Question: Dear Rabbis, I have a question that touches upon the spheres of journalism and lashon hara. I recently watched an excellent Netflix program which paints a rather unflattering picture of ,,,,,,,, — alleging that he is something of a slumlord and that the company he controls has a long history of treating tenants poorly. Is […]
Author Archives: Rabbonim of the Beis Hora'a
Credit Union
Question: Are you allowed to borrow from credit unions? If not, are all unions forbidden? Answer: Please see the following post which discusses your question. https://dinonline.org/2019/02/25/borrowing-money-from-a-credit-union/ Best wishes
Inheritance of property: Does initial inheritance still stand with new discovery?
Question: BS”D Regarding the laws of inheritance of property, if a daughter inherits because no male heir is known, but after the property is transferred a male heir is discovered; by halachah, does the daughter keep the inheritance, or must it be transferred to the son? Could I also please be informed of the source(s)? […]
Summer home needing bedikas chometz
Question: We have a summer home in another state that we move in to for the summer. We clean it very well when we leave and there is no food left there at all. Is there a chiyuv to go there and do bedikas chometz before Pesach ? Answer: If you are not planning on […]
Opening a church door
Question: Shalom, I have a question. If walk next to a church and an old man asks me to open the door for him so that he can enter and do the worship there, am I allowed to open it? On one hand, I am assisting him in doing his worship, but on the other […]
Kriyas Shema Al Hamita
Question: I have had a hard time remembering Kriyas Shema al Hamita and have basically not said it in years. I want to start saying it but often fall asleep. How much time before going to bed can I say it? What about the bracha of Hamapil? Also, how does it work regarding marital intimacy? Answer: […]
Suing Akum
Question: Hello I had a home warranty (with an Akum company). I paid them $33 a month and whenever an appliance in my house malfunctioned, they would send down a technician, who I would pay $45, and if the repair met their qualifications, they would pay for it. A few months ago my air conditoner […]
sons and daughters
Question: B”H Shalom, a couple who have problems having children due to medical complications, this couple adopting a son and a daughter will be fulfilling the mitzvah of having 2 children a boy and a girl? Answer: Although it is not fulfilling the mitzva in the general way, however in a certain ways, and according […]
Reuse of water used for kashering utensils
Question: Can the boiling water used for kashering utensils be reused for cooking? For example, to cook noodles. Answer: We do not reuse the water that was used to kasher for drinking. Although it can be argued that the non kosher taste is botil and nat bar nat, nevertheless this is the minhag Sources: Rema […]
Getting rid of nonjewish books?
Question: Concerning Abramelin the Mage, this book is arguably non Jewish in origin, but is based on Kabbalah magic and Jewish theology. How would one get rid of it since it contains divine names (has the Tetragrammaton on the cover)? Answer: It should be put into shaimos, and this way whatever it is , it […]
zmaninm
Question: If i realized that I didn’t daven mincha yet right after shkia do i daven right then or daven 2 maariv’s? Answer: It depends where you are. In europe and the U.S.A. you can still daven, however in Eretz Yisroel you would daven a double maariv. Sources: M:B 233-14, Eishie Yisroel 27 ftnt. 14 in […]
Spilled coffee in meaty sink
Question: I accidentally spilled cold coffee (no milk in it) from a coffee pot in a meaty sink that had meat utensils in it. Is there any issue with the sink or the utensils? Answer: Everything is still fine, since the coffee wasn’t milky and it was cold. Have a good day.
hilchos tashmish nivul peh
Question: Using a real term for a women’s body part is it permitted or does it fall under what it says in Shulchan Aruch “lo yinavel es piv” is such a thing frowned upon. Answer: It is frowned upon, unless there is a specific reason that it has to be used specifically. Please see the […]
Tachanun in outdoor minyan (nusach Ashkenaz)
Question: We have a sefer Torah but it’s kept indoors and not visible until brought outside. On Mon/Thur do we not do nefilas apayim or should we bring out the sefer Torah either before davening (it will be laid on a table and covered with a talis) or after chazaras hashatz, at which time someone […]
Mosheiach
Question: In Yeshiva, I remember learning, that it is asur to say someone is the Mosheiach and/or to follow someone as if they are the Mosheiach. A friend just told me that they learned the opposite and in fact that one must think that his Rebbe is the Mosheiach and consider him to be the […]
Am I able to perform hatarat nidarim online to annul a stringency I took upon myself?
Question: I would like to annul the stringency of only keeping chalav yisrael dairy products as it has become increasingly difficult to do in my current situation. Am I able to do this through a video call of 3 men (including myself) or by having 2 men (one who could read Hebrew and one that […]
Meat and dairy
Question: Can pareve food cooked in a dairy pot be eaten together with pareve food cooked in a fleishig pot? Answer: Yes, pareve food cooked cooked in a dairy pot, (unless the food is a sharp tasting food) may be eaten with pareve food cooked in the opposite type of pot. Food that was cooked […]
Making a Neder to Eat Less
Question: Hello, Is one permitted to make a neder to eat less if he’s obese? Somebody who’s tried everything, and knows that if he would be noder he would 100% be able to keep it. It’s very important for his health that he lose weight, and he feels that this is the only way. Answer: […]
Hanochas Tefilin
Question: My husband has Chabad roots and the Chabad minhag is for a Bar Mitzvah boy to put on Tefilin 2 months before his Bar Mitzvah. Our son is turning Bar Mitzvah in Tammuz so our original plan was for him to put on Tefilin this month in Iyar but now that shuls are closed […]
Do you need to give maaser from a loan?
Question: Hi rabbi, some has loaned us some money, we would like to know if we need to give 10% of that to maaser/tzedaka? Many thanks. Answer: Thanks for your question. You would not have to give ma’aser on the money of the loan itself, because it is not considered a profit. You would however […]
Yichud Room and Marital Relations
Question: Is a groom and bride allowed to have marital relations in the yichud room? Answer: The idea of yichud is that yes it can be done, because they are secluded, and they know that no one can come inside. Best wishes Sources:
Bugs in mushrooms
Question: How does one check white stuffer mushrooms and baby bella mushrooms? Answer: I am not familiar with white stuffer mushrooms, but regarding Portotbella Mushrooms please see the following link https://dinonline.org/Bedikat/mushrooms/ Best wishes
Nazir nowadays
Question: Do the laws of nazir still exist today without the Beis Hamikdash? Answer: Technically they do, however one should not attempt to make himself a nazir nowadays because we can not finish the process properly. Therefore he would have to keep the halachos until Moshiach comes. Sources: Sefer Hachinuch 368-377.
Fence around slanted roof used regularly
Question: Would one need to make a fence around a slanted roof if they walk on it regularly? I know most rabbanim say that a slanted roof does not need a fence since one usually only goes on the roof occasionally for repairs. A member of my family has recently been going out the bedroom […]
Earliest kiddush Levana
Question: If the molad is Wednesday 10:59PM in Jerusalem, and I’m in Boston which is 7 hours earlier, then if I want to wait 72 hours from the molad, can I say kiddush Levana right after Shabbos ends, say 8:30 PM Saturday night? Or is 72 hours 10:59PM Boston time (so wait until 10:59PM Boston […]
Couple bnei noakh and divorce
Question: And If a woman and a goy man get married and then no longer live together, but do not want to give the divorce to each other, and are already living with other people, is this allowed, In the case the woman is living with another man, and the man living with another woman […]
Counting sefira with a bracha when in doubt if one counted the day before or not.
Question: One who has a safek on a certain day if he counted sefira keeps counting with a bracha. Why don’t we say – there is a chazaka that he did NOT count, if he has no recollection of having counted and it is so easy to forget? The same way by other things we […]
Until when can u make Brucha on a budding tree
Question: Until when can u make Brucha on a tree? Answer: L’chatchila the bracha should be said during Chodesh Nissan, however if it wasn’t said, then the last time to say the bracha will depend if the person has already seen budding or growing fruits that year. If one did not see any budding fruit […]
Cheese on outside of toaster status
Question: We put a cheese sandwich on the metal rim of a new parve toaster and turned it on. Some melted cheese stuck to this rim, but no cheese went into the actual inside of the toaster where the bread goes. We wanted to use the toaster now to make a piece of parve toast […]
Berachos
Question: Can a berachah made before or while in the process of making another food item of the same category cover the food being prepared drink? For example if someone is making a cup of coffee and recites a blessing over water before the coffee is made, should another blessing be recited? Thank you Answer: […]
Minyan and “essentials”
Question: Considering that all the “essential” stores are open, especially the highly “essential” liquor stores, and people are shopping there, and the “essential” busses and trains are running and are packed with people, and the “essential” parks are open and packed, and some people are taking “essential” walks without masks and without being makpid on […]
Davening for Cholim
Question: Hi, If I daven for Cholim in Rifaeinu should I mention them all again by name in Shema Koleinu when I daven for other things? Answer: There is no need to do that. Once you davened, you don’t have to say it again. Best wishes
where to daven
Question: If one has the choice to daven in an outside minyan which the poskim are allowing at this time versus davening b’yechidus in a beis medrash that one has access to, which is better (as there is an inyan of davening in a closed area as well as davening in a beis medrash)? Answer: […]
Tehillim for sick people
Question: With the recent Pandemic I have been davening for R’L many people. BH many of them have come home from the hospital and are even back to work. Is there any criteria for when to stop davening for them? Answer: My assumption is that it is until they are not considered sick anymore. However […]
perek shira
Question: Can Perek Shira be said on Shabbos? Answer: Yes, and even if you are doing it as a segula to say it for 40 days, and you mean it as a tefilah it is permitted, because in actuality it is a praise. Best wishes
Interest on Bituch Leumi child deposits
Question: A couple of years ago, in article https://dinonline.org/?p=42499, you said all savings loans in banks in Israel are ok with no problem of Ribbis. Is this still true today? Answer: What was written there is still applicable, that all banks in Israel have a heter iska, nevertheless it is still better to make a […]
Overcharging a debit card that caused a fee
Question: I did an order through a company. The way they do it is that as soon as you place the order, they freeze that amount of money. When they fill the order, they then charge the card again and the original amount goes back into your account. (I did not know this when I […]
Koshering items that have not been used for years made of “un-kosherable” material?
Question: My family has inherited a number of pieces of china and other ceramic dishes, plates, and glasses inherited from a beloved relative who unfortunately did not keep kosher. We have had these items in storage for many years and would like to not have to sell/throw the items away, as they have immense sentimental […]
Koshering Blender for Pesach
Question: Hi I have a plastic ninja blender that I use to make cold smoothies and i grind chick peas to make hummus… I thoroughly clean it after each use with soap and water, then blend soap in it to ensure it is perfectly clean. Is it a problem if I use it to make […]
Status of pareve plastic bowl after 1 year
Question: A pareve plastic bowl (used for baking) was accidentally used to marinate chicken. I am putting it away after Pesach, what status will it have for next year Pesach? Can it be used again as pareve? Or will it be a fleshig bowl? Answer: It can be used next year for pareve. The […]
Making pagum the taam in old china dishes
Question: Regarding kashering old china keilim, on May 29 2017 you answered that “china is a material that cannot be kashered. The reason being, that it is a type of material that absorbs a lot and doesn’t expel what it absorbs”. That being the case, why would it not be possible to have the keilim […]
bugs in orange juice
Question: 1) A lot of people do not drink the water in New York, because when they are alive you could see them,isn’t that the case by oranges that when the bugs are alive you could see them,so you should have to filter orange juice before you drink it ? 2) And some say by […]
Starting the meal when making an early Shabbos
Question: What is the earliest time that I can do Kiddush on Friday night? For example, if candle lighting is at 7:20pm and sunset is at 7:38pm, am I able to do Kiddush between 7:20pm and 7:38pm? Or do I have to do Kiddush after 7:38pm, or even nightfall? Thank you. Answer: Technically you can […]
Closed Keilim Mikvaos
Question: Iv’e seen/heard many concerns about people making their first seder, leading to the purchase of new pots, silverware, and other utensils but since the mikvaos are closed have nowhere to toivel them. Can one: 1. Use a lake? 2. Use a river? 3. Use an ocean? 4. Use a swimming pool? 5. Can a […]
Kashrus Iruy Kli Rishon
Question: Hi, I hope all is well. What is the status of water if it was poured from a kli rishon into a traif cup (its treif because it was used as a kli rishon)? Where exactly can I find the source for those type of halachos. Answer: Assuming that the cup was cold, the […]
Forgot to make a hefsek
Question: I was ready to do a hefsek on April 8 but failed to do so due to sitting shiva I further did not do any bedikas but I did wear white panties Now I want to go to Mikva what is my obligation to be able to go. Answer: Hamakom yenachem eschem b’toch shar […]
Kiddish cup liners
Question: Hello Rabbi, Can you tell me where I can purchase the liners for a kiddish cup? Answer: You would have to call the Judaica stores near you or check online. Best wishes
Bracha while in view of ervah
Question: If one makes a bracha while one can see an exposed body part of a woman that is an ervah (e.g. thigh)… 1. Is the bracha valid bedieved? 2. What if one was not directly staring at it, but it was visible in the corner of one’s eye? 3. What if it was one’s […]
Magan Avos – No Minyan
Question: If someone is not davening with a minyan on Friday night, can he/she say Magan Avos without the beginning and ending brachos? Thank you. Answer: Yes he may say the paragraph of Magen Avos without the paragraphs before and after it even when one is davening without a minyan. Essentially the whole part from […]
Haircut in Omer for Shabbat Rosh Hodesh
Question: Follow-up on this question: https://dinonline.org/2020/04/16/haircuts-during-the-current-situation/ Is there an exception to haircutting, shaving during the Omer on Friday when Rosh Hodesh (Iyar) falls on Shabbat (see Siman 493, MB (5), end of first se’if) for the common custom of keeping the first 33/34 days? Answer: Excellent point! That is very correct. This year he would have a […]