Question: My wife used to go to shul to listen to showfar. Also, she shook lulav. She wants to know if it becomes hard for her now, did it become a neder that she needs hatarah for ? Or is it implicitly like saying bli neder ? Answer: Thank you for your question. The […]
Author Archives: Rabbonim of the Beis Hora'a
Juice on plane – opened container
Question: An airline is offering orange juice as a complimentary beverage. It comes in a can, company is minute maid, hechsher is … Firstly, is this considered a reliable Hechsher? I know there is controversy regarding this Hechsher. Secondly, the flight attendant handed me the can already opened (this is the normal way they serve […]
What is the amount I have to eat to make an Al Hamichya?
Question: what is the amount I have to make an Al Hamichya on (and if it is a Hebrew measurement around what size is that)? Answer: The amount of food from the five grains that one has to say Al Hamichya is what is called a k’zayis- lit. an olive’s worth in size. It […]
Undue Commission
Question: I work for a company where we recently paid for a certain software service that helps us visualize and understand internal company data. The software service for some reason listed me as the person who referred the company to them and they now want to give me a sizable commission for the referral. The […]
Davening without Tefilin
Question: Unfortunately, I do not usually daven Shachris nor do I put on Tefilin. My school has a Mincha minyan everyday. Am I allowed to daven with them if I haven’t yet put on Tefilin/and or I don’t have Tefilin with me? Answer: Hi, You may daven and should daven with them even though […]
Stam Yenam
Question: Hello. If a non-Jew boils dried cranberries in water to make fruit juice (provided that a Shomer Shabbos Jew lit the fire), is there an issue of ma’gah akum or stam yenam? Thank you. Answer: Hi, The issues of stam yanom etc. only apply to grapes, because they are made into wine. They […]
Irrevocable trusts
Question: My mother created an irrevocable trust and left out on purpose some siblings. Can this secular legal trust be disqualified by a bais din or does bais din rule it is legal? Answer: Hi, It is hard to give a definitive answer without out knowing how the trust was made, etc. In general […]
Catalyzed Tzadakah Giving–
Question: If I am getting a goy to donate money to Jewish causes i.e. a kollel, a almana, Chabad etc, money that would not go to those causes without my request, that would not otherwise get there can I take that money I facilitated as if its my personal tzedakah and do I not have […]
Who pays for added delivery costs due to fire
Question: Good Chodesh, We arranged a truck delivery to our customer and when the truck arrived the driver was told that due to a fire at the plant they could not accept delivery and would need to be postponed until the next day. There will be an additional cost to layover the truck as the […]
Using a women’s siddur
Question: Can a man use a “women’s siddur” (i.e. one made specifically for women such as Artscroll makes, etc.) and vice versa? Answer: Thank you for your question. Yes, a man may use a “woman’s siddur”. Even though the color of the cover is a woman’s color, and there is no issue of lo […]
As for the Jews the Lifestyle in gentile place
Question: Rabbi which type of life style should be maintain as a Jew in gentile majority country? Answer: Thank you for your question. In general, us Jews should live as much of a Jewish lifestyle as we possibly can despite the fact that we live countries that are predominantly non-Jews. This is the way the […]
Kasher metal bowls
Question: I have set of basic mixing bowls of thin metal I think stainless steel. Haven’t used in year as unsure if meat or not How can I kasher them and choose what I want them to be now? One bowl is too big for putting into a pot for kashering Answer: Thank you […]
Baby oil or olive oil on Shabbos
Question: Can a person use(rub or spread) baby oil or olive oil on Shabbos to keep hands or feet supple or babys bottom supple? Answer: Thank you for your question. Baby or olive il may be used on Shabbos and there is no issue that one might be smaring it, because they are very […]
Tefillin fell while in hard plastic case
Question: What is the appropriate teshuva/kapara for one whose tefillin fell while in the hard plastic case? Answer: Thank you for your question. Since the tefuillin were inside its case you should give some tzedakah as a kapara. Best wishes Sources: Mishna Berura 40-3.
Correct word
Question: Is it nibul peh or nivul peh? Answer: nivul peh All the best Sources:
Bathing a baby on Shabbos/ Uncooked Coffee
Question: 1. If a couple of month old baby soils themselves very badly on Shabbos (ie the diaper leaked), is it muttar to mix hot (from a shabbos urn) and cold water in a keli sheni and put it in the bathtub to wash them? 2. I mistakenly poured hot water directly from a kli […]
Maaser- loss from sale of car
Question: Hi, I bought a car in 2016 for about $25000 and sold it recently for about $15,000. Am I allowed to deduct this loss from my overall “ma’aserable” income for this year? Answer: Hello, Thank you for your question. You are not allowed to deduct the $10,000 “loss”, since it is really no […]
Sibling doing drugs
Question: My sibling recently confided in me that they have tried some king of psychedelic mushrooms and that they regularly inhale marijuana vapor (or something to that effect) and showed me where they keep their device. They are 15 years old. Can I report this to my parents? Or throw away the device? Thank you […]
Cooking dairy equipment food in clean meaty pot
Question: Can I cook Dairy Equipment pareve food in a clean meat pot? I think I can, but wanted to confirm. Are there any restrictions other than the pot being clean? Answer: Hello, Yes, it is allowed. All the best Sources: רעק”א כת”י יו”ד סימן צ”ה סעיף ב: “רמ”א, אבל ליתנן בכלי שלהם […]
Brown stains on Mirena
Question: Hi if my wife has been on iud for over a coupler of years , and her bleeding is more like brown stains and not actual flow is that indicative of her not being a full niddah ? Answer: Hello, It would depend on the exact color of the stains. You should show […]
Hassidic white shirts for non Hassid
Question: I bought some white shirts from a Chassid. Regular men’s shirts have the buttons on the right side, and button holes on the left. Regular woman’s blouses have the buttons on the left and holes on the right. Chassidic men’s shirts are buttoned like regular women’s blouses. Can a non Chassid wears a Chassidish […]
Using discount
Question: B”H Kavod haRav A company sells an item online but realizes it is not in stock and offers customer 20% off their next order. 1. is it ok to use the discount? (ribbis or other issue?) 2. When communicating about the original order on the phone, I called slightly after business hours, and someone […]
Brachos in Pants
Question: Can a woman make a brocha while wearing pants at home? Answer: Hello, Yes. However, if she can easily put on a skirt, which is a more respectable way to recite a beracha than wearing pants, then it is better to do so. This is especially true regarding Birkas Hamazon. All the best […]
Combing before tevila
Question: Is it necessary to comb pubic hair as a part of chafifa? If one visually doesn’t see any knots, is that enough? If one is required to comb, does it have to be every part of the hair or can some parts which are “stuck” (with water) to skin be skipped if there are […]
Hadlakas neiros bathroom lights
Question: I’ve heard, if someone is in a place for shabbos that doesn’t allow him to light candles in a halachicly acceptable place, he’s better off turning on an electric light in his room. If one uses his bathroom lights does he therebye make his bathroom unusable for the rest of shabbos, not to do […]
Food cooked in milchig pot- eating with fleishig
Question: Can I eat parve bok choy that was cooked in milchig pan (אינו בן יומו) with a fleishig meal? Answer: Thank you for your question. If it was already cooked it may be eaten with a fleishig meal since the pan was not a ben yomo. One should however not cook food in […]
Pet Cremation and Burial
Question: Our two pet rabbits passed away. What is the halachah standpoint on cremation of the rabbits? If it is permissible do we need to bury the ashes in the garden or is it permissible to keep them in the house. My daughter was very attached to her rabbits is is grieving. Answer: I’m […]
Hadlakas neiros change diaper
Question: If one does the chumrah of turning on the electric lights (and then lights the candles) with the mindset that they should both count as neiros shabbos and makes a bracha on both of them, can someone change a baby’s diaper under those electric light, not in view of the candles? Thank you […]
Realized the bracha was said was incorrect
Question: If I have 2 foods in front of me, say a potato and banana. I mistakenly think I need to make a haeitz on the banana and make a haadama on the potato. Then someone corrects me that the banana is also haadama. Do I need another haadama on the banana since I thought […]
Forgot to say part of Al Hamichya
Question: I ate cookies and raisins. I had to make an al hamichya and accidentally made an Al ha’etz. I realized mid bracha achronha. I ended up just finishing with al ha’payros. What’s the halacha as far as my al hamichya? Answer: Thank you for your question. Since you didn’t say al hamichya, so […]
Bidivead Kappara
Question: BS”D Kavod HaRav, If a person commits an action which he thinks is a transgression because he did it b’shogeg (or perhaps, even, b’mezid c”v) perhaps having learned the majority opinion of the poskim or greatest posek, and then maybe forgot, and after the fact, found there are shitas–minority/single–from some other poskim that would […]
Work done by non-jew on Shabbat
Question: If the non-Jew turns on a light for a Jew, can’t the Jew stay if there would have been sufficient light to do what he wanted to do, albeit with difficulty? Answer: Thank you for your question. Without getting into the issue of telling the Non-Jew to do melacha for us. If there […]
Where does the mezuza get placed?
Question: A Mezuzah should be put an Amah from the top of the door post. What is an Amah in inches? Answer: Thank you for your questions Before answering your question, I must comment that the mezuza is not meant to go in the amah from the top of the doorpost. It is supposed […]
help re: email that involves parent
Question: B”H Kavod haRav, I received an email from a friend of my mothers asking if my mother is ok because the friend feels there is distance. I would mention it to my mother but the friend said that they don’t want to make my parent feel bad for not sending a bday card, they […]
Threaten to sue in the hope of forcing an out of court settlement
Question: My 16 year old daughter recently had the first of what was to be a handful of skin treatments for acne. The oral prescription medication failed to eradicate it so we turned to someone who offered a series of treatments using products from an Israeli company. The Jerusalem women offering this service is certified […]
Maaser
Question: Hi, I am almost for sure that I gave maaser from something, but I have a memo on my phone from the summer that I kept pushing off to take care of and now I am wondering why it is less then my maaser calculations that I have down somewhere else. If I am […]
Can a person start a compost pile during Shmitta?
Question: I want to put egg shells, Avocado peels, cucumber peels and other non kedusha peels in soil and let in compost for the 8th year of planting a lemon tree. Am I allowed to do this? Please put the sources in English. Answer: Thank you for your question. Fertilizing a field is one […]
Deduct Child Support from Income for Maaser
Question: I am paying child support, but directly to my ex-wife for use at her discretion. The support is income based and not based on the needs of the children. She can spend it however she sees fit, including on herself. May I deduct these payments from my income before calculating maaser? Answer: Thank […]
Motorhome on Shabbos
Question: BS”D Can a person who has a motorhome (house on wheels) park in a location before shabbes and shabbes inside it? In this case, the motorhome is all mechanics, nothing digital…? Gitt shabbes Answer: Thanks for the question. From the wording of your question, I understand that you mean to ask regarding muktza, […]
bath during shivah nekeim
Question: If a kallah by mistake took a bath on her 4th day of shivah nekeim, what does she have to do? Answer: Hello, There is no problem. A person is allowed to take a bath during the shiva neki’im. Mazel Tov! Sources:
Saris adam
Question: I understand that according to Halacha, a saris adam is forbidden to marry a woman (except for a convert) or, if he is already married, he is required to divorce his wife. I have read that during the Holocaust, Nazi doctors sometimes were mesares Jewish concentration camp prisoners. Would such Jewish victims of the […]
Yarzeit in ADAR during a leap year
Question: When a yarzeit is in Adar during a leap year, is it celebrated in Adar1 or Adar 2? Answer: Thank you for your question. If the person was niftar during a leap year then the yahrtzeit is observed in the same date as the person died, whether it is Adar 1 or 2. […]
Maaser to grandchildren
Question: 1- As a grandparent can maaser money be given to their adult children to help them Pay for yeshiva education for the grandchildren? 2- can a family inviting guests Shabbos and yomtov be a halachic way to utilize maaser kesafim? Answer: Answer: If your children need the help with the tuition, and they […]
Standing at the bimah after getting an aliya
Question: Hi! After getting an Aliyah, we remain standing at the bimah during the next aliyah. Is this a minhag? A requirement? How long should one stay there? Can one leave if he has a need to? Thanks Answer: Thank you for your question. The main idea of waiting after getting an aliya is […]
Baal koreh only read 2 pesukim
Question: Good Morning This morning the Baal korei leined 2 pesukim for the first aliyah then started from the the 3rd posuk for second aliyah and finished as normal etc. We’re we yotzei Kriyas hatorah being that only 2 pesukim we’re leinded for the first aliyah? Thanks Answer: Reading less than 3 pesukim for […]
Makeup artists and instagram
Question: Many Makeup artists maintain Instagram accounts so that they may post their work. The women they post allow them to do so. Instagram allows you to post “Reel” like a movie and one can add music to it. One makeup artist posted a reel of her work along with the kallah taking challah and […]
Is it carrying to walk outside with rolled-up sleeves
Question: Can one roll up their sleeves on shabbat? Is it carrying? Answer: Thank you for your question. If the reason why you are rolling up your sleeves is because you don’t want to wear a short sleeve shirt, but the long sleeve one is too hot during the summer months. Therefore the long […]
Giving worker extra work to do.
Question: Hi, I was hired to work a job. I was told to perform 5 tasks and that I have to work a minimum of two hours. I was given a list of additional tasks to complete if I finish within two hours. Is there a problem with such an arrangement? I normally can finish […]
Tefillas haderech skiing sky diving
Question: If someone goes skiing on a slope longer than a parsa would they be required to say tefillas haderech? (They said when they traveled on an earlier day) If one went skydiving and traveled a vertical parsa downward would they be required to say tefillas haderech? (Assuming to be true that statistically skydiving isn’t […]
Shaimos by tallis bags
Question: Hello my Mom asked me if she had to bury a bag that used to carry a Tallis and pair tefillin. Is such a bag like that able to be thrown out or should it placed at the nearest shul geniza? Forgive my lack of knowledge on this one. Answer: Thank you for […]