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Author Archives: Rabbonim of the Beis Hora'a

Watch pin on Shabbos

Question: If the pin that adjusts the time on a wristwatch falls out on shabbos, is it permitted to push it back in to allow to watch to continue functioning properly? Answer: My understanding of what you are asking is that when the pin is pulled out the watch doesn’t work. Since the watch isn’t […]

Money found in a yeshiva dormitory

Question: Do coins found underneath couch pillows belong to the one who found them? Thank you in advance! Answer: You can keep the money, and enjoy it, (just remember to give maaser on it). You don’t have to worry that it is in the yeshiva which is owned by the rosh yeshiva, because the dormitory is not […]

paying back for copyright infringement

Question: I used to have illlegally downloaded music and games. I long ago realized it is wrong, and deleted them all. am I chayiv to pay for the benefit I got from them? is it better to? (according to those who say it is assur). does it make a difference if it was non-jews/non-religious jews? […]

making amends for lashon hara part 2

Question: continuation of previous asked question.(not sure this one should be posted): few questions about your answer: a) when you say in the place of the comment, how specific is that? is the same building good? b) it it based on the hilchos of kabbolas lashon hara, that if no one accepted it or looks […]

cleanliness during davening

Question: I generally try to clean myself thoroughly after a bowel movement. However, on motzoi Shabbos I had a feeling that I was dirty over there, and when I went to the bathroom to check, I realized that I was significantly dirty over there and my underwear was stained from excrement. I do not remember […]

Watching TV/playing games on tablet during Shloshim and the year

Question: During Shloshim and the Year, while mourning for my mother, may I watch television or movies at home, and/or play games on my tablet either alone or with friends? Answer: Without getting into the issue if one should watch television or movies, because of the negative content and images that they contain, it is […]

STICKING TABLE CLOTH ON SHABBOS

Question: If a plastic table cloth gets sticky or dirty on Shabbos. What’s the best way lechatchilla to clean it? Put a little water on the table cloth, and wipe gently with a dry paper towel. Can one use a semi moist cloth towel that is used for drying hands? How hard can one press […]

Why are some children born with a physical or mental defect?

Question: BS”D Shalom dear Rabbi, Question: I wonder if any book in Judaism (Kabbalah) speaks why children are born with physical or mental defect? Answer: You are asking an important question. Often when things happen to small children we wonder, why were they born this way? They are only a small child and haven’t done […]

Shabbos Knife on Shabbos

Question: Is there a difference in using a Sharp knife on Shabbos to cut Challah…. is there a difference between a serrated knife (saw knife) or a regular knife? both cut the challah? and what is the reason for the Halacha Pesak?? can you please quote sources? Answer: The Rema brings that one should sharpen […]

Selling property in the process of being recovered from thief

Question: Can owner of movable property that currently in possession of thief sell those items if the original owner is certain they’ll be able to recover the property in beis din (has good eidim, etc) Thank you Answer: True but until you actually get it, it is still not in your possession.

Baking then frying or Vice Versa

Question: A gutten. Please clarify for me the halocha of  צליה אחר טיגוןand vice versa. If the differentiation in Bishul is between a process in which the food is submerged in liquid (boiling & deep frying) and a process that uses dry heat or little liquid, does that mean that  צליהand shallow frying are Muttar […]

kiddush

Question: When attending a Kiddush, and the person reciting Kiddush did not necessarily drink a melo lugmav, but rather only a sip, may one rely on such a Kiddush and eat a mezonos, especially if one will later on make his own Kiddush (before eating challa), and the Aruch Hashulchan is meikel that there is […]

Rather be killed than transgress

Question: Is this rule of יהרג ואל יעבר applicable today, and does it apply if you are being forced to have relations of an sort with a non-Jewish woman? Answer: This rule does apply nowadays and unfortunately was very applicable during the second world war. Regarding if there is יהרג ואל יעבור regarding a man with […]

Handling object placed in mouth before netilas yadayim after awakening

Question: Sometimes my baby wakes up crying in the middle of the night, and I try to calm him by placing his pacifier back in his mouth. In handling the pacifier, I sometimes end up touching the pacifier nipple, i.e. the part that goes into the baby’s mouth. In these situations, I have just woken […]

Bride vs. orphan for tzedakah; concentrating vs. spreading donation

Question:finish sources, Rmbam… Brocho v’Shalom, B”H I am a teenage girl working at a small secretarial job with a modest income. So often, I received emails from crowdfunding platforms such as The Chesed Fund and my heart aches to see so many fellow Yidden in pain and need. They reach out to us, their siblings, […]

E-Mail Subscription and Copyright

Question: We are subscribed to a weekly local Jewish news publication. We are paying a yearly fee for a printed version received by regular mail/post – plus an additional fee for an electronic version received by Email. Are we halachically allowed to share the Email version with our children? Would it make a difference, if […]

Interruptions after kerias shema al ha’mitta

Question: What should one do if he is reciting kerias shema al ha’mitta before going to bed, but is concerned that he might get interrupted (e.g. the baby will wake up and he will need to attend to it) before he ends up falling asleep? Should he recite everything except for the bracha of HaMapil? […]