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

Techum Shabbos

Question: is there any issue of techum between https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Chabad+of+South+Orlando+-+Judaism+for+the+Orlando+Jewish+Community,+West+Sand+Lake+Road,+Doctor+Phillips,+FL/5439+Cursive+Dr,+Orlando,+FL+32819/@28.4501774,-81.4759207,601m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m19!4m18!1m10!1m1!1s0x88e77ef8e93bda07:0xc966a095cbdfbdc2!2m2!1d-81.482578!2d28.450471!3m4!1m2!1d-81.4763771!2d28.45013!3s0x88e77faa306e9699:0x4c701c94c538b296!1m5!1m1!1s0x88e77e8d55c6db59:0xfb727659b09f1f9!2m2!1d-81.4495304!2d28.4621627!3e2?entry=ttu Answer: Hello, It seems that there is an issue of techumin between the two places, as it is not in a well populated area, and it is a distance of about six techum Shabbos. (an eruv would permit walking two techum Shabbos, not six) I […]

Maaser money from reduction in price

Question: Can I use maaser money towards my transportation to go help out a family with their children get ready for Shabbos? Can I use maaser money if I am giving a big discount for someone who can’t afford the babysitting fee, I charge to make it worthwhile for me? Answer: Hello, If the […]

Borer Questions

Question: 1) To motivate my kids to behave on Shabbos, I give out tickets with their name prewritten before Shabbos and do a raffle on Shabbos morning after the seudah for a special treat. All the tickets are mixed up in one bag and I pick out the ticket with their name and give them […]

Cleaning oneself after using the bathroom

Question: After using the bathroom, although the shulchan aruch write that one should use the left hand, can I use my right hand if it is easier for me? Answer: Hello, According to some poskim, since nowadays we are wiping ourselves with tissues, that one may be lenient regarding this halacha. On the other […]

Ner chanukah

Question: If my wife works late. Is it better for me to wait for her, or I should light בזמנו? My wife is not מקפיד I just feel to light with nobody home has no advantage Answer: Hello, Wait for your wife to get home, (and she should come home as soon as she […]

agency fee

Question: There is an agency that puts cleaning help in touch with people looking for them. The agency takes a fee. If person A used agency (and paid them) then has the number of a particular cleaner can person A give the number to person B to be directly in touch with cleaner and by […]

OCD in Kitchen

Question: Happy Hanukkah! I have a couple of related questions, both concerning the need to wash hands from a kashrut perspective. To provide context, I have obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) that revolves around kashrut and that religious rituals (prayer etc.) are completed properly. Without getting into too much detail, the OCD related to kashrut manifests […]

Neder

Question: Hello Rabbi, Someone asked me what hours of the day I learn Torah, and I answered them. Does this constitute a neder? Thank you in advance for your time Answer: Hello, It is not a neder, because a neder to do mitzva is only regarding that you will do a mitzva in the […]

Yahrzheit for son on Chanukah

Question: I have yahrzeit later this week for my son who tragically passed away two years ago at the age of 21, on first day Chanukah. What are the minhagim regarding: – Davening from the amud – Saying Kaddish (please note that both my parents have passed away) – one kaddish after aleinu or all […]

Time of Melava Malka

Question: If Chatzot B’laylah is at 11:45 pm, and I began eating Melava Malka at 11:40 (meaning I washed and said Homotzi at this time), (a) do I have to eat a certain shiur before 11:45 to be yotzi (b) can I continue eating the meal past 11:45 and still be yotzi (c) do I […]

Encountering Divine Name

Question: If one encounters the divine name in an article (spelled in English as the goyim do), while he has wet semen on him, is this disgracing the name? What about if spelled in Hebrew? Answer: Hello, Wet semen according to a number of authorities is considered like fecal matter and one should not read […]

Building bomb shelter question

Question: Ha Rav, Can we sit on other people’s furniture in our building’s bomb shelter? We do not know whose furniture it is? Answer: Hello, My assumption is that you mean to ask that during an air raid siren and you are waiting in the bomb shelter, are you permitted to sit on chairs […]

Kashrus in my Parents’ Home

Question: Dear Rabbi, I am a 17 year old girl who attends a modern orthodox high school. I know my parents don’t keep the highest level of kashrus, ex water from meat dishes touch dairy, when a piece of warm chicken was on a dairy plate my mother refused to throw it out, a non-Jew […]

Sofek if Washed Hands after Shower and then davened

Question: Hi If someone has a sofek whether he washed his hands after a Shower before he davened does he have to daven again? (This story happened on Erev Shabbos and there wasn’t enough time to daven Mincha again before shkiya) Answer: Hello, A person that showered before davening, and b’dieved didn’t wash his […]

Mikvah

Question: Can I surprise my husband or do I have to tell him when mikvah night is? Answer: Hello, You can surprise your husband, however you cannot say that you are tameh when you aren’t, and after going to the mikva yoiu must let him know that you are tahor, before any physical contact […]

nidah on pill

Question: Hi I am on a birth control pill and have been having spotting from time to time. The spotting seems to be clear but I am worried that maybe I am about to have a flow. What are the halachic ramifications? Thank You Answer: Hello, Since your spotting is clear, there is no […]

Sofek if Washed Hands after Shower and then davened

Hafrasha Challah (separating Challah)?

Question: Ha Rav, 4?s: My wife used to make challah but because of the bug situation is she still obligated to do so? Since the bakeries here are Jewish, can we rely on them instead? We are older now and need a bug light to check which we could not find here in Yirushalyim (we […]

Cemetary Customs, Learning, and Honor

Question: Is it appropriate to learn Torah at kivrei Tzadikim? (a) People seem to always be reading Tehillim there. So if this is the case, can they learn Torah Sh’be ketav there [e.g. Tanach]? (b) Can a person learn Torah Sh’bal peh there [e.g. gemorah and mishnayos]? (c) I noticed that the sefarim that certain […]

Kid damaged a car

Question: Hi, My son was riding his bike and made a scratch on a car. We wrote a note and left it on the windshield but the person didn’t call. It rained the next day so the note may have gotten erased. It’s a few months later and the damage wasn’t fixed (so I assume […]

Bread touched by people who didn’t wash hands.

Question: I am very particular about washing hands in the morning, and I am aware that if I don’t ruach rah goes onto the food and it shouldn’t be eaten. If it’s possible to wash the food then ok, but when not then the food shouldn’t be eaten. I am just wondering, that many bakeries, […]

Wiping on Shabbos

Question: On Shabbos we are not allowed 2 do schita how about if after a bowl movement the only way 2 wipe myself is thru weting a tissue what should i do?how much water can i use Answer: Hello, One who wants to clean himself with a wet tissue after using the bathroom may […]

Reasonable use of a rental property

Question: Hello Rabbi I put up a hook on the wall (with permission) in my rented apartment. The wall is painted white, and I’ve noticed that over time, as I’ve hung my black hat on the wall, the wall seems to have been stained a little bit black, presumably from the hat. Is this something […]

Brocha Shabbos candles

Question: I heard that there are opinions that in our day and age it is better not to make a brocha on Shabbos and Yom Tov candles. What is the majority opinion and the best way to follow? Answer: Hello, I am not aware of any posek that says that nowadays we don’t make […]

Reading Tehillim at night

Question: I know we are told not to read Tehillim after sunset but during this critical time, in Israel, would this constitute as a crisis, where we would be allowed to read, whenever we want? Answer: Hello, Yes. Davening for the hostages, the soldiers that are in danger, and anyone else in danger, may […]

mikva

Question: Shall I go 2 the mikva if I can’t control myself from looking at others Answer: Hello, A man is not obligated to go to the mikva, and if it will cause you to have bad thoughts then it is better not to go. Best wishes

Teshuvah for promoting idolatry (from a ben Noach)

Question: Shalom dear Rabbi, When I was an idolater I tried to persuade people about the truthfulness of my ex-religion. Maybe some of them believed me, now am I obliged to try to convince them about its falsehood and the truthfulness of Judaism? Thank you, Answer: Hello, You are not obligated to persuade them […]

Brothers battle for authority

Question: I am the eldest of 3 brothers, besides me the youngest is also frum, but the middle brother is not interested in religion, and currently our elderly mother is in very serious condition at a hospital, and because I had been living in Eretz Yisroel at the time of her first operation around 23 […]

Reiach ra’ah while saying Kaddish

Question: If one is saying kaddish yasom in shul and a person near him has a haphochoh and there is a reiach ra’ah, must he stop saying kaddish, or perhaps he shouldn’t as this may embarrass the person ? Answer: Hello, This is delicate question, however if the circumstances are such that if he […]

Achilah gassa (eating when I am full) between 1st Meal and Seudah Shlishit

Question: 1) Does the concept achilah gassa (eating when I am full) apply to Seudah Shlishit? 2) If so, how much time must be given between the 2 meals? 3) If someone ate the 1st meal close to Seudah Shlishit, and found himself already full as a result, is he still yotzi the meal he […]

Cast iron

Question: Hi, I want to buy a cast iron pot that the company will purchase kosher oil to season it with. Does it still have to be kashered if it’s seasoned with kosher oil? Thank you! Answer: Hello, I have a few problems with this. Firstly, how do you know what the company will […]

Davening shacharit after sof zeman tefilah on weekdays and on shabbos

Question: If someone davens shacharit after “sof zeman tefilah” do they still read all of shacharit in the siddur? If not, which parts should they skip on weekdays and on Shabbos? Answer: Hello, A person who missed sof zman tefilla, will read all of Shacharis. This applies on Shabbos and during the week. There […]

What is the latest time to daven Shacharit on weekdays and on Shabbos?

Question: What is the latest time that a person can daven shacharit on weekdays and on Shabbos? Is it Chatzot? If so, then what is the point of “Sof Zeman Tefillah”? Answer: Hello, What you are asking about is unfortunately a common mistake. Although b’dieved one may still daven until chatzos it is not […]

Mikva after shichvas zeta lately before davening in a minyan

Question: A group of sexually active single men saw a gemara about not coming to a shul before toveling after a variety of shichvas zero events. Do they need to towel as single men for tahara before coming to shul. Answer: Hello, The gemora that they saw is referring to what is called tevilas […]

Kashering

Question: I have a milchig spoon that was accidentally use for fleshig. What kind of pot do I use to Kasher. Pareve, milchig or fleishig? Or can I use any of them? Thank you! Answer: Hello, After waiting 24 hours from the time the spoon was used, you may use any pot that you […]

Latest time to recite kiddush on Shabbo night and day?

Question: 1) What is the latest time that one can recite kiddush on Shabbos night? Is there a l’chatchila vs. B’diavad time? 2) What is the latest time that one can recite kiddush on Shabbos day? Is there a l’chatchila vs. b’diavad time? Answer: Hello, Kiddush may be recited the whole Friday night. It […]

what does a halo during bar mitzvah

Question: During my son’s bar mitzvah 9 years ago a beam of light lit up his head for several minutes when he was singing his various parts. We do have pictures. It lit up his face and head almost like he had a halo. I traced the light beam back to the sun light to […]

Shabbos meal on outdoor deck

Question: Is it permissible to eat and drink over a wooden deck floor with openings between the slats? The deck is not directly over the ground. Under the deck is a concrete platform which is built to allow rain to drain off into the nearby ground. Answer: If I am understanding your description correctly, […]

Sink need kashering?

Question: Before doing hagalos kalim on a new stainless steel pot, I held it under hot tap water to facilitate the removal of a sticker. I remembered afterwards that this is a mistake, since the whole reason to kasher a new pot before toiveling is because it might have a non-kosher coating from the factory. […]

Tznius with sister

Question: Is it allowed to shake hands with a sister? And is it allowed for brother and sister to rub or scrub the back of each other, not a proper massage? Answer: This would be allowed. It depends on the exact circumstances, but in general this would be inappropriate. Best wishes

Massage

Question: Is it permitted for female massage therapist in a spa or salon to give massage for a male non-Jew? Answer: Hello, A Jewish woman should not be giving a massage to a male, whether he is Jewish or not. Giving a massage involves touching for pleasure, which in itself is very problematic, but here […]

The Molad and double Rosh Chodesh

Question: Shalom Rav, I love your site and am so happy I can learn so much Torah from it and ask Shayla’s when I need to here. So I have 2 questions Q1) How does the Molad line up in terms with Rosh Chodesh, like what is the calculation for the phase of the moon […]

Maaser Questions

Question: Is a parent obligated to give maaser on money that people are giving to use to help pay for a child’s chasunah or is this considered something that was designated specifically for a purpose and therefore exempt from maaser? If a parent obligated himself to pay the married child’s rent, can he l’chatchila use […]

Refrigerator on Shabbos

Question: My friend told me that he left his fridge light on on shabbos. What are the options now? The case is that there is no nonjew around to ask. Can a child be asked to open the fridge? My friend ended up opening it himself because with a shinui it would be shvus dshvus […]

chatziza- anxiety

Question: Hi, I’m not really asking a question, but more in search of reassurance that what I did is okay- I’ll start with that I’m already a few weeks post-mikveh and have conceived a baby, b”H. Just before I went to the mikveh last time I had a bit of a loose bowel movement. I […]

Putting a Sefer Torah in the hold of a plane

Question: Hi. We are transporting a Sefer Torah to Israel and it needs to go in the hold of the plane due to its size. What is the appropriate way to wrap it? Answer: Hello, Unfourtunately, I can’t suggest an appropriate way to do this. If it goes in the baggage, the goyim are […]

Splash-back from sink

Question: Recently, I was rinsing a dairy bowl in the sink and some water splashed up from the bowl and might have gotten on the part of the faucet where the water comes out (I’m not sure if it actually did). There was no soap being used as I was just rinsing the bowl. In […]

Very little time for Mincha

Question: We have a minyan at work which has a very limited time. We can either do a hechi kedusha or start the chazara with 6 listening. What would you suggest? Answer: Hello, Before answering your question, you have to understand that both options are b’dieved, and just because you will be meikel one […]

meat fork in dairy toast

Question: I toasted bread with butter. I started to take it out of the toaster [the toast was definately yad soledet] with a metal aino ben yomo fork, but immediately realised my mistake before the fork penetrated the toast more than a drop. The part of the fork that penetrated is definately less than 1\60 […]

Follow up on Sponges

Question: Meaty Sponge for Parve Utensil 07/09/2010 Can a parve utensil be cleaned with a fleishig sponge and still remain parve? Answer: The utensil would remain parve provided that one of the following three conditions were met: 1. Cold water was used to wash the utensil. 2. The sponge had not been used for fleishigs […]