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Author Archives: Rabbonim of the Beis Hora'a

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 […]

Maaser fulfillment through donating appreciated stocks

Question: Shimon receives a gift of $100,000 and wants to give maaser. Shimon has a stock portfolio with a base cost of $6,000 that appreciated to $10,000. Can Shimon donate the stock to a shul or Yeshiva and thereby fulfill his giving of maaser on the $100,000 gift? The 2nd part of the question is […]

Cheese on veggies made on fleishig stovetop

Question: I cooked parve veggies in a parve pan on burners that are used for fleishig. I then put cheese on the veggies and warned up in dairy betty Crocker/microwave. Is it ok Answer: Assuming that your burner didn’t have any wet fleishig on it at the time, the veggies and the pan are still […]

Torah study on a Christian date

Question: Shalom, today because it is a famous Christian date, is it forbidden to study torah? or gemoras? Answer: There are differant customs regarding learning torah from nightfall until midnight. Chassidim and some others have the custom not to learn then, however the rest of the night and daytime are fine. In fact according to […]

Yashrus with Online Course

Question: I paid for an online course with several sections. The course tracks the “completion” of each section, once the participant watches it. There is no professional component, it is just for personal education. If the course is “completed” within 90 days (ie the user has “watched” the entire course), the participant has lifelong access […]

Starting a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation with Maaser money

Question: Can Maaser money be used to begin a nonprofit organization? The purpose of the organization is to increase and improve Torah learning and help people donate money to Torah scholars. The money would be used to develop apps, create marketing collateral, etc. Please provide as thorough an answer as possible and resources for further […]

Shmiras Halashon & Discsussing Feelings

Question: To the Posek, I live in a VERY small Jewish community. The way the Rav’s wife dresses bothers me; the standards of tznius are possibly borderline from my perspective and lend itself to an improper message. I would like to discuss my feelings with a Rebbetzin from my hometown community who I respect; however, […]

What can you consume before Kiddush on Friday evening after 10 Tevet

Question: What can you consume before Kiddush on Friday evening after 10 Tevet? After end of fast we are invited for Shabbat dinner which might be quite a bit after the Tanit Assara Betevet has finished. Answer: Thank you for your question. We don’t eat or drink anything before making kiddush on Shabbos eve, and […]

Saying layihudim loud during Havdalah

Question: Whats the orgins/source of those listening to havdolah to first say the phrase layehudim etc? Answer: I don’t have a good source for this minhag, however as with other minhagim, although we don’t know the reason, we still continue to do them. As the Rashba wrote, that we shouldn’t be lax regarding the minhagim […]

Do sponges used for handwashing dishes need a hechser?

Question: Recently I noticed the hecsher from scotch brite sponges was removed. Does this signify that they are not kosher anymore? Or sponges dont need a hecsher anyway so it is irrelevant? Answer: If there is no soap added to the sponge there is no need for it to have a hechsher. Best wishes

genizah menorah box

Question: Does my outdoor menorah box require geniza? is it considered tashmishie kedusha? Answer: An outdoor menorah box does not require geniza, as it only services the menora which services the candles, and after chanukah is not even considered tashmish dtashmish. Therefore regarding shaimos there is no problem with throwing it in the garbage. If […]

Shabbat bread meals

Question: Hello, could crackers be used in place of bread/challah? (for example triscuits?) Answer: Essentially, we should be eating bread, challah, etc. for the first two Shabbos meals, and not crackers, cake etc. If one is stuck in an extreme situation then there are times when it would be permitted. As a side point, there […]

Menorahs after Chanuka

Question: Could we throw out the cheap menorahs after Chanukah is over? Thank you Answer: Thank you for your question. My assumption is that you are not asking regarding baal tashchis, but if the menora is a mitzva object or not, and if it should go into shaimos. A menorah after one is finished using […]

Is it allowed to use money from maser to give Chanukah gelt to boys rebbi’s ?

Question: Is it allowed to use money from maser to give chanukah gelt to boys rebbei’s ? Answer: It is permitted to use maaser money when giving money to a child’s rebbi as Chanukah or Purim present. Although it is a widespread custom to do so, and parents like sending the rebbi money in order […]

Exchanging a book that was browsed thru

Question: I bought my wife a present, a cookbook. She did not make any of the dishes from the book, but she did browse thru it thoroughly. She now wants that I exchange it for a different book. Am I Halachically allowed, or is it considered geneivah? Answer: Thank you for your question. The answer […]

Tearing plastic cover off book on shabbos

Question: Is it permitted to tear a plastic cover off a magazine or book on Shabbat? Someone told me it’s permitted if the plastic cover was partially torn from before Shabbat – does this make a difference? I tried to look it up in the hilchos shabbos book by Rabbi Ribiat. It said that it’s […]

How was it fair to punish the generation of the flood?

Question: If we believe there is no morality without Torah, then how was it fair to punish the whole world for larceny and immorality? What else could be expected of people at that time? We know they had tzadikim like Noach and Adam etc… fine, but who says that was a fair thing to expect […]

Maaser for Future Weddings & Extra Tuition

Question: My Financial Situation: I have approximately 6 months worth of savings plus a retirement account with approximately 6 months of savings in it. My income fluctuates. Without calculating maaser, I earn enough money to continue to put away the maximum allowable in my retirement account each year (19,500) while keeping my 6 months savings […]