Utensils that are used during the year for chometz may not be used to prepare food for Pesach unless they have been properly kashered. Cloth (not plastic) tablecloths, towels,
Posts By: Harav Baruch Rubanowitz
Keeping Kosher When Traveling and in a Non-Kosher Environment
Rav Baruch Rubanwitz a Dayan in the Beis Hahora’ah Travel Fruits, vegetables, fish and treif knives Fresh fruits and vegetables grown in chutz la’aretz are kosher whether bought whole or… Read more »
The Benefits of Donating to a Money-Lending Gemach
Rav Baruch Rubanwitz a Dayan in the Beis Hahora’ah The Chofetz Chaim recommends setting aside one-third of one’s maaser money to be used for loans. One fulfills… Read more »
Beis Din, Secular Court and Arbitration
Rav Baruch Rubanwitz a Dayan in the Beis Hahora’ah A common sentiment among people who have a financial grievance or believe someone violated a right of theirs is… Read more »
Claimant and Respondent from Different Cities
Rav Baruch Rubanwitz a Rav in the Beis Hahora’ah It is often easy to determine who the claimant and the respondent in a case are. Sometimes both parties… Read more »
A woman Davening before work
Rav Baruch Rubanwitz a Rav in the Beis Hahora’ah Q I take a 5 a.m.bus to get to work each morning. In order to be able to daven at… Read more »
Crockpot 2
Question: The issue with the crockpot has me concerned, not from a halachic perspective (I had the pleasure of learning hotmanah) but from a social one. Thousands upon thousands of upright, frum… Read more »
Crockpot – Shabbos
Question: If we use a crockpot on Shabbat, what do we need to do to it so that it is not “problematic”? Answer: In answering this question I will assume… Read more »
Light Right
Question: I light my Shabbos candles with another candle. When I’ve lit the last one, I’m left with a lit candle that I’d like to extinguish, but I remember learning… Read more »
“Free” Physical Exams
Question: In order to get a driving license in Israel, you have to have a doctor fill out a form saying you are healthy. I made an appointment with my… Read more »
Nosy Neighbor
Question: Is it forbidden to look into someone else’s garden just as it is forbidden to look into someone’s house? Answer: It is forbidden to look into another Jew’s yard… Read more »
Washing the Car With Communal Water
Question: May I wash my car using the water from the fire hose found in the parking lot? There is a main water meter for the building, and then the… Read more »
The Left Ladder
Question: Someone – one of the neighbors or a worker of theirs – left a ladder in my backyard some months ago. I didn’t give permission, wasn’t told about it,… Read more »
The Case of the Mixed Up Tallis, Umbrella and Towel
Question: The Shabbos after I (Reuven) picked up my tallis from the dry cleaner I wore it in shul and realized that it wasn’t mine. Can I continue using it?… Read more »
Found Books
Question: My friends were in a store at the Malcha mall in Jerusalem and the clerk in a certain store told them that a customer left two brand new books… Read more »
Mechiloh
Question: A friend borrowed some money and I have a signed document to prove it. I have decided to forgo the debt and let my friend keep it as a… Read more »
An Interest in Late Fees
Question: I am preparing a lease contract to rent out our car. I would like to include a clause stipulating that whenever a payment is late the renter will have… Read more »
Finders Keepers
Question: A friend of ours borrowed some books and then lost them. She replaced the books at her own expense and a week later found the original ones. She would… Read more »
The Mixed-up Machson & the Sukkah Walls
Question: Just over a year ago, we were told that the machsan we were using did not belong to us, so we switched to a different machsan, which the vaad habayit “thinks” is… Read more »
The Unpaid Agent
Question: I recently bought an apartment. A real estate agent made the initial contact between the contractor and myself but she was never available to help with subsequent issues when… Read more »
Cats (hopefully with a plot)
Question: A woman on our block is quite a nuisance to all the neighbors. She owns about 20 cats and about five dogs. The dogs are not such a problem,… Read more »
Damage Due To An Unfulfilled Commitment
Question: About a year ago, someone who works at city hall said he could help us get a permit to do some work in our new house. Shortly thereafter, our… Read more »
Payment For Damage to A Used Item
Question: My wife gave her used sheitel to a sheitel macher to service. We hadn’t heard anything for a while, and now she has finally admitted that she lost it. How… Read more »
Ma’aser Kesafim – Obligation Or Custom?
Question: When my wife and I took on the ol mitzvos, we naturally accepted, as part of that, the practice of maaser kesofim, which we believed was at least a mitzva derabbonon. Recently,… Read more »
Building Funds and Maaser
Question: Can the money I contribute to the building fund by standing order be considered part of my ma’aser? Answer: Technically, the money designated for the building fund cannot be subtracted… Read more »
Maaser & KSY
Question: Can I donate money set aside for ma’aser kesafim to Kehillas Shivtei Yeshurun? Answer: Anyone (whether a member or not) can donate money towards the building of the KSY library… Read more »
Tithing with the Bulls and the Bears
Question: A few halachic questions on investments, specifically with regard to maaser: Is the interest on money (post-maaser) invested in the stock market subject to maaser as well? I believe that it… Read more »
Hidden Tzedokoh
Question: My company has the custom of giving staff members a gift before holidays—usually money. I usually put some extra money in the envelope for my personal assistant, and she… Read more »
Buy Low, Tithe High
Question: 1. If someone buys a house for $200,000, puts down $50,000 in equity, takes out a mortgage for $150,000, and then receives rent on the house for several years,… Read more »
What is Hachnosas Kallah Actually?
A Visitor asked: What is the actual mitzvoh of hachnosas kalloh? I’ve heard many issues discussed on this topic, such as, “If they don’t have money, they shouldn’t have such a… Read more »
Serving a Secret Subpoena
Question: My co-worker and I are embroiled in a business dispute. We have split up but have not found common ground to resolve many issues concerning the division of assets,… Read more »
In Case of Emergency: Who pays the Bill?
Abby Sunderland, the 16-year-old yachtswoman who has a passion to be the youngest person to circumnavigate the world, must be relieved that The International Co
Calculating Chatzos in Yerushalayim
Question: What are the last times one may eat matzo and afikomen the seder night for the year 5770 in Yerusholayim? Can you please explain your calculations and let me… Read more »
Tevilas Kelim – Saltshaker
Question: Does a glass saltshaker require tevilloh? Answer: A saltshaker that has a glass container to hold the salt and a glass cover with holes in it needs tevilloh with… Read more »
Tevilas Kelim – Pickle Jar
Q We bought some pickles in a glass jar. I do not know if the jar was immersed in a mikve or not, but I somehow doubt the hechsher includes… Read more »
Ma’ase Uman – Tevilas Kelim
Q I just got a new toaster, and when I was going to open it, I discovered that the screw head is not a standard one; I’ll need a Torx… Read more »
The Industrial Leather Couch
Question: Last week I purchased a sofa set, second-hand, from people who were about to leave the country. They told me that the sofas were leather and we agreed on… Read more »
Sale of Chometz: What to Sell and What to Keep
We would like to sell our chometz directly to a gentile and are packing up our chometz in boxes. Can you offer us some guidelines as to which items we can keep over Pesach and which items should be sold?
Pesach Information 5776 (kitniyos, pet foods, medicines, and more)
What is Kitniyot, which types of food are included under this category, which medicines are permitted on Pesach, and which general foods require a Hechsher for Pesach
Is Touring Eretz Yisroel a Mitzvoh?
Question: We decided to make aliya primarily because we believe that Eretz Yisroel is a better place to raise our children than our country of birth. Whenever we can, we… Read more »
Davar Charif
Question: I have a pot and a Kitchen-Aid bowl and beater that I’d like to keep parve. I realized today that I hadn’t designated a parve knife, and last Sunday… Read more »
Law and Order
An inherent aspect of the human condition is the need for a system that defines appropriate behavior so that civil society can be maintained. Written law meets that need: it… Read more »
The Legitimacy of Attorneys in the Beis Din
People often entertain themselves by poking fun at the ruthlessness and opportunism of lawyers, but when it is their turn to stand before a judge they invariably want the most… Read more »
May an mourner send Mishloach Manos?
Question May an ovel (mourner) send mishloach manos? May the family of an ovel receive mishloach manos? Answer An ovel is responsible to fulfill all mitzvos, including sending mishloach manos… Read more »
