Question-Baruch Hashem we have five children between the ages of two and eleven. My parents gave me five thousand dollars and told me it is Chanuka gelt for our children. My question is whether the money belongs to my children or to me and if it belongs to me are there any restrictions on […]
Author Archives: Admin
High Hopes
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Miketz-Got Stuck in the Elevator in the Middle of the Night
Question I recently got stuck in our condominium’s elevator in the middle of the night. I informed the building representative who is responsible for maintenance of the common property and he immediately called the repairman who the building normally uses to come and release me from the elevator. The repairman said that if the […]
Shaming in Halacha – Practical Application
Last week’s article focused on the theoretical obligation to do everything possible to save another person from shame. This week we will focus on the practical applications of this concept. When is saving another person from shame compulsory, and at what price? Can a shoplifter be yelled at if he’ll be ashamed to be […]
Money Matters
Dilemmas in Practical Monetary Halachah
Moving Music
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Vayeishev-Rented a House but does not need it because of Changed Circumstances
Question I received approval from the local authorities to add another floor onto my apartment. I hired a contractor to do the work which was due to start after Succos and take three months. Since it is very difficult to live in an apartment while construction is taking place, I rented an apartment in […]
Humiliation in Halacha
This week’s article discusses the prohibition of humiliating others, and how far one must go in order to save another from shame. Why did Tamar prefer to be burned alive rather than shame her father-in-law? Is this the actual halacha? Can shaming someone be worse than killing him? Is the prohibition of shaming only in […]
Time To Dream
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Vayishlach-Used a Borrowed Car to Thwart Terrorists on Simchas Torah and the Car Sustained Damage
Question I am an army reservist and I borrowed a car from a friend before Simchas Torah. When I heard what was going on Simchas Torah morning, I quickly ran home, changed into my army uniform and protective clothing and drove off to Gaza. When I arrived, I engaged in a shootout with the […]
Cultures Collide: Yaakov and Eisav
What’s the essential difference between Yaakov and Eisav? Why did Yaakov turn down Eisav’s brotherly offer to be his neighbor? What constitutes moshav leitzim? When is reading literature a mitzva, and when is it not? Is chess a recommended leisure activity? What about dice or card games? Is game hunting a permitted sport? And […]
Towering Tehillim
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Vayetsei-Father Requested to be Buried in Eretz Yisroel and one son Refuses to Comply-Part 2
Question We are two brothers and we just finished the shloshim for our father. My older brother, the bechor, did not get along with our father and even took him to a din Torah about a purported loan that he extended to our father but he had no proof to justify his claim and […]
Leitzanus – Part II Torah Sanctioned Entertainment
Last week’s article condemned leitznus – the destructive nature of wasting human resources, intellect and creativity to the world of recreation and entertainment. This week we will examine the flip side – when jokes, laughter and entertainment are positive, and even encouraged. When is leitzanus permitted? Is a medical clown a valid profession? What […]
A Royal Residue
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Toldos-Father Requested to be Buried in Eretz Yisroel and one son Refuses to Comply-Part 1
Question We are two brothers and we just finished the shloshim for our father. My older brother, the bechor, did not get along with our father and even took him to a din Torah about a purported loan that he extended to our father but he had no proof to support his claim and, […]
Fake News, Entertainment, and Recreation – The Torah View
What is considered leitzanus? How does the Torah view it? What is the halachic definition of leitzanus and what does it include? Is every joke considered leitznus? What is the punishment for leitzanus? How is fake news classified? What is the difference between Amalek and Yisro, since both were involved in paganism? How can […]
Chaye Soro-Received Tsedoko that was Superfluous
Question My student asked me two tsedoko questions that he had as a result of the present campaign in Gaza. One activity that this student became involved in was to help bury those killed in the massacre. He knew of one family that needed three thousand dollars to bury a family member. He e-mailed several […]
Essential Duo
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Designating a Spot for Prayer – Practical Halachos
This week’s article is a continuation of last week’s article and focuses on the practical aspects that result from the importance of designating a spot for regular prayers. Is it enough to pray in the same shul every day, or does the exact seat also have to be the same? Should people have a […]
Vayero-Landlord Let Me Leave Prematurely but Later Changed his Mind
Question I rented an apartment and we signed a contract for a two-year lease. After living in the apartment for half a year, I found something which is more suitable for me. I informed the landlord and asked if he would allow me to move out in a month. Immediately he agreed but a […]
Regular Prayer
This week’s pararsha illustrates the power of prayer, and especially – regular prayers. What is regular prayer, and how is it different from irregular prayer? What is included in the designating a spot for prayer, and what is the reason for it? How does having a spot for prayer make our prayers that much […]
A Junior Senior
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Lech Lecho-Collecting a loan from the heirs of one who borrowed with a heter isska-Part 2
Question I lent twenty thousand dollars with a heter isska for three years to someone who recently passed away. Even though there is another year remaining before the loan is due, the heirs wish to pay back the loan now since under the terms of the isska the borrower must add eight percent for […]
Seventy Nations of the World – Part II
This week’s article will touch upon additional aspects of the nations that inhabit the world as the Torah describes them. Are the Italians descendants of Yefes like the other European and Hindu-European nations, or are they Semites, descendants of Edom, as we often learn in Chazal? How did Edom’s descendants travel from their homeland […]
Holy Haran
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Noach-Collecting a loan from the heirs of one who borrowed with a heter isska-Part 1
Question I lent twenty thousand dollars with a heter isska for three years to someone who recently passed away. Even though there is another year remaining before the loan is due, the heirs wish to pay back the loan now since under the terms of the isska the borrower must add eight percent for […]
Seventy Nations of the World
In the end of this week’s parasha we read about the Dor Hapalaga – the Generation of Dispersion, which resulted in humanity’s division into seventy nations. Are the seventy nations still discernable? Are there actual differences in character and mannerisms between nations? How are the different nations defined? Which areas in the world belong […]
Bereishis-Wants his neighbor to take the bread distribution for him
Question In our neighborhood, there are regular bread distributions from an organization called Shelach Lachmecho. They bring bread each week to religious neighborhoods and allow avreichim to take five loaves of bread. Sometimes I ask one of my neighbors who is going anyway to take bread for me as well. There isn’t enough bread […]
Nature and Free Will
When G-d commanded the earth to bring forth trees that taste like their fruit, the earth failed to comply. Was that a sin? How could the earth not have acted according to G-d’s Will? How did G-d’s Word not create the reality as it always does? What happened when the earth was created? Does […]
Leaving the Succah
Rain on Sukkot is common and involves many halachos. What do we do when it rains in on Sukkot? What is the difference between a rainstorm and a light drizzle? How is the first night of Sukkot different from the rest of the holiday? Are the laws of the second night the same as […]
Succah Dwelling
Succos is the holiday in which we move out of our home into the succah. Which activities are included in the obligation to “live” in the succah? Is simply sitting there doing nothing a mitzva? Why do we use nice dishes in the succah? Can a pot be brought into the succah? Can an […]
Ha’azinu-Bought a used appliance that does not work-Part 2
Question I run an institution and we needed to buy a large electric frying pan. I spoke to someone who wanted to sell a used frying pan for a very cheap price. I asked him if the frying pan was in working condition. He replied that he used it only ten times and it […]
Grateful and Greatness
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Rosh Hashanah-Bought a used appliance that does not work-Part 1
Question I run an institution and we needed to buy a large electric frying pan. I spoke to someone who wanted to sell a used frying pan for a very cheap price. I asked him if the frying pan was in working condition. He replied that he used it only ten times and it […]
The Laws of Tekias Shofar – Part II
Which tekios are each individual’s obligation, and which are only an obligation of a congregation? What blessing should be recited by latecomers? Are women obligated to hear shofar? How much is one obligated to spend for this mitzva? Must one jeopardize his health for it? What should a couple do when both can’t go […]
Dissolving Dissonance
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The Laws of Tekias Shofar – Part I
What are the different tekios on Rosh Hashana, and why? Why are some blasts longer than others? What do the cryptic acronyms printed in the machzor stand for? Why do some blasts sound joyful while others – sad? Is the Shehecheyanu blessing recited on the second day of Rosh Hashana? Should everyone be wearing […]
Dreams and Holy Names
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Nitzavim-Married woman wants her children to inherit her
Question My husband and I have been married for a few years and Baruch Hashem are happily married. For both of us, it is our second marriage since our spouses from our first marriage passed away. Both my husband and I have children from our first marriages. I brought into our marriage a significant […]
Ki Sovo-Worker collecting from apartment owner if the contractor did not pay
Question I am a rabbi and I had a din Torah recently between a plumber who was employed by a contractor on a building project and an apartment owner whose apartment was part of this project and built by this contractor. The contractor went bankrupt and never paid the plumber. The plumber argued that […]
Ki Seitsei-Shul lends money to a yeshiva and gets free minyan men
Question The yeshiva next door to our shul needs money for renovations. The administration of the yeshiva turned to our shul for a short-term loan. Our shul has a difficult time getting a minyan for shacharis on weekdays. We told the administration of the yeshiva that we agree to grant the yeshiva the loan […]
Unexpected Excitement
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The Mitzva to be Happy
This week’s parasha describes the terrible curses that will befall our nation. But they don’t come randomly, but rather, “Because you did not serve Hashem, your G-d, amid happiness and goodness of the heart when everything was abundant” (Devarim 28:47). Why is joy so crucial in service of G-d? Why is the punishment for […]
The Mitzva of Shiluach Haken for Worthless Eggs
Is there any reason to fulfill the mitzva of Shiluach Haken if we don’t need the eggs or fledglings? After performing the mitzva once, should one look to do it again? How much effort needs to be invested in the mitzva? Is one obligated to send away the mother bird every time he sees […]
A Disorderly End
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Mezuzah – Part III
Mezuzahs on Public Buildings This week’s article deals with mezuzah issue concerning public buildings: which public buildings require a mezuzah, and which do not? Where require a mezuzah, but no bracha? Can a coffee room obligate a mezuzah for an entire building? Is a home office halachically different from the rest of the house? […]
Shoftim-Former employee opens a rival firm and woos customers of his previous firm-Part 2
Question Our firm sells lighting systems. Recently, one of our employees left the firm and opened his own company to sell the identical product. Since until now he worked for our firm, he knows our customers and is trying to take them away from our company. The customers he is trying to take […]
Presenting Animal Presents
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Mezuzah, Part II: Usage
This week’s article is the second installment on mezuzahs. This week we will focus on the obligation to affix a mezuzah in service and storage areas. Does a basement door require a mezuzah? Which kind of storage space requires a mezuzah? Is there a difference between a commercial storage area and one used to […]