Question: Hi, I’m about to take out a contract to rent a house. The rental is being managed by a letting agent, but I believe that the owner of the house is Jewish. I know that late fees etc., do not constitute a problem of Ribbis if they are a one-time fee which do not […]
Author Archives: Rabbonim of the Beis Hora'a
Salary
Question: I get a salary from my company, and was getting some money on the side to pay my kids tuition which was considered for me a raise, even though that went directly my childs yeshiva. A few months ago, my boss decided to include that on the books and I would pay the tuition. […]
Plugging in urn right before Shabbos
Question: if someone forgot to plug the hot water urn before shabbos and they realize it about 10 minutes before shkiah can they then plug it in even though the water will boil up when shabbos begins Answer: According to most poskim, if the urn doesn’t have adjustable setting it should be permitted, because there […]
asara rishonim
Question: Should one go to sleep early, at the expense of learning Torah, in order to wake up early and be from the asara rishonim the next day? (He will learn before Shacharis, but maybe learning more at night is a bigger mitzvah, and maybe one shouldn’t push off a mitzvah and should rather learn […]
Braces Elastics on Shabbos
Question: Hello Rabbi, I am currently wearing braces. Aside from just the braces, I also have to wear elastics/rubber bands over some of my teeth to shift them in the right direction. The elastics are worn all day. Is there any problem in wearing these elastics in an area not enclosed by an eruv on […]
Keeping records of births
Question: This is probably more of a Minhag question, than Halacha, Where / How have Yidden kept records of their children births dates. For instance for boys its crucial to know exact day to know BM. Obviously nowadays its easy to find out, but surely throughout the centuries Klall Yisroel must have had an established […]
Potential danger vs. embarassing another
Question: My (5 year old )daughter she’t’chiyeh has a good friend, and I am friends with her mother. She frequently invites us over. She is very kind and I really appreciate her friendship. The problem is that their apartment is infested with roaches, which for whatever bizarre reason seems to not bother them. They are […]
Eruv
Question: By a city-wide eruv in chu”l, is one able to rely on sechiras reshus from a government official or any other similar position? Additionally, if one is relying on telephone wires as a koreh on lechi’s, is it a problem if the wires are sagging down or moving in the wind? Answer: Regarding renting […]
order of clothing
Question: Hello, I was wearing disposable gloves to do laundry and then removed the right one because it was dirty after I used that hand to do something (I could have used either hand), leaving the left one on. I then replaced the right one with a clean one. Is this a problem that I […]
Dental floss
Question: Hi Does flavored and waxed dental floss needs to be kosher? Thanks Answer: Thank you for your question. Mint and waxed dental floss do not need a hashgacha. Best wishes
Timeline (maybe ever as a poster)
Question: Dear rav, Do you have a way to locate a Jewish timeline, which might help me? Best regards, Answer: Thank you for your question. There are such cards available. There is a company in Israel that has a number of such cards, one of the time of the Kings and prophets, another of the […]
Child support
Question: If my ex remarried would I still have to pay child support? Answer: Under normal circumstances a divorced man would continue to pay child support, (they are still his children and responsibility even if his ex remarries) however this is usually stipulated in the divorce agreement. Best wishes
Duration of a bread meal
Question: B”H If someone eats enough bread to require benching at the beginning of a meal and they proceed to have a meal that lasts about 4 hours, and they are mindful to have very small bites of bread every hour or so (but small enough that this particular amount would not obligate benching, they […]
Understanding mistakes
Question: B”H Regarding someone who became observant later in life, and they truly regret their mistakes, how are they to view the mistakes they made before becoming observant (and did not know then what they know now)- should they blame themselves or consider it hashgacha or both? Did HaShem “want” the person to make the […]
Borer of 2 of the same item (for most people)
Question: Shalom. If one has 2 of the same item that are mixed together, but these 2 items are viewed by a small minority as different, would it be considered a mixture for the majority? what about for one that is part of a minority. Example: 2 pieces of chicken grilled slightly differently [1 medium/rare, […]
tzizit QUESTION #2
Question: If someone tried to make the tzizit not droop to the edge even while making it flush to the corner, but it droops any how. Is the person still yotzei the mitzvah without a bracha lavatolah? Is it only a chumra? Or can the person be yotzie lachotcila or bedieved? Thank you Answer: The […]
Kashrus vs. Not Embarrassing Another Yid and Accepting Converts
Question: Many Yidden keep very strict kashrus. Many of these Yidden embarrass baalei teshuva and converts by not accepting food gifts from them, rejecting offers for Shabbos and Yomim Tovim, and do not allow them to use their cooking appliances for fear their kashrus is not up to the same level as their own. This […]
Zman Mincha on Erev Shabbos
Question: When is the best time to daven mincha after candle lighting on Erev Shabbos? Five minutes after? Ten minutes after? Answer: It is best to daven mincha as early after candle lighting as possible, because then you can be mekabel Shabbos a little longer before shkiya (sunset). There are opinions that one should try […]
Eating veggie dish from (kosher) Chinese take-out
Question: If I order a strictly noodle-and-veggie dish that they presumably cook in a fleishig wok, does that make me fleishig (6hr wait before dairy)? I believe the custom is to rinse out the wok between uses. Does the wok make the veggie dish fleishig? Answer: The wok will make the noodle dish fleishig, and […]
Ribis on spoiled grape juice
Question: I forgot to turn on the Shabbos mode on the refrigerator and my neighbor gave us a new bottle of grape juice that turned out to be spoiled. If we return a new good grape juice bottle wouldn’t that be considered ribis ? Answer: If you didn’t use the bottle, give it back to […]
Tachanun
Question: If one finishes shmone esrei when the tzibur is already up to aleinu, is he supposed to say aleinu with them or say tachanun first since it is connected to shmone esrei? Answer: This is a tough question. On one hand the main power of tachanun is when it is adjacent to Shemona Esrei, […]
Makeh BePatish on Hat Brims
Question: Is considered Makeh BePatish to snap the brim of a hat up and down for shmoneh esrei on Shabbos? Answer: It is not Makeh BePatish to snap the brim of a hat up and down because it is the normal mode pf use. This is similar to a folding chair that is meant to open […]
Abiding to COVID regulations in Shule
Question: Hi, I live in Australia where the COVID rules are currently very strict. Masks must be worn indoors. From a halachic point of view, am I obligated to daven with a minyan when many mispalelim of my Shule do not wear masks? (Minyanim are also limited due it being summer and people are away) […]
Non-kosher grape juice with water
Question: Shalom, if a Jew bought a grape juice that is not kosher, and then added water to that juice, would that non-kosher juice become shehakol, and can a Jew drink it by making brachos of Shechakol? Answer: It is not clear from your question why the grape juice is not kosher. But on the […]
Making a Bracha on a Talis Kattan
Question: When someone puts on a Talis Kattan do they make a Bracha, even though they will later put on a Tallis Gadol by davening. Do they need to have that in mind when they put on Tallis Kattan? Is the Bracha optional or is it a Bracha levattalah ? Answer: The minhag is that […]
Sheimos from Secular Books
Question: In many sifrei chol (ex. Novels, textbooks, newspapers, magazines, in the later 2 often from quotes) G – d, Lord, etc. are often written. When discarding these papers, should the name of Hashem in any form be cut out and removed from the rest of the paper, with names of Hashem being buried as […]
One brain
Question: Is one brain mutter Answer: It is controversial if it is forbidden or not, and there are many poskim who don’t allow it, especially when it is possible to heal someone via “energy” even when the two people are in differant countries. Therefore it is advisable to stick away from it. Best wishes
Bread Machine Status
Question: I have a bread machine that I usually use to make challah dough. The measuring cups/utensils that I use for the challah ingredients (including hot ingredients) are “fleishigs”. They are presumably clean before I use them, but I do sometimes find some grease etc on a measuring cup so I cant say that they […]
Vesein Brocha
Question: The poskim bring an eitzah to not have to repeat shmone esrei when in doubt if one said the correct addition of vesein brocha or vesein tal… where one can say that sentence 90 or 101 times so that he will be used to saying it the correct way. If someone decides to do […]
Coffee on Shabbos
Question: Hello thanks for taking my question did a little research about coffee and I saw that coffee is not cooked while processing only it is roasted if so this should be a problem of צלי/ קלוי אחר בישול Answer: Thank you for your question. In consultation with a kashrus professional, instant coffee of all […]
Use meat knife with Dairy Equipment pareve spread
Question: Can a meat knife be used to apply a pareve-but-dairy-equipment spread (vegan “cream cheese” that is not charif)? Does this affect the status of the knife at all? Can the knife, with residue from the D.E. spread, be washed in a meat sink afterwards? Answer: Technically it can be used and washed in a […]
MAKING TZIZIT
Question: Im making myself a new pair of TZIZIT. I would like to make it LCHATCHILA BEZRAT HASHEM. When making the first knot , should it be made tight to the GARMENT? How TIGHT? Where there are folds on the garment or slightly tight? I saw ACCORDING to RAV STERBACH in his sefer to the […]
Requests in Shemonah Esrei
Question: I know that it is permitted to add personal requests in the middle brochos of shemonah esrei if they are relevant, concise and requests for current needs, not for the future. Is it permitted to make requests for the near future (e.g. to have success in work the coming week/month) Also, is it permitted […]
Ends of bread
Question: Is there a prohibition to eat the end of bread? Is it only the very first or last piece or any piece with extra crust on it? Answer: There is no prohibition to eat the end of the bread. In fact, there are numerous poskim who say that it is permitted as there is […]
Mezuza placement by this door
Question: My front door opens into a small entrance room. The small entrance room opens into a larger living room. The entrance between them has no door or even a real doorframe, although on the right side going into the living room the wall ends, and also the ceiling goes up as you enter the […]
Copied music
Question: Am I allowed to listen to music that is not rightly mine but has been copied from someone else? And am I allowed to listen to music that someone else has copied on to their phone, and they put it on for everyone? Does it make a difference if someone else copied it on […]
Opened pasta
Question: I left a box of opened uncooked pasta in a kitchen cabinet or counter. I cooked it and then realized that I dont know if there is a concern about bugs because it was sitting for weeks without being in closed container? Could this be a problem? (I ilve in the USA) Answer: In […]
Amira lakum
Question: Suppose an inconsiderate gentile neighbor were listening to music at a fairly high volume on Shabbat, to the point that you could hear it on your own property. Would one be permitted to: directly ask the neighbor to turn the music down (or would this be a forbidden form of requesting melacha for one’s […]
Amira lakum
Question: Non-Jew asks to borrow a book from a Jew. The Jew fumbles around in a dark room looking for the book, and the non Jew turns on the light. The non-Jew did the melacha for the Jew, but really he did it for himself so that the Jew can find the book faster. Answer: […]
Food heated up by gentile on Shabbos
Question: Cruise offers kosher airline meal type meals for daily lunch and dinner. Is it halachically permissible to eat if warmed up by non-Jew on Shabbos (presumably with microwave)? Answer: We are not allowed to benefit from melacha that a gentile does for us on Shabbos. Therefore he can eat the food but only after […]
Sitting on a car on Shabbos
Question: Sholom Uvrocha Is one allowed to sit on a car bonnet on Shabbos, as the person will weigh the car down, but not move it out of its place? Is it worse if one were to raise oneself onto the bonnet by hand? Answer: It is permitted to sit on the bonnet (hood) of […]
Money for KOLLEL
Question: If a working man puts away money so that he can retire early for kollel, can maasar money be used? Or put away money so that his daughter can perhaps marry a ben torah, or sons might want to learn, can maasar money be used? Answer: Thank you for your question. It is very […]
new pots and pans
Question: Hello, If one buys new pots and pans, utensils, measuring cups, etc. from the store, does anything need to be done to kasher them? Answer: Thank you for your question. There are two potential issues when buying new utensils. They may require 1. tevila, and possibly 2. hagalah. The rule is that pots and […]
Going to the right while holding the sefer torah
Question: Can you please provide a source for the widespread custom of walking the sefer Torah on the right side of the bima both to and from? is it simply an application of the bigger concept of kol pinah? Or is it brought down particularly in respect to hava’as sefer Torah? Answer: The minhag is […]
Shekhitah for a non shochet
Question: shalom, based on that text: לימוד שחיטה בהתכתבות הרב יעקב משה טולדנו פסק לסוחר מספרד שמותר לו ללמוד שחיטת עופות למרות שאינו תלמיד חכם כדי שיוכל לשחוט לעצמו. ומצטט את רבי יעקב אבן-צור שכותב שגם אשה יכולה לשחוט. הרב טולדנו ביקש את חוות דעתו של רבי רפאל אנקאווא שהיה אז במרוקו וכך השיב הרב: […]
Is it appropriate to spank a child for chutzpa or defiance?
Question: Is it appropriate to spank a child for chutzpa or defiance? Answer: Thank you for your question. In the topic of chinuch, the cardinal rule is as the posuk says “chanoch lenar al pi darco”, “teach a child according to his way”. Therefore, each child and situation is different and has to be weighed […]
Which comes first Al Hamichya or Borei Nefashos
Question: What happens if I’ve ate a meal without bread. For instance, spaghetti and tomato sauce with a side of potato salad. What would be the after bracha. Each one has to fall into separate categories. For example, Al Hamichya and Borei nefashos. Would this be the proper way of doing this? Thank you. Answer: […]
Is one piece of bread sufficient for it to count as a “bread meal”?
Question: Hello, Is one piece of bread sufficient for it to count as a “bread meal”? Thank you! Answer: One slice of bread is definitely enough to make your meal a bread meal. If one ate a “k’zayis”- (lit. an olive worth) of bread it is considered a bread meal. An olive’s worth is about […]
Frozen bread
Question: Can bread be taken from the freezer and then eaten as a bread meal without heating? Or is this considered disrespectful if the bread is not fresh and then not heated up? Answer: Your sense of respect for brachos is remarkable. Whenever we say a bracha on food it is prefferable that the food […]
EXCHANGING AN OLD MEZUZAH WITH A NEW
Question: If someone is changing his front door old MEZUZAH for a new more HIDUR MEZUZAH. IS A BRACHA MADE for the new one? The old one is kosher i believe, but the new one is HIDUR. Answer: Thank you for your question. What you are asking is a bit controversial, however most poskim say […]