet on… Read more »
Preparing To Clean
Question: We are considering buying a mechanized dishwasher — but I am confused about a Shabbos-related issue. I often see families that are shomrei torah u-mitzvos wetting and brushing down their… Read more »
Don’t Be Blue on Shabbos
Question: Can I swish the toilet brush in the toilet with a bit of cleanser if it gets soiled on Shabbos? Answer: Cleaning a dirty toilet bowl with a toilet… Read more »
Urning a Cup of Tea Without Flasking
Question: We recently bought an electric hot-water urn for Shabbos. Previously we just stored water in a flask. This last Shabbos I found myself pouring hot water from the electric… Read more »
Patronising A Store That Is Open On Shabbos
Question: Am I allowed to patronize establishments that are not shomer Shabbos? For example, can we take our children or our students to a bowling alley that is open on Shabbos?… Read more »
Preparing For Motzei Shabbos On Shabbos
Question: What can I do towards the evening as Shabbos is leaving to prepare for the night? May I bring a tallis from my study to the living room for… Read more »
Preparing For A Test On Shabbos
Question: If students have a Jewish history test on Sunday, are they permitted to study for the test on Shabbos? Answer: It is permissible to study a Torah subject on… Read more »
Irreligious Visitors On Shabbos
Question: We are planning a trip to visit my parents abroad. My parents plan to invite a lot of relatives to visit while we are there. Many of them will… Read more »
Crockpot 2
Question: The issue with the crockpot has me concerned, not from a halachic perspective (I had the pleasure of learning hotmanah) but from a social one. Thousands upon thousands of upright, frum… Read more »
Trop for Maftir Yonah
Is the haftorah of Yonah on Yom Kippur leined with the regular haftorah trop, or does it have its own special trop? Answer: [To my knowledge the general custom is… Read more »
Bearing a Grudge
If your bear a grudge against someone, and it doesn’t effect her, and you know that by talking to her it wouldn’t help, and its just a matter of time — what… Read more »
The Illegally Parked Witness
A parking lot is owned by a goy which is across the street from a frum grocery. The owner is makpid not to park there and only wants customers frequenting… Read more »
Burning Challah
Is challah that is seperated from bread treif in chutz laaretz, or in Israel? Meaning, if one were to burn it in the oven and flip it with a fork,… Read more »
Crockpot – Shabbos
Question: If we use a crockpot on Shabbat, what do we need to do to it so that it is not “problematic”? Answer: In answering this question I will assume… Read more »
Light Right
Question: I light my Shabbos candles with another candle. When I’ve lit the last one, I’m left with a lit candle that I’d like to extinguish, but I remember learning… Read more »
Spousal Bosis
Question: While we were learning hilchos Shabbos last week, my wife had the following question (regarding the point that someone else cannot make one’s possessions into a bosis since the other person… Read more »
Women Eating Before Kiddush
Question: On Shabbos morning, is my wife required to hear kiddush prior to eating anything, or is it enough to make berochos before eating in order to be able to… Read more »
Taping Class on Yom Tov
Hi. I’m a college student and this yom tov I’m missing a lot of class time that is important to make up. Can I have a goy tape record the… Read more »
Overpaid Salary
I worked for a short time in a frum school that was under a chain of schools owned by the histadrut. The salary was paid by the chain. The last… Read more »
Altering a Song for Production
I am looking to develop and market a product using Jewsih music and am wandering how this works as far as using other peoples music trademarks, copyright, and so on…. Read more »
Paying for Elevator
In my apartment building there are 13 neighbours. Originally, 15 units were marketed. One person bought two and put them together, installing an internal staircase between the two units. Another… Read more »
Laws Between Man and His Fellow
Question: Most frum Jews spend much more time learning and reviewing halachot bein adam la-Makom, including the minutest details and opinions, than halachot bein adam le-chavero (such as laws of business or… Read more »
Inheritance of A Child Born From A Pregnant Convert
Question: I wanted to ask about the status of a child who was born from a lady who was expecting at the time she converted. Is he fully Jewish? Does… Read more »
Selling It Cheap?
Question: An air conditioning company came to fix my A/C and I asked them if they had a spare remote control to sell me and they said they can give… Read more »
Non-Public Park
Question: In an apartment complex in Romema called “Ganei Geula” there are signs up stating the park is only for Ganei Geula residents only – is it stealing to use… Read more »
Unpaid Bill
Question: We pay our water bills through horaat keva (standing order). Recently, we received a bill, but the money was never removed from our bank account. We spoke to the water company… Read more »
Is Gambling Permitted?
Question: What is the halocho concerning a) gambling just on one occasion b) regular gambling. Why is buying a raffle ticket different to gambling. Why is it permitted to run… Read more »
Unwarranted Scholarship
Question: An unscrupulous head of an educational institution registered someone who does not attend his school as one of his students, in order to receive a government scholarship for him…. Read more »
Pen Taken In Error
Question: I had a job interview with a company in Yehud. Part of the interview was an editing test for which I was given a cheap ballpoint pen. I didn’t… Read more »