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Washing hands on Shabbos when there is a sponge in the sink

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

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: