Question: When I am washing for bread in someone’s house and there is a sponge in the sink and I cannot turn on the faucet because it’s Shabbos (laundering), what should I do? I cannot take out the sponge because it is mixed with dishes and things (borer). Answer: There is no need for you […]
Author Archives: Rabbonim of the Beis Hora'a
Are separate drying racks required for meat and dairy dishes?
Question: Are separate drying racks required for meat and dairy dishes? If so, why? Answer: They are not required, because the dishes are clean when they touch the rack. It is customary though according to some authorities. The reason being, that if you will put milky and meaty dishes on the rack, especially at the […]
Forgot Ya’aleh V’yavo on Rosh Chodesh
Question: At what point is it considered that one started modim (and thus has to go back to Retzei) is one forgot to say ya’aleh v’yavo? Once he said the full word or the first syllable? Answer: The poskim say that it is not considered considered starting modim until you say the first word, as […]
Borer in preparing for a meal
Question: If one wants to prepare a meal, one may do borer activities of selecting ochel mitoch pesoles if it takes place as part of the normal preparatory time for a meal that will occur immediately thereafter. For instance, if it takes 30 minutes to prepare for a meal, then one may start doing borer […]
mishloach manos and hakoras hatov
Question: When giving mishloach manos, is it OK to also have in mind that one is giving it as an expression of hakaras hatov, or should one have in mind only the mitzvah and no other intentions? Also, there are many people that I owe hakaras hatov to. If I would buy 2 items for […]
Is a income that the government gives for baby siting need to be taken maser of?
Question: Hi, Is a income that the government gives for baby siting need to be taken maser of? The whole amount that the government gives goes for the baby sitter. Answer: According to R’ Eliyashiv (quoted in B’orach Tzedakah 9-34) that one does not have to maaser government money that one gets if it is […]
Can transportation for boys and girls to the Mosdos be paid from maser?
Question: Hi, Sorry, also i would like to know if transportation for boys and girls to the Mosdos can be paid from maser? Answer: I would assume that it is the same halacha as taking tuition off from maaser. The reason being that this is a requisite in order to teach your child, therefore it […]
How much can a meshulach take?
Question: i would like to collect money for a tzadaka organization. What is the maximum commission that i can ask for? Thanks Answer: HI, Thanks for your question. The issue here really is that if the meshulach takes too much money then the people donating the money would not have consented to give to the […]
Worms in poppy seeds
Question: What color would the worm be? Answer: Please see the following link https://dinonline.org/Bedikat/poppy-seeds-whole-or-ground/ Thanks Sources:
Benefitting from Shabbat desecration
Question: BH Thank you so much for your help. My question deals with a bal teshuva and what obligation (if any) they would have to discard/ give away items that may have been purchased on Shabbat many years prior. The items in question are not for sure purchased on Shabbat, it’s just that they don’t […]
Anti Trust Laws (From the USA) and דִּינָא דְּמַלְכוּתָא דִּינָא, cont.
Question: I want to give more detail. My question was from the employee’s perspective. This is the story. My wife quit her job from employer A and applied for a job at applied for a job at employer B, (She was not solicited by employer B, she reached out to employer B on her own). […]
Sefardim vs Ashkenazim
Question: Shalom, Why is there a difference in halacha rulings in some issues between Sefardim and Ashkenazim . Does race and geography not matter ? Shouldn’t religious law be the same regardless ?? Answer: You are right, race and geography does not matter here. The difference between the Sefardi custom and the Ashkenazi one is […]
fine for library books
Question: When a person does not return books on time to the library, they give him a fine. If the fine reaches a significant amount of money, they will block him from checking out more books. However, if the fine is relatively small, they won’t do anything to him. Question: If my fine is small, […]
Someone is blocking the driveway- can you call police to ticket and tow?
Question: Someone is blocking the driveway- can you call police to ticket and tow? Answer: If you can’t contact him and you need to drive in or out yes because of עביד אינש דינא לנפשיה but if these two conditions are not fulfilled no bec one has to try as much as possible to not […]
Anti Trust Laws (From the USA) and דִּינָא דְּמַלְכוּתָא דִּינָא
Question: Dear Dinonline If someone violates consumer protection laws and /or employee protection laws, does that mean that he/she is also violating Torah law? I specifically would like to know if employers are halachically allowed to make a non-hire agreement (or no-poaching agreements) between themselves. It seems (as a general rule) to be against the […]
Killing a very old dog
Question: BS”D I have a very old dog, he doesn’t walk any better, he’s blind, he suffers a lot, often bites who passes by because he thinks he’s another animal, in these cases what should I do? Does halakha in this case allow to sacrifice the dog so he doesn’t suffer anymore? Answer: You don’t […]
Kashrut of tripe and kishke
Question: My questions are based on Jewish Cosher laws. 1) The tripe of an ox or a sheep is commonly eaten by Tunisian Jews but Is it allowed to eat a tripe for a Jew ? Generally, Tunisian Jews favoured the heart and the tounge of a sheep. 2) Like the first, Some of the […]
Can I undo a chumrah?
Question: I came to learn in yeshiva in Eretz Yisroel this year; I came this past Elul. In the yeshiva I went to, they kept the chumrah of not opening plastic pop bottle caps on Shabbos. I, thinking nothing of it just stopped opening plastic bottle caps. I never really told myself I’m taking on […]
Saying “Good Shabbos” or “Shabbat Shalom” before prayer
Question: Hi, It seems to be common practice to say Good Shabbos, Shabbat Shalom or some other variation when seeing another Jew on Shabbos. It seems that Shabbos morning, on the way to Shul, is no different. However, how is this permitted when we see from Shulchan Aruch 89 that saying Shalom is forbidding before […]
Simchas Torah Song
Question: On Simchas Torah, people sing ישראל ואורייתא וקודשא בריך הוא חד הוא. תורה אורה הללוקה. However, the Zohar (Shemos 73b) says differently: קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, אוֹרַיְיתָא, וְיִשְׂרָאֵל. וְכָל חַד [http://bit.ly/2PgYWbE and http://bit.ly/2PeDxQ8 (last paragraph)]. If that’s the case, why do people sing this Zohar backward? Answer: You are asking an interesting question. In deed […]
tora chozeres le achsanya sheo is refering to…?
Question: Where does it say Tora chozeres leachsanya shelo? Answer: The gemora Baba Metzia 85a says that if there are three generations of talmidei chachamim in a row that their children will also be learned, because Tora chozeres leachsanya shelo. Best wishes
Muktzah and using a garbage can
Question: When one puts garbage into a garbage bin, one sometimes encounters a full bin of garbage, and it is necessary to press down on the garbage to make more room for new garbage to be put it. May one press down the garbage on shabbos, or would this be a violation of muktza? Would […]
Borer questions
Question: 1) One has a large stack of 10 magazines (which constitutes a mixture) and wants to remove the top 5 magazines. From these 5, he only wants to read now the first magazine on the very top, and would like to read the other 4 magazines later in the day. So when he removes […]
haircut on a yahrzeit
Question: May I get a haircut on the day of my father’s yahrzeit? (It.s not the first one.) Many thanks Answer: It is permitted for a person to get a haircut on the day of a parent’s yahrtzeit. The minhag is only to abstain from weddings etc. that have music, but not from taking a […]
Registration for the World Zionist Congress
Question: I know that this is a hot topic but because i was interesting in participating through at least sending out e-mails to friends and family in the US, (i myself cannot vote for the Zionist Congress because i vote in the Knesset elections and am ineligible to vote,) I wanted to ask on this […]
Checking lentils and sprouts
Question: Please instruct how to check for insects in dark beans and dark legumes such as black lentils Also how to check sprouts Answer: Please see the following links https://dinonline.org/Bedikat/lentils/ and https://dinonline.org/Bedikat/beans-dried/ and https://dinonline.org/Bedikat/sprouts-alfalfa-mung/ Have a good Shabbos
Contract between spouses concerning children’s computer access
Question: Can a husband and wife sign a contract that the husband will not give the children access to his computer when the wife is not at home? Can they do so if in the past the husband said that he would not give the children access to his computer when his wife wasn’t at […]
What time can I eat in the morning prayer
Question: Where in the morning prayer (Shacharis) I can already eat something, if I am very hungry and weak? Answer: Essentially it is after davening Shemona Esrei, however depending on the circumstances, if you weak and need to eat in order to be able to daven better, it is permitted. Best wishes Sources: Shulchan Aruch […]
Maaser to chavrusah
Question: I learn with a Rosh Kollel and he refuses to let me pay him. Sometimes I’m able to convince him to take cash. I know he can use the money- am I able to use Maaser to give him money for learning with me? Answer: Yes you definitely can give him the money, and […]
Who are the Rabbanim answering the questions on this website? and is there a phone number?
Question: Hi, I’m wondering who are the Rabbanim who answer the questions or put up the Q and A articles/questions on the website. There are some with names, such as R Weiner and I saw another from a R’ Pfeiffer(?) but there are also one with no name at all. Is there a specific few […]
tefilla without ten people vs. davening together with the chazzan
Question: Is it better to daven with the chazzan (e.g., by Mincha) or to daven in a minyan where there won’t (or might not) be asara mispallelim? {According to Rav Moshe, both options are NOT tefilla b’tzibbur, but if one has to choice between the two, which is better)? Answer: Thank you for your question. […]
Accidentally putting meat knife on ceramic dairy dish. Both dirty.
Question: My son cooked himself a meat dish but after he had finished he put a meat knife he had used to cut the cooked meat in the dairy washing up pile, specifically on top of a ceramic plate with residue of pasta and butter. Is there anything I can do to avoid throwing the […]
Al hamichya vs Borei nefashos clarity:
Question: For al hamichya – You gave a clear set of grains. Do these examples make sense to NOT recite al hamichya on: Apples, bananas, oranges, tangerines, cherries etc… In contrast, to grab my Borei nefashos card for those pointers stated above? Also, what catagory would a cake fit in? Borei nefashos as you mentioned […]
Dancing at wedding when a man is looking at them
Question: Girls dancing at a kosher wedding do we girls have to stop dancing when men wrongfully come to the side of the michatza my friends tell me we have to stop What about if the mechitza doesn’t go all the way over Thanks again my teenage Daughter is asking the question Answer: There are […]
Cbd gummies and kashrus
Question: Cbd is a new line of products that help people with a variety of ailments (stress, anxiety, pain, depression, etc…). It comes in different forms. One of the ways is in gummies. It’s safe to assume that the gummies, which are flavored, aren’t kosher. If a person is taking it to relieve stress, anxiety, […]
bug checking- pomegranate
Question: I opened a pomegranate, put the seeds into water and i see little white stuff floating around. Is there any reason to assume that these are bugs? Answer: please see the following link which discusses infestation in a pomegranate, https://dinonline.org/Bedikat/pomegranate/ Best wishes Sources:
kel moleh rachamim
Question: When making reference to the nifter during keil malei rachamim is it ploni ben/bas mother or father? Answer: Thank you for your question. The Ashkenazi minhag (including chassidim) is to use the father’s name, and the Sefardic minhag is to use the mothers name. Best wishes Sources: Gesher Hachayim 31-2,3, Aveilus Bhalacha 43-5.
Sefer torah and seforim
Question: BS”D 1 Can a couple have in their room a sefer torah saved? 2 Can a couple also have in their room books: Talmud, Shulchan Arukh, Zohar among others Seforim? Answer: A couple should not have a sefer torah in their room, and if possible it should be moved to another room. If there […]
Hand metal detector on shabbos
Question: Would the paid non Jewish security guard be allowed to use a wand (handheld metal detector) on Shabbos & yom tov? Answer: The security guard is being paid to make sure everyone entering whatever area he is securing is safe, and he is using the wand to help himself do his job. Therefore it […]
mikraot gedolot
Question: shalom aleichem rabbi. after i’ve been studying cumesh for ~ten years i asked myself about mikraot gedolot. the lor has flown away for a bris milah of a family member. bilingual mikraot gedolot would be smart to start – don’t know if there is one set suitable or available at all. yiddish could be […]
Kiddush Night
Question: in the Kiddush of Shabbes night there are 2 berakhots, Borei Peri HaGafen and Mekadesh Ha Shabbat , after Borei Peri HaGafen I drink the wine, or just after Berakhot Mekadesh Ha Shabbat ? Answer: We don’t drink until after finishing mekadesh hashabbos. You are bringing up a good point, why is it not […]
תפילת הדרך – pls define and when used:
Question: When is this said? And what does this generally mean? Thank you. Attached: Attached file 1 Answer: This is called Tefilas Haderech- lit. The Travel Prayer, and it is said when a person travels between cities that are distanced from each other (without being build up in between) about 2 miles (3.8 -4.6 km.). […]
Food bracha card define:
Question: Part 2 – This brachos card has a small paragraph on the very bottom. When is that said? Thank you. Attached: Attached file 1 Answer: The paragraph at the bottom is what is called a bracha achrona (the bracha – or thank you that is said after eating. There are three types of bracha […]
Food brachos card define:
Question: Part 1 – Here’s one of the foods card. ( Al Hamichya card) How is this used/said accurately? Thank you. Attached: Attached file 1 Answer: This food card is the “Al Hamichya” bracha, which is one of the three types bracha achrona. Essentially it is a higher form of bracha then “borei nofashos” because […]
Using a tie of someone that is out of the techumn Shabbos
Question: A bar mitzvah boy stained his tie on Shabbos. He goes home to change . He doesn’t own another 1. His brother is away learning in Lakewood. He knows his brother doesn’t mind, so he takes 1 from his brothers drawer. Is that allowed or do we say since the tie belongs to the […]
Is gaiva that comes from mental illness counted as true gaiva?
Question: I have bipolar. During manic episodes I feel on top of the world and there is gaiva that isn’t normally part of how I function. I do struggle with gaiva sometimes anyway, but it gets ramped way up when I’m manic. Does that count against me? I’m trying to be humble but I fail […]
missing out a bedika
Question: If a woman has a kesem less than a gris on day 2 of nekiyim, can she deliberately miss out the next bedika to avoid possibly having a re’iya on an ed bedika which would then invalidate the nekiyim? Obviously, the next day if no more kesomim, she would continue doing bedikos? Answer: Essentially […]
Selecting cutlery for upcoming meal
Question: Let’s assume various cutlery are mixed together so that they are a ta’aroves. Let’s say one needs ten forks for use for the upcoming meal. In regards to Borer, does one need to make sure that he selects exactly ten forks? Or, can one retrieve a bunch of forks without careful consideration of how […]
Learning about Brachos
Question: I’ve decided to take upon myself to start making brachos (not only on foods) with using various different cards (from my local judiaca store) in order to enable within myself an extra layer of concentration for g-d. I’d would like to start to attach a picture of a few of those cards (in which […]
Can you undo the kareis part of an issur kareis with partial teshuva?
Question: If you do partial teshuva for an issur kareis, can you downgrade the severity of the sin, even if there is still a more complete teshuva left to do? Answer: In general, teshuva helps for everything, and even for a sin that has kares. Best wishes Sources: