Rabbonim of the Beis Hora'a, Author at Ask The Rabbi - Dinonline

shabbos clothes for a date

Question: It says in poskim not to wear Shabbos clothes during the week. May one be lenient in the case of a date or a job interview, since there is also a mitzvah involved here and one needs to make a good impression? Answer: I think so. We see that Rus put on Shabbos clothes […]

Possible lashon hara in blog comments and what to do exactly?

Question: Shalom aleichem kavod harav, I’m a middle-aged woman with a frum blog featuring articles relating to emuna & charedi politics & social issues from a frum perspective. I have a very strict comment policy openly stated on the blog, which among other things, prohibits any kind of lashon hara. The thing is, sometimes people comment using their real […]

Baking Parve in a Fleishig Oven and eating it with dairy

Question: Shalom, What needs to be done when using a fleishig oven, in order to keep the keili parve and so the food willl be: 1 – parve and can be eaten with dairy 2 – parve but can’t be eaten with dairy Thank you! Answer: You can eat the cake with dairy if the […]

Fee on Reimbursable Expenses

Question: We’re a service company, and we have reimbursable expenses on projects that we have to bill the client for. Most companies charge a fee for it, i.e. 5% (no matter how long it takes to get paid back). Is that Ribis? Reasons why it shouldn’t be considered Ribis: 1) It’s a service fee (just […]

Halachik Will – clause to insert into “standard” wills

Question: I was referred to Rabbi Flegg by a friend who said that Rabbi Flegg had provided a clause to insert to a “standard” will to make it halachikally valid. I am seeking such a clause. Answer: To contact R’ Flegg try e-mailing him directly at [email protected]. Best Wishes

Pikuach Nefesh and Kashrut

Question: My wife is a kosher giyores while her mother is not. My mother in law lives in our 2 family house and watches over our type 1 diabetic 8 year old son when my wife and I are at work. Can we trust our mother in law to cook for our son properly even […]

Backing Out of a Signed Contract

Question: I entered into a signed contract with a divorcee to purchase her home in Israel. The home is still listed in hers and her ex-husband’s name and she needs to pay the municipality to get it out of his name, as well as pay them a fee for additional building space, in Israel called […]

Maaser from canceled torah study subscripton.

Question: I subscribed to receive a weekly torah study booklet (Chayenu) but was forced to cancel the subscription a few weeks in due to certain circumstances. Can the money i paid for the year subscription be taken off my maaser money being that i will not receive the booklets anymore and the money was technically […]

Kombucha Kashrus

Question: Hi, When making kombucha (fermented tea), you place a mushroom-like yeast/bacteria disc into the tea to ferment it known as a Scoby. If this Scoby was made in a glass jar which was previously used to ferment other dairy products (for over 24 hours), does this scoby become dairy and would I be able […]

Is it true not to let a baby looks at itself in a mirror before its teeth start to come out?

Question: Is it true that it is not proper to let a baby looks at itself in a mirror before its teeth start to come out? Thank you very much Answer: It is definitely not a halacha, however it seems that this is a minhag among many people. The source of this minhag is not […]

Stepping over child

Question: I hear that it is a problem to step over a child who is on the ground, and that the person should go back if he did. Is that true halachically? Or is there an inyan not to do so? Answer: It is definitely not a halacha, however it seems that this is a […]

Can one make a charity donation with a credit card and ask for change. Is this ribbis?

Question: Can one make a charity donation with a credit card and ask for change [bec he wants cash now] or is this ribbis [getting cash now paying more later]? Answer: If he is going to give the donation regardless if he gets the change or not, then it is permitted and not ribbis. For […]

payment for the loss of a borrowed object

Question: Shalom, I am asking on behalf of my granddaugter: “I lent a pair of shoes to my friend…and she lost them. Should she pay me the full amount of what I paid for the shoes, or should she pay me only half, since they were used? Thank you so much. ” Tehila Answer: Your […]

Davening for cholim and saying tehillim at night

Question: Hi, I’ve learned that we are not supposed to recite tehillim after sunset, and was wondering if this extends to davening for cholim as well, or if it’s specific to tehillim? I try to say tehillim every day in the zechut of cholim, those in need of a shidduch, etc. And find that sometimes […]

Varying the amount of Shacharit said at home (for women)

Question: Shalom & thank you very much for this wonderful site. I’m a married woman with children. Sometimes I take upon myself to daven a full Shacharit, which takes me around 45 minutes. I’ve done this for the month of Elul, or simply because I have the time and find it meaningful. But then my […]

Women’s Kabbalat Shabbat

Question: A group of women would like to do a Women’s only Friday Night Kabbalat Shabbat in a synagogue hall , is this allowed? Some communities do allow it however, I have come to realise that a community may do it but it doesn’t mean it’s correct. Answer: My apologies that it took some time […]

Forgiveness for damage

Question: Hi. I recently swiped someone’s car and caused some minor damage to the bodywork. I left a note with my contact details and they contacted me and said that they would arrange to have it repaired. I offered to help and I suggested the name of a garage that could repair it. I haven’t […]

May a her attend a relatives funeral who is not Jewish.

Question: May a ger attend a relative’s funeral who is not Jewish? What about a Church funeral? What if it’s not a relative? What if it’s open casket? Thank you very much for your time. Answer: You are allowed to attend their funeral, even if they are not your relative, however if it is in […]

tevilas keilim

Question: Would a glass that at the bottom is a straw (therefore no real bais hakibal) need tevila? Attached: Attached file 1 Answer: Interesting picture, but the glass here has a big bais kibul, as the tea collects in the glass like any other glass. Besides, a glass tray, which has no bais kibul also […]

Should I still say bli neder?

Question: Due to my frequently making nedorim/shevo’us when angry and then regretting them, my Rov told me to say “any neder or shavuoh that I make should not take effect” (and I should repeat it at least once a year and I have to actually mean it when I say it). Based on this, is […]

ribbis on shabbos

Question: Is there an issue of being paid interest from the bank on shabbos or on shabbos going into yom tov? Answer: When one is paid interest from a bank for a savings account etc., the bank pays the interest by paying a small part of the yearly interest rate every day. Receiving this money […]

Nazir permitted or required to drink wine after Nazirus

Question: Is the Nazir at the end of his term permitted or required to drink wine? Answer: He has to cut his hair at the end of his nezirus, because that is part of his korban process, as the hair was put on to the mizbeach . However regarding drinking wine, it seems that he […]

Cuff links on Shabbos

Question: Is it permitted on Shabbos to put cuff links in to a short with French Cuffs, in order to wear the shirt on Shabbos? Answer: It is hard for me to understand your question. If you mean to ask regarding Tofair because you are attaching the two sides of the sleeve with the cufflink, […]

Two knots of tzizit

Question: Hello thanks for looking at my question, I am concerned with the last knot on the zizit. does it matter how its knotted? It has to be double and I heard that one knot has to be opposite the other. Answer: The last knot on the tzitzis should be a double knot. The reason […]

Ice cube maker for meat and milk.

Question: Hi Rabbi! I have a silicon/plastic ice cube tray (pareve), freeze liquid whey or ice coffee (milchigs), 1) What’s the status of the tray regarding the din of Kovush? 2) Can I still use them for ice that I will eventually eat in a meat meal? Thanks! Answer: Frozen items are not considered […]

Maaser Kesafim for a needy Kallah

Question: Dear Rabbi I know of a situation where an orphan is about to become a Kallah. The orphanage as her family are paying for all her wedding expenses. Her wedding will take place this Sunday, June 16th, The staff and housemother are shopping with her for everything needed for the wedding and to set […]

Is there a misha para for withdrawing from the sale of a house?

Question: Dear Rabbonim, I agreed to sell a house at a certain price by negotiation mostly on WhatsApp. The buyer who is also Jewish told me that he wanted to send round a structural engineer and a mortgage valuer as he was applying for bridging finance to buy my house. He also wrote that the […]

Brochos for someone incontinent

Question: I know someone who has a medical shaila about a person who wears diaper r”l because they don’t have any feeling when they have to use the bathroom (gedolim). How should the choleh be noheg when it comes to making brachos? The choleh only realizes in the bathroom that he is dirty because it […]

To buy house from a church

Question: Is it permitted to buy a house that belongs to a church the house wasn’t used for the purpose of a church Answer: In general, we should not be doing business with a church because it is a bais avoda zara, and doing business with them is benefiting the avoda zara. However, in this […]

Is it stealing to go to your cousins party and bring food home.

Question: Is it stealing to go to your cousins party and bring food home. The family doesn’t mind if others take it and people take home food. I don’t know if they say it explicitly but that is the strong assumption. Answer: This is something that depends on numerous factors, but largely it depends if […]

What to say shavuos morning after up all night

Question: On shavuos morning when you stay up all night which brachos does one say? Answer: You can say most of the brachos except for Elokai Neshoma and Hava’avir Sheyno, because we didn’t yet get a new neshoma, and we have not ha our sleep removed from our eyes. Regarding al netilas yodayim, since according […]

Tehilim at night with kabala

Question: I have a kabula to say everyday tehilim, and today I forgot, may I say it at night? Answer: While it is preferred to say the tehillim during the daytime, you are allowed to say tehillim at night, especially if you have a kabolah to say each day. Best Wishes Sources: Shar Hatzion 238-1

Returning stolen item I took as a child

Question: When I was very young (before my bar mitzvah) I stole a piece of candy at disney world. I want to pay them back now but they are a giant corporation and I am not even sure how to do so other than going back and giving some person that works there money to […]

Nursing on Shabbos

Question: My older son stopped nursing at 4 months He is now 22 months. My younger son is 2 months and not a good nurser so I pump for him daily so that he drinks my milk but on Shabbos I get very full and in pain. I was told I could use a hand […]

onion dice/slice with milchig and fleishig knife

Question: hi! i started slicing a onion with a fleishig knife and by mistake continued with a milchig knife, whats the status of the onion? the milchig knife? and does the same apply for dicing an onion? Answer: Before answering your question, the poskim advise to get into the habit of only using a pareve […]

Warm milk in a dough recipe

Question: Will making a dough recipe that calls for 3/4 cup of warm milk in my mixer make my mixer milky, or does it have to be hot milk to do that? I know that using cold butter (for example) and washing it with cold water afterwards is ok, what about warm milky ingredients? Answer: […]

Washing hands after scratching scalp or changing a daiper

Question: Is it necessary to wash netillat yadayim every time I scratch my head, or is it sufficient to wash before tefilloh or eating? I have an itchy scalp, and would find myself constantly running to wash my hands all day, or sitting in discomfort trying not to touch my head. I am also at […]

Checklist into mikva prep room

Question: Is it a problem to bring a paper which has halahos (a chafifa checklist and reminders about how to be tovel) into the mikva prep room which has a toilet and shower? Answer: It is permitted because the list doesn’t say it in a form of torah, but rather do this, do that, which […]

Kaddish for Siyum

Question: Does one say the full nusach of the Kaddish for a siyum, on Shabbos or on a day one does not say Tachanun? Answer: The kaddish said by a siyum is not a sad kaddish, but an oppourtunity to sanctify H-shem’s name in public, and it is not said as something sad, therefore it […]

What can a non-Jew do with Jewish customs?

Question: a non-Jew can do the prayers of the siddur, make brachot of food or do the service of the Sabbath? Answer: It is nice to see that there are gentiles that want to have a relationship with G-d and pray to him. G-d accepts the prayers of all, in fact when King Solomon inaugurated […]

Loan to be repaid from inheritance

Question: Hi, If a loan was written up between two siblings while their parents were alive with interest stipulated in the loan (they were unaware that it was Assur), with the agreement that the loan and interest will be repaid from the borrowers portion of the inheritance, now when parents were niftar but the yerusha […]

Second day yom tov in ancient times

Question: Greetings. Why is there no source telling us how Jewish communities that were far away from Eretz Yisroel kept yomtov in the days of the first Temple or even the second Temple who could not be contacted by a shaliach or a fire? If they automatically had to keep a second day, why is […]

What did God Give Moses at Sinai

Question: It seems there is a debate as to what Moses got from God at Sinai. Everyone would agree that he got the 10 commandments and the Oral Torah. But beyond that there are a few things which have perplexed me on this. what did that Oral Torah include? 1) What did the Oral Torah […]

Having a aino yehudi move burnt out candles on Shabbos

Question: Thanks for this wonderful site and all the Torah it offers. I will be making a simchas in a simcha hall Friday night where all guests will light candles. At the end of the seudah once the candles have burnt out may I ask the AY waiter to move the burnt out candles to […]

Buying vs. paying back (Ribis)

Question: I asked my sister to buy me some shoes from a store. Because she only has a credit card (and no debit card) I didn’t want her to pay and then have me pay her back because of ribis. So I said that I’ll buy them off of her instead (ie pay her more […]

“Today is day nothing” (Nidah Question)

Question: I’m having a hard time emotionally/hormonally and I’m in the middle of shiva nekiiym. In an angry fit to myself, I thought to myself: “today is day nothing”. (BH I have very good shalom bayis but I was just in a very bad state. ) As I got to the end of the thought […]

Havdalah on Sunday morning

Question: In northern Europe in the summer shabbos ends very late, close to midnight. So if the family goes to sleep before the end of shabbos how does one make havdalah on Sunday morning? One omits the candle and spices. Does one say the Henei kel yeshuasi… paragraph? Answer: Interesting question. The reason why we […]

Asking a non Jew before yom Tov

Question: Shalom Can I arrange with a non Jew before Yom Tov to turn off the oven during a Yom Tov? Answer: The halachos of asking a non Jew to do melacha for us is the same on Yom Tov as on Shabbos, therefore since we may not tell a gentile before Shabbos to […]

Is seeing a therapist kosher – in general?

Question: Dear Rabbis, I see that aspects of seeing a psychotherapist (particularly the potential yihud issue) have been discussed here before, but I wanted to ask more generally if there are halachic issues around this pratice’s permissibility. I am currently seeing a therapist for an anxiety issue that results in occasional panic attacks. My doctor […]

Hot Meat sauce splattered onto cold dairy pan

Question: Some hot meat sauce from a bubbling meat pan on stove splattered and landed on a cold dairy empty frying pan nearby (the splattered sauce was about the size of 50 cent coin), the dairy pan had been used within 24 hours but only for parve eggs not for dairy. What is the status […]