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Category: Articles
Pesach-Is a Rabbi Liable for Forgetting to Sell a Congregant’s Chametz
Question Last year prior to Pesach, I went to the rabbi of our shul and filled out a form empowering the rabbi to sell the chametz that was… Read more »
Metzora-Asking the Authorities to Prevent a Jew from Exercising his Halachic Rights
Question At the end of last week’s article we remained with the question of whether a person may ask the secular authorities to prevent a yeshiva from blocking… Read more »
Kitniyos on Pesach: Stringencies and Leniencies
The difference between Sephardi and Ashkenazi dietary customs on Pesach is testimony to the richness and variety of Jewish tradition. While all Jews refrain from products that have a… Read more »
Tribulations
Rabbi Yehoshua Alt To join the over 2,500 recipients and receive these insights free on a weekly email, obtain previous articles, feedback, comments, suggestions, to support or dedicate this publication… Read more »
Tazria-Blocking a Public Path
Question Opposite my house is a lot which has been vacant for many years. We live on a long block and it is very convenient to cut across… Read more »
Mitzvah Performance: At Which Cost?
Parashas Tazria teaches us to perform Bris Milah on the eighth day of an infant’s life: “On the eighth day you shall circumcise the flesh of his foreskin.” The… Read more »
The Moon, Renewal And Nissan
Rabbi Yehoshua Alt To join the over 2,000 recipients and receive these insights free on a weekly email, obtain previous articles, feedback, comments, suggestions, to support or dedicate this publication… Read more »
Resposibility for Overhanging Branches
BS”D Question: I have a backyard with many trees. The branches of some of my trees overhang my neighbor’s yard and others overhang the pedestrian walkway which is adjacent… Read more »
To Check or Not to Check? Halachos of Bugs in Foods
Parshas Shemini highlights a prohibition that is of special relevance to one of the mitzvos of Seder Night: the prohibition of eating bugs and the concomitant obligation to check… Read more »
Time-Out\Rabbi Yehoshua Alt
Rabbi Yehoshua Alt To join the over 2,000 recipients and receive these insights free on a weekly email, obtain previous articles, feedback, comments, suggestions, to support or dedicate this publication… Read more »
The Purim Seudah: Halacha and Custom
Of all the mitzvos of the day of Purim, the one that perhaps occupies us the most is the mitzvah of se’udas Purim: the Purim feast. The seudah gives… Read more »
Liability for Luggage Checked-In For a Friend
Question I recently flew from the U.S. to Israel. A friend in Israel asked me to bring back a stroller he had in the U.S., and he offered… Read more »
Coercion: Enforcing Performance of Mitzvot
The book of Vayikra begins with instructions for the korban olah (Elevation Offering): “If one’s offering is an elevation offering from the cattle, he shall offer an unblemished male;… Read more »
Vayikro-The Permissibility and Perils of Keeping a Store Open on Purim
Keeping a Store Open on Purim Question: May I keep my store open on Purim? Answer: This is really two questions: (1) Does the halacha permit working on… Read more »
Electricity on Shabbos: Refrigerators
In last week’s article we discussed the principles underlying the use of electricity on Shabbos. As we saw, the consensus of halachic authorities is to prohibit turning on electrical… Read more »
Pekudei – Inheriting an Interest-Bearing Loan
Question: My father, who was not observant, passed away recently and I inherited from him an interest-bearing loan to another Jew. Do I have to return the interest… Read more »
Electricity on Shabbos: A Halachic Overview
In this week’s parashah we find the Torah injunction to refrain from lighting fires on Shabbos: “You shall not kindle a fire, in all of your dwellings, on the… Read more »
Ki Siso-Driving Away a Car Which Covered Glass
BS”D Question I parked my car in the supermarket parking lot. When I returned I noticed that there was a lot of glass under my parked car. Apparently, while… Read more »
Davening with a Minyan: Laws and Details
The counting of the Jewish People mentioned at the outset of Parashas Ki Tisa recalls the concept of a minyan—a word that refers to a group of ten Jewish… Read more »
Torah from Heaven? Halacha by Revelation
Among the Bigdei Kehunah, the unique garments that Moshe was instructed to fashion for Aharon and his children, we find the Choshen: “You shall place into the Choshen HaMishpat… Read more »
Terumah-Liability for Protruding Feet
Question I was riding on a bus and didn’t notice that a man had his feet sticking out into the aisle. I tripped over his feet and when I… Read more »
When is it Permissible to Go to Court?
In the previous article we discussed the basic prohibition against taking a legal dispute to non-Torah or secular courts of law. As we saw, doing so involves a particularly… Read more »
Going to Court? Better Think Twice
Parashas Mishpatim begins with the words: “And these are the ordinances that you shall set before them” (Shemos 21:1). Based on the Pasuk, the Gemara (Gittin 88b) cites the… Read more »
Parshas Mishpotim-Abruply Vacating a Rental Property
Question For the last ten years I have been renting out an apartment without a contract. Three months ago we finally signed a rental agreement. The contract states… Read more »
Fundamentals of Birkas HaTorah
The giving of the Torah, as detailed in Parashas Yisro, raises the issue of birkas hatorah—the beracha that is recited before engaging in Torah study. As we will see… Read more »
Parshas Yisro-Failure to Return a Damaged Object
Question I recently purchased an electric curler. I brought it home and the very first time I plugged it into the outlet it shut off the electricity. I… Read more »
Parshas Beshalach-Responsibility for a Broken Bottle
BS”D Question: Recently when I was loading my purchases into my car, a bottle of grape juice fell from one my bags and broke on the ground. Am I… Read more »
Birthday Celebrations: A Halachic Appraisal
The day of Yetzias Mitzrayim, our redemption from Egypt, is a birthday: the national birthday of Klal Yisrael. This is stated by the Pasuk in Yechezkel: “And as for… Read more »
Addendum to Last Week’s Article- Bris Cancelled at the Last Moment
We concluded last week’s article that the customer could cancel his order with the caterer since the reason for his cancellation was unforeseen and beyond his control and therefore,… Read more »
The Halachos of Kiddush Levana
The first mitzvah given to the Jewish People upon their redemption from Egypt was the mitzvah of sanctifying the new month: “This month shall be for you the first… Read more »
Parshas Vo’era-Is one who Gave Ma’aser Money to a Swindler Required to Give Ma’aser Again-Part 2
Question: I gave some of my ma’aser money to someone who claimed to be poor. I found out later that it is well-known that he is a… Read more »
Parshas Shemos-Is One who Gave Ma’aser Money to a Swindler Required to Give Ma’aser Again
Question: I gave some of my ma’aser money to someone who claimed to be very poor. I found out later that it is well-known that he… Read more »
Waiting for Mashiach
The twelfth of the Rambam’s Thirteen Principles of Faith, as recorded in the Siddur (the version in the original commentary to the Mishnah is slightly different) reads as follows:… Read more »
Parshas Vayechi-Liability for Damaging an Illegally Parked Car
Question: Recently while making a right turn I accidentally hit a parked car, damaging the car and damaging my own car. The car was parked illegally since it was… Read more »
Taking Revenge: A Halachic View
At the end of the book of Bereishis the Torah describes how Yosef’s brothers asked him to forgive their crime of selling him to Egypt. The request, which the… Read more »
Rabbi Fleischman – Articles
Question: Since I own an apartment in a distant location, I engaged a management company to find me a tenant and to maintain the property on a day-to-day… Read more »
Torah Study While Traveling
In Parashas Vayigash we find Yosef telling his brothers, who are about to return to their father, “Do not become agitated on the way” (Bereishis 45:24). Ibn Ezra explains… Read more »
Chanukah Lights for Guests and Travelers
Lighting Chanukah candles is a mitzvah of the home. In the words of the Gemara, the mitzvah is defined as ner ish uveiso—“a candle for each man and his household.”… Read more »
Paying Ransom: Which Price is Too High?
Perhaps the most famous kidnapping in history is that of Yosef by his brothers, as told in Parashas Vayeishev. Yosef was subsequently sold to an Egypt-bound group of Ishmaelites,… Read more »
Giving a Secondary Reason
Question My friend invited me to his chasuna. I had not planned to go, but then it turned out that I didn’t feel well that day. May I call… Read more »
Fixing a Sheitel that doesn’t Match the Order
Question: I ordered a new sheitel from a sheitel macher. When I went to pick it up I saw that it was not what I had ordered. The sheitel macher… Read more »
Agency for Mitzvos: Is it Effective?
Parshas Vayishlach opens by describing how Yaakov Avinu sent agents to his brother Esav. Opinions differ as to whether these were human envoys, or whether the agents he sent were… Read more »
Lo Yilbash: Cross-Gender Dressing in Halacha
Parashas Toldos includes the famous portion in which Yaakov Avinu takes the brachos, which Yitzchak had intended for Esav, for himself. In obtaining the brachos for Yaakov, Rikva covers Yaakov’s… Read more »
Panim Chadashos: “New Faces” at a Simcha
As Rivka took leave of her family, joining Eliezer on the journey to Yitzchak, the Torah describes how her family blessed her: “They blessed Rivka and told her: Our sister,… Read more »
Additional Children: The Duty to Populate the World
After last week’s installment about the principal obligation to have children—the mitzvah of peru urvu—this week we turn to the question of going beyond the basic obligation. As we saw,… Read more »
Forgiving: Must we Forgive?
The Mishnah (Yoma 8:9) teaches that there is a fundamental difference between the forgiveness of sins that are “between man and G-d” and those that are “between man and… Read more »
How to Sound the Shofar
The Torah tells us that Rosh Hashanah is a day of sounding the Shofar: “And in the seventh month, on the first day of the month… a day of… Read more »
Mitzvah Blessings: When and When Not to Recite
At the beginning of Parashas Ki Savo we are reminded, as part of the declaration of Bikkurim (bringing the first fruit to Jeruaslem) of the obligation to recite blessings… Read more »
Parshas Ki Setsei – Rabbi Fleischman – Articles
Hot Coals Damage a Company Car Question: One of our workers on the night shift returned from work at 6:00 A.M. and parked a company car in… Read more »