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Author Archives: Rabbonim of the Beis Hora'a

Saying Tehilim without understanding the meaning

Question: hi does saying Tehilim without understanding what the word mean help? thanks! piske tova! Answer: It is definitely better to understand what you are saying, but even if you don’t understand what you are saying it helps. Tehillim, Shemona Esrei and the other tefillos that were made by Anshei Kneses Hagedola, are packed with […]

chol hamoed

Question: Is it permissible to do online search on Chol hamoed for work (unpaid internship)? There is no melacha being done (just online search and emailing the boss). Answer: We should refrain from doing business unless there is a specific davar ha’aved involved, and thios situation doesn’t sound liike a davar ha’aved. Sources: O:CH 539

How Many vav Hahipuchs in each of the 24 books of Tenach

Question: How Many vav Hahipuchs (Conversive vav) are in each of the 24 books of Tenach compared with the number of letters / verses in that book. As far as I know they are only in Tenach rather than Mishna or any subsequent work. It would be interesting to see if the number of conversive […]

Washing hands into sink that has dishes

Question: Is it permitted to wash negel vasser into a sink when there are dishes inside it? Answer: The Shulchan Aruch writes that the water of vegel vasser should not be washed onto the floor where people can walk because it has a ruach ra. R’ S. Z. Auerbach however said that it is permitted […]

Greetings pre and post yom kippur

Question: I was told prior to Yom Kippur we greet with גמר חתימה טובה and post just גמר טוב. Someone corrected me saying the final signing is Hashanah Raba and therefore we still useגמר חתימה טובה. Is it all minhag and no way is completely correct? Answer: The signing of the decrees is on Yom […]

Are there any halachot regarding fastening sukkah walls together?

Question: I’m building a sukkah using plywood and lattice. Are there any restrictions regarding fastening of the walls? Answer: According to most poskim you can fasten them however you like, just make sure that no metal is directly underneath the schach. Have a good Yom Tov  

Run-off water from netilas yodayim or asher yatzar

Question: When washing the hands after the restroom, or to wash to eat bread, is the run-off water considered tomeh? Is it allowed to run into dishes, glasseware, pots n pans that are in the sink? Answer: Thre is no restriction regarding this when washing you hands for a meal or after the bathroom. The […]

Designation of Muktzah with thought alon

Question: For an object not commonly used for a particular purpose, would mental designation to use in that way suffice if the designation was just for a one-off occasion? (bedeived) For example, if a stick was used to prop open a window on a week when the mechanism to hold the window open broke if […]

Sea Bands on Shabbos

Question: On Shabbos or Yom Kippur, would it be permissible to wear “sea bands”? Sea bands are cloth wristbands with some elastic to make them somewhat tight. They also have a round plastic bead on the inside, meant to continually press a “pressure point” in the middle of one’s middle wrist, which prevents or reduces […]

Keeping “lucky cat” decorative item in house

Question: Dear Rabbis, My wife recently picked up a “lucky cat” decoration while shopping in a Chinwtown in the USA. It’s essentially a waving cat that some Asian cultures believe to be associated with good luck. Is it forbidden to keep such an object in one’s home on the ground of ‘avodah zara’ — even […]

Benefitting from accidental melacha

Question: If there is a light switch by one’s bed, and one accidentally moved one’s foot and turned the switch on during shabbos or yom tov, may one benefit from the light that got turned on? Answer: You may benefit from the light. If you didn’t have any intention to turn the light on, your […]

Atonement after the Chorban and Yom Kippur

Question: Hello. What do rishonim and even Chazal say about the halachic matter of kapara without the activity of the Kohen Gadol in the Beis Hamikdash on Yom Kippur? I am aware of the general concept of prayers replacing sacrifices, but specifically, what is the effect of not having the kapara through the avoda of […]

Almond Milk during Aseres Ymei Tshuva

Question: Does almond milk fall under the same minhag of not having nuts during aseres ymei tshuva? Answer: According to numerous poskim almonds are not included in the minhag of not eating nuts, because they are not called egoz in the torah, rather shaked. Therefore it is fine to drink almond milk. Gmar chasima tova.

Drink vs. food in Halacha

Question: My understanding is that On Yom Kippur, the pachos mi’keshiur amounts of food and drink are independent of each and that one can simultaneously eat and drink a pachos mi’keshiur of both. My question is, what constitutes food? Is jello a food?Slush? I am trying to get the most liquid value for a choleh […]

Grandmother during sheloshim at grandchild’s vort

Question: Can a women in Avelus still in the shloshim for her father go to a granddaughters vort and if yes can she have a manicure and get her face done for the vort? Answer: Hamakom yinachem eschem btoch shar aveilei Tzion v’Yerushalayim. A person in aveilus, even a grandparent has to minimize the amount […]

Broken hand due to negligence

Question: An individual feel and broke his hand in a kosher supermarket whilst shopping due to wet floor. There was no sign to warn customers about the wet floor. Is the customer permitted to seek damages (potential medical expenses- although his treatment would be covered by his private insurance/public insurance, time off work) from the […]

Using scotch tape on shabbos and yom tov

Question: May one tape a plastic tablecloth on shabbos/yom tov to a table with scotch tape already prepared/stuck to the table before Shabbos. So that one end of the piece of tape is stuck to the table and one would stick the other end on the tablecloth to hold it down/then unstick it after clearing […]

Using a Vacuum cleaner stick attachment on Shabbos

Question: May one use the stick attachment of a vacuum cleaner as a way to lock a door on Shabbos? Is it considered muktza even if one is using it for a permitted purpose? Answer: The stick attachment of a vacuum cleaner essentially is not used for anything else but vacuuming the floor. Therefore since […]

Rav MOshe Vaye, regarding bugs in Schach

Question: https://dinonline.org/Bedikat/succah-schach-succah-mats/ in the last 2 YEARS, I have seen the flourishing in sales (in Israel) of the NEW, BUG FREE, Slat-style Scach (Top Kashruth, Eidah I think) that is SOLID wood slats, treated and guaranteed to stay bug free. I realize without a CAVITY for the critters to enter, this is a game changer. […]

Beis Din for Hataras Nedarim comprised of non observant Jew

Question: Is hataras nedarim performed with a Beis Din in which one of the judges is not Shomer Shabbos valid? Does it matter how many judges are non Shomer Shabbos? Answer: A Jew who is not Shomer Shabbos can not be matir neder. This is because he doesn’t understand the concepts of nedarim, pesash and […]

Annual Expenses Included in 200 zuz (tzedakah recepients)

Question: What expenses are included in the calculation to determine if a person has sufficient funds or ability to generate funds, to cover expenses for the year? Is it minimum needed to live? Rent/mortgage? What if, theoretically, they could fine less expensive living arrangements? Children’s daycare and/or tuition? Repairs? Etc. Etc. Answer: Whatever is considered […]

The correct way to ask Choshen Mishpat question

Question: Thank you for this great website! I noticed that in a lot of Choshen Mishpat questions Rabbi Fleischman writes that his answer is not binding as he didn’t hear the other side. What is the proper way to ask a Choshen Mishpat question? Could one tell the rov or beis din the nature of […]