Question 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 he is trying to woo them away from our company. The customers he is trying to take from us can […]
Author Archives: Admin
Unexpected Excitement
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Mezuzah – Part I
This week’s article will discuss the halachos of the mezuzah, specifically the rooms that require a mezuzah affixed on its doorpost. Does every storage-room, and walk-in closet require a mezuzah? How big does the room have to be? How is the size calculated? Do closets, countertops or large appliances deduct from a room’s size? […]
Country of Resurrection
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Vo’eschanan-Told his wife he forgives a debt and then changes his mind
Question I am owed money by a person who is not in a very good financial situation and I told my wife that I wouldn’t collect the debt. Afterwards, considering my own financial situation, I had a change of heart and decided that I want to be repaid. The only ones present at this […]
Hear Our Prayers
This week’s parasha we read the pasuk: “Which great nation has G-d so near to it, as the Lord our G-d is at all times that we call upon Him?” This week’s article will focus on common issues we often wonder about prayer, some of which we may not have ever voiced, but nonetheless […]
Honoring a Dangerous Request
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Why Fast on Tisha B’Av?
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Devorim-Neighbor discarded usable furniture
Question I do not own a car but received a parking space in the building’s underground parking lot when I bought my apartment, which I use for storage. The neighboring parking spot is also owned by a tenant who does not own a car. Recently, I arranged with someone to reupholster my dining room […]
Changing Customs
Which customs can be changed, and which cannot? When is nullification required to change a custom and when is it impossible? This week’s article focuses on customs, particularly those of The Nine Days. What custom takes on the status of a vow and must be upheld like one, and when can it be changed? […]
Matos-Masei-Many people suggested a shidduch and no one succeeded
Question I had a daughter in shidduchim and someone suggested the name of a boy. I investigated the boy and felt that he was not what we were looking for and I informed the shadchan of my decision. In the next half a year the shidduch was suggested six more times and even though […]
Vows and Oaths
Hataras Nedarim, customarily done before Rosh Hashana, annuls all vows. When are both words and thoughts halachically binding, and when not? Is there a difference between a good deed and a full mitzva? At times we plan to do things that we do not end up doing. Do those thoughts constitute vows? Why do […]
Precious Proximity
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The Difference Between Zealotry and Machlokes
Pinchas is considered the first zealot in Jewish history. Why is his zealotry, so effusively praised in this week’s parasha? When is a conflict considered a conflict for G-d’s sake, and how is it different from regular, ugly fighting? Why did Moshe Rabbenu try to placate Dasan and Aviram if they were wrong? What […]
Pinchas-Drawing a line before the signatures on a kesubo
Question I recently showed my kesubo to a knowledgeable person to clarify an issue and he told me that in his opinion I should write a new kesubo, because there is a plain, hand-drawn line right under the text of the kesubo, immediately before the signatures of the witnesses. Since it is […]
Don’t Think!
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Bolok-Spilled another person’s drink on the beach
Question When I was at the beach, I accidentally spilled someone’s drink. At the beach a cup costs four dollars but at the local supermarket I can buy a whole bottle for two dollars so a cup there costs about fifty cents. Do I owe four dollars or can I just pay fifty cents […]
Challenging Authority
How are we obligated to honor a Talmid Chacham, and what is the result of failing to do so? What is the punishment for shaming a Talmid Chacham? Can another rabbi be hired in a community that already has a rabbi? Can another tzedakah gabbai be hired where there already is one? The western […]
Letter to Mothers
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Korach-Informing the authorities that he was fined for another person’s offense
Question I live in chutz lo’oretz and recently received notice in the mail that I owe a fine for littering. After investigating, I determined what really happened. A Jewish neighbor had placed his garbage in the public thoroughfare and when the police sifted through the garbage in order to determine who was the offender […]
The Evils of Controversy
What does the prohibition “Do not be like Korach and his assembly” include? Is it counted among the 613 commandments? Is the prohibition biblical or rabbinic? Why is the prohibition called “Continuing a Dispute” rather than “Creating a Dispute”? Why is the world always filled with wars, disputes, and struggles? Are we obligated to […]
The Unborn Resurrected
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Shelach -Took a mortgage for a relative and was reimbursed by a third party-Part 2
Question Around December, my sister required funds ($67,000) for a deposit to buy a house. I said I would be willing to loan her the money until such time as she was able to pay me back. The way I got the money was by taking out a mortgage on my own house. It […]
Gluten-Free Mitzvos
This week’s article will discuss gluten-free bread and its relationship with mitzvos. Must challah be separated from gluten-free dough and bread? How much wheat must be in a dough or bread containing a mixture of wheat and rice flour? Is rice flour any different from other gluten-free flours like almond, potato, or chickpea flour? […]
Superb Sins
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Halachic Issues in Reviewing and Rating a Product or Service
The Story of Miriam which we read about in this week’s parasha is one of the six ordeals we are obligated to remember every day. Miriam, who loved her brother with all her heart and risked her life to save him was not spared of tzra’as after speaking negatively about him. Therefore, this week’s […]
Beha’aloscho-Took a mortgage for a relative and was reimbursed by a third party-Part 1
Question Around December, my sister required funds ($67,000) for a deposit to buy a house. I said I would be willing to loan her the money until such time as she was able to pay me back. The way I got the money was by taking out a mortgage on my own house. It […]
Supporting a Newlywed Couple
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Tznius – Definitions and Misconceptions
In this week’s article we will try to define tznius. Although commonly translated as modesty, it is something entirely different. Is tznius a feminine topic? What is the connection between tznius and Rachel’s sacrifice in giving her sister the secret signs Yaakov had taught her? What is the literal meaning of “tznius” and its […]
Naso-Ma’aseir on Corporate Profits
Question Mr. A is the sole shareholder and sole director of a Limited Company (a corporation). The company makes profits in the company financial year of e. g. £1 Million. Mr. A takes out of the company a total of £300K for his personal income in various ways including a director’s salary, benefits-in-kind (e. […]
Wedding With Musical Instruments
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Pareve Predilections – Part II
In honor of the upcoming holiday of Shavous we will discuss different scenarios that arise when cooking pareve in meat or dairy utensils. Last week’s article laid out the basis for discussion, and this week’s article will cover common questions that arise when cooking pareve in meat or dairy pots. These halachos are especially […]
Shavuos-Communal Lag Bo’omer fire damaged a neighbor’s property
Question As we do every year, our shul built a bonfire this Lag Bo’omer and honored our rabbi with lighting the bonfire. The rabbi, who is in his eighties and quite stooped, did not check whether the bonfire was built properly and lit it in the presence of the gabboim and many congregants. After […]
Bar Mitzva Speech
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Pareve Predilections
How important is having pareve dishes and utensils? Does using pareve dishes make learning the halachos unnecessary? Can a pareve food cooked in a meaty receptacle be eaten with milk? What are the differences between Sephardic and Ashkenazi customs? Does intention matter here? Is there a difference between cooking and baking? Two separate sinks […]
Bamidbar-Collected Insurance for His Customer’s Watch
Question I fix watches and I carry insurance for my store and all of its contents, both mine and my customers’. I recently had a fire which consumed much of the store and its contents. One of the watches which got destroyed was a very expensive watch that was brought to me to repair. […]
Tremendous Torah
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Days That Are a Daze
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Behar-Bechukosei-Sold another person’s right
Question Our father founded and ran a yeshiva in Russia. The expenses for the yeshiva, including the money to rent the yeshiva’s facilities, were paid (at the relevant time) by a philanthropic foundation. At a certain time the local municipality, which owned the property that the yeshiva rented, offered to sell all the properties […]
Mysticism and Judaism – Part III
Incantations, spells, chants…does the Torah permit using anything of this sort? What is the “chover chever”? Why does the Rambam permit whispering chants even if their effectiveness is unknown? Could his permit hint of knowing about, what is today known as, ‘The Placebo Effect’? What is the Torah’s approach to holistic, natural, or other […]
Sensational Spirituality
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Emor-Airline paid compensation to passengers who did not pay for their tickets
Question I am the director of a school that recently took its twelfth grade on a trip to Israel. The parents generally paid for their children’s airline tickets but the school bought tickets for the staff and also for a few students whose parents could not afford the trip. On one leg of our […]
Mysticism in Judaism – Part II
Does Jewish mysticism exist? What’s the Torah’s view of it? Can mystics be consulted for business advice? Is their advice trustworthy? What is the definition of Kishuf and Kesem, and what’s the halachic difference between the two? Can they be pursued for medical reasons? Is pikuach nefesh (a life-threatening situation) a reason to use […]
Hitch to the Next World
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Horoscopes and Astrology
Do Jews believe in astrology? May I read the weekly horoscope in the newspaper? Is adapting activities to match a horoscope forecast permitted? Is there anything to worry about if the horoscope predicts something negative? Why did Rabbi Akiva pay attention to the necromancer who predicted his daughter’s death on her wedding day, and […]
Acharei Mos-Kedoshim – Dividing investment income between unequal partners
Question My brother and I have been joint owners of our company for decades. About fifteen years ago we decided to establish a charitable foundation which we registered in the same manner as our business is registered, as equal partners. We transferred thirty million dollars from the business to the foundation. We agreed further, […]
Tehilim – Prophecy or Prayer
What is the essence of Sefer Tehilim – a book of prophecies, or prayers G-d sanctified and taught us through King David’s Divine Inspiration? ow should Tehilim be recited? Were all of King David’s requests answered? When can we assume they were? When is Tehilim preferable over Torah study? How do we determine the […]
Tazria-Metsoro-Returning extra to a Drug Gemach
Question I borrowed a drug from the communal drug gemach. When I returned the drug that I borrowed, I returned more pills than I received from the gemach because that is what the doctor prescribed and I had no need for the extra pills. Did I violate the prohibition against giving interest because I […]
Shemini-Pitfalls of people who travel for Pesach to a different time zone
Question I live in Chutz lo’oretz but want to sell my chametz on your website. Will I not have a problem at the end of Pesach because you are in Israel and will buy back the chametz from the goy while it is still Pesach for me in Chutz lo’oretz and I still may […]
Scaleless Carp
Genetic engineering has opened the world of kashrus to new levels of discussion. Is the scaleless carp a kosher fish? Scaleless carp were originally developed in Germany for ease of cooking. In 1904, the scaleless carp became an export item. Can a species that originally had scales still be considered kosher without them? What […]