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Author Archives: Rabbonim of the Beis Hora'a

What possible reasons would a burial and matzeva be moved elsewhere?

Question: My wife was nifter over two years ago. Directly behind her plot I recognized the name of a person I worked with back in the mid-1960s. My last recent visit witnessed that the matzeva of this friend was not there with no marker. The custodian would not say why after 46 years the grave […]

Parsha Bo english halacha discussion of dogs – quote cannot be correct

Question: In the article it says: Yet, the Magen Avraham (Orach Chaim 167:18) cites the statement of the Gemara as normative halacha, noting elsewhere (271:12) in the name of Rav Yaakov Emden that this is actually a biblical prohibition. Magen Avraham died before Reb Yaakov Emden was born so it is highly doubtful he quoted […]

Is it better to avoid touching while exchanging cash?

Question: 1) Is it better to avoid touching hands at a store while exchanging cash from cashier to customer or vice versa (opposite gender)? 2) if the cashier is handing cash to a customer of the opposite gender, what would be the best way for the customer to respond? Thank you!! Answer: Halachically  since there […]

Do I have to Ma’aser if I have loans outstanding

Question: I borrowed money from my parents some time ago. Recently I received wages, and I sent them right away to my parents to help pay down the loan they gave me. Do I need to ma’aser my wages prior to sending my parents the money, or do I send the full amount of my […]

Answering to kedusha – before finishing praying

Question: Hi. It takes me quite a while to pray. When I’m still in the middle of my silent amida and the chazzan is starting the repetition, should I stop? Should I answer the chazzan? Should I do all the standing up on my toes, etc? Also, does the halacha change if I have finished…but […]

Using marijuana for recreational purpose in Canada

Question: Hello Is it אסור for an individual to ingest/smoke/inhale marijuana for recreational purposes in a country where it is legal to do so? The massive body of evidence has shown that alcohol is far more damaging to the body and that marijuana is not as addictive as sugar or alcohol. Of course there would […]

Giving maaser by forgiving a loan.

Question: If I have loaned a poor person money, that he will possibly not be able to pay back, what are the considerations in “giving maaser” of the amount of the loan by forgiving the loan? (And deducting that amount from what maaser I would have given). Answer: There is controversy about forgiving and old […]

Immersion of utensils(tevilah kli)

Question: BS”D It’s raining a lot here in my town and I put a big 150-liter bucket under House gutter (spot that drains rainwater from the roof) and this bucket fills and overflows I can soak the utensils in the rainwater bucket that’s overflowing do? Answer:   There are numerous conditions to making a kosher […]

Scraping tongue on shabbos

Question: Is it permissible to use something to scrape my tongue on shabbos. Such as an ora brush https://www.orabrush.com/orabrush/ Or a spoon. This is done to remove stuff causing bad odor. If you take a look at the link for the brush you will see. Ty “The Orabrush® Tongue Cleaner features ultra-soft, micro-pointed bristles that […]

Trusting Religious Roommate Who May Not Be Religious

Question: Hi, I currently live with 2 roommates. When moving in together, the established “rules” for the apartment were that to move in, you needed to be shomer shabbos and shomer kashrus. Since this time, I have started to distrust one of my roommates on this. She commented to me on Shabbos that she wanted […]

re: https://dinonline.org/Bedikat/frozen-vegetables/

Question: Regarding the picture of the broccoli floret, that looks like a live caterpillar and fresh broccoli. What are the chances of EVER finding a live caterpillar clinging to a floret from commercially-packaged frozen broccoli? How would it survive? And if not, what is the relevance of the picture? And, while the illustration of frozen […]

Can maaser money be used for therapy

Question: My wife suffered a miscarriage, and unfortunately we are having trouble getting pregnant. She is suffering from debilitating depression, and has trouble leaving the house, and is unable to work. We do not have the money to pay for therapy. Can we use the maaser money from my paycheck to pay for therapy? Answer: […]

Using maaser money to enable more tzedaka

Question: They are currently holding elections for the World Zionist Organization to form a new committee. This is an opportunity for Jews worldwide to influence and determine, for the next 5 years, the policies and spending priorities, of the almost $1 billion annual budget of Israel’s national organizations. 152 delegates will be voted in from […]

Can a women in the year of Avelus order a wig which she will receive after the year is over

Question: Can a women in the year of Avelus order a wig for herself , which she will receive after the year is over Answer: Yes she may buy the wig and keep it until after the year, since the minhag is only for wearing it during the year, but not for purchasing it in […]

Do you have to wait before dairy after eating something parve in a meat restaurant?

Question: If you go to a meat restaurant (say a shawarma restaurant) but opt for something pareve, such as falafel, do you have to wait the number of hours you usually do before eating something dairy? Or are you considered to not have eaten something “meaty” and taken on that status of basari? Answer: Food […]

Kadusha while DAVENING SHOMONA ESREI or else where

Question: Can you please review the pertinent laws regarding a person in the middle of DAVENING SHEMONA ESREI or else where in DAVENING (PESUKEI DEZIMRA ,or SHEMA Or BRACHS before or after SHEMA) regarding kEDUSHA being said or KADDISH being said at the same time? What to do? Stop and listen or answer along to […]

Maaser money for learning rabanus

Question: I’m learning in Kollel now. Can I use maaser money (from what I get paid from kollel or my wife’s job) to pay for a rabanus program for myself? Answer: In general we don’t use ma’aser money for personal things, however if you are learning in kollel, you most probably are considered a person […]

Put dairy creamer into real chicken soup

Question: I thought my cooking cream was pareve and mixed it into a disposable bowl of chicken soup. I ate a few bowls of it before noticing that the creamer was dairy. What should I do? Answer: Right now there isn’t much that you have to do regarding the the disposable bowl, etc. which i […]

Nightime Krias Shema Questions

Question: 1) I heard that it is better to say The actual pasuk of shema and veohavta right before bed. Therefore, I have been saying the Nightime Krias Shema (Ribono Shel Olam until Adon Olam) minus shema and hamapil in the nighttime hours and then shema and hamapil in bed right before sleep. Is this […]

Surprise guest

Question: May a man bring a guest home without telling his wife beforehand? Dry halacha please no need for hashkafa. thanks Answer: Dry halacha, there is not problem with bringing home a guest without  telling your wife. However having bein adom lechaveiro and acting in line with your wife’s feelings is part of v’ohavta l’reiacha […]

Why does God care that we do melacha on Shabbos?

Question: When someone asks something like “why does God care about you ripping on Shabbos?” Or “why does God care about all these minute, seemingly meaningless details that he requires you to do?” What is a proper answer/response for someone that may actually be interested in the answer? Answer: You are asking an important question. […]