Question: How can a 12/13-year-old be considered an adult? What actually happens at the age of 12/13? Please answer in great detail. Thank you. Answer: The age of 12 (for… Read more »
Category: Celebrations
Naming two people after the same person
Question: I just had a baby boy and named him Moshe Chaim. We named him Moshe because he was born minutes after Pesach ended and we thought it was an… Read more »
bris
Question: If one is attending a bris milah that is going to be milchigs, may/ should one bring his own meat in order to fulfill his obligation according to all… Read more »
Enough orlah taken off at bris?
Question: Someone who became religious was circumcised as a baby but has not had a mohel circumcise him. How can one tell if enough orlah has been taken off (so… Read more »
Redemption of the newborn
Question: Dear Rabbi, I grew up in a family not to be orthodox and well not in any jewish strong orthodox community. I do not believe that my father knew… Read more »
Can a 13 year old boy or 12 year old girl make Kiddush for Mother
Question: Presume that the Mother does not say maariv and that no other male is available to make kiddush on Friday night. Does a young teenager have to be inspected to see… Read more »
Special Thanks!
Question: Dear rabbis, I had requested an issue concerning circumcision future concerns a few weeks and you advised me to speak to a mohel. I did and he told me… Read more »
Very Concerning
Question: Dear Rabbis, I am in my 40s today and learned some recently that my bris was not a bris. I was given a circumcision by a doctor as reported… Read more »
Eating at Bris Milah Meal
Question: Yesterday, I attended a bris milah. Immediately afterwards, I left, without eating anything, in order to go to another bris milah, where I stayed for the whole seuda. Did… Read more »
Metzizah B’peh Done with Gauze Covering the Bris
Question: Hi Rabbi, My son was having a bris performed on him by a (which I now know) modern thinking (white hat) type of mohel , however when I noticed… Read more »
Metzitzah
I have a very interesting question about metzitza in general. The Talmud brings many medical recommendations that we do not follow nowadays, and which are said to have dangers associated… Read more »
Seudas Bris on Shabbos
Is it permissible to make a seudas bris on Friday night after kabbalas shabbas for a bris held on Friday morning? Answer: Yes, I presume you mean after Maariv as… Read more »
Non Cirumsized Husband
Hi Rabbi, I consider myself to be a traditional Jewish female. I take pride in my Jewish identity and keep the high holidays. I’ve been seriously dating a Jewish man… Read more »
Bris on Fast Day
Part 1: When selichos are said on a “minor” fast day such as shiva asar b’tammuz, is tachanun said as part of selichos, or is that only on asseres yemei… Read more »
Shabbos Bris and Chilul Shabbos
I am a Mohel and its too late to call my rov. People had a baby on shabbos. They live in manhattan on the 14th floor of a high rise…. Read more »
Pidyon Haben for Safek Cohen
Shalom, In regards to the typical Cohen or Levi, to what extent is that yichus questionable? If it’s a legitimate safek, should their bechors be required to have a pidyon?… Read more »
Bar Mitzvah
What is required for a bar-mitzvah? Answer: When a person becomes bar mitzvah, the most important thing is that he begins performing the mitzvos of the Torah. Therefore, his parents… Read more »
Home after Birth until Kaddish
Is there a source for a woman not to leave her home after birth without hearing kaddish in a minyan? Answer: The Sefer “Bris Avos” mentions this custom, though it… Read more »
Kvater Custom
Is there a source for the “segula” to have a child by being kvater and kvaterin at a bris? Answer: Not that I know of. It is generally believed to… Read more »
Can you Have a Brit on Shabbat
Can you have a brit on Shabbat? Answer: Yet, if the baby was born on the previous Shabbos – meaning from Friday night (after nightfall) until Saturday night (before sunset)… Read more »
Two Firstborns Born to One Mother
There is a medical condition known as “Uterus didelphys”. Wikipedia describes it as follows: Uterus didelphys (sometimes also uterus didelphis) represents a uterine malformation where the uterus is present as… Read more »
Circumcised Before Eighth Day
I appreciate your sending me an answer regarding our 33 year old son and circumcision. We do understand that this is something that must come from his own heart and… Read more »
Adult Circumcision
You mentioned that you had already answered my question regarding our son being 33 and not circumcised because we were not raised in a Jewish home because no one knew… Read more »
Day of Bar Mitzvah
If a boy is born on the 1st of Kislev (during the day), does he become Bar Mitzvah on the 1st or 2nd of Kislev (13 years later)? Answer: He… Read more »
Question of Doctor as Mohel
Shalom Rabbi My daughter is having a baby boy soon however her husband wanted a doctor to do the circumcision My daughter is using a doctor/Mohel who is doing the… Read more »
Thirteen for Bar Mitzvah of Adopted Son
In the case of an adopted boy coming the age of 13. What determines his age of 13. Do we go after his actual birthday, his bris milah, or his… Read more »
Halachic Bris
My Question involves a halachic bris. How does one know that they are halachically cirumcised? What are the halachic requirements for a mohel, must he be shomer shabbos/yiras shamayim to… Read more »
Refusing Sandeka’us
A person was given the Kibud of Sandik at a Bris Mila, conducted by a Mohel Talmid Chochom and Yereh Shomayim merabim; Some members of the family requested no Metzitza… Read more »
Obligation to Attend a Bris
Is there a halacha that says if one is invited to a bris he must attend? Answer: The Rema (Yoreh De’ah 265) writes that somebody who refrains from attending the… Read more »
Baruch Sheptarani for Women (and for single mother)
Is there a reason for the mother of a Bar Mitzvah to ask someone to recite sheptorani (the father is not Jewish)? Some hold that the grandfather may say sheptorani… Read more »
Skin Bridges for Bris Milah
Hi, i recently found out that i have what is called “Penile Skin Bridges”; it does not affect me in Any way; my concern is whether or not This present… Read more »
Oral Suction (Metzitzah) for Bris Milah
What is the issue with Metzizah B’Peh? Why would some stop an age old minhag, even if there is a remote possibility of a health issue? why are there those… Read more »
Candles for Bris
The M”B in Siman 514 writes that it’s muter to light candles l’cavod a Bris Milah. The shailo is if the olam is really nohag like this or not? Answer:… Read more »
Heter for Mohel to Charge Fee for Bris
What is the heter for the mohel to charge a fee? Answer: The heter for charging a fee is that the mitzvah of milah is not incumbent on the mohel… Read more »
Inviting to a Bris
If one is invited to bris, is it a halacha they have to go, where is the source? Does the same principle apply to any seudas mitzvah? Answer: The Rema… Read more »
Fighting Threat to Circumcision
Where can we go to get resources to combat the illigitmate threat to the Jewish right to circumcision that is taking place and growing today? Answer: The people objecting to… Read more »
Bris on Shabbos
Can a bris be performed on Shabbat? Answer: If the baby was born on Shabbat, so that Shabbat is the eighth day, the bris must be performed on Shabbat. However,… Read more »
Wedding Without Bris Milah
Can someone without a bris mila have an orthodox wedding? Answer: In principle, yes. Provided a person is Jewish, he can be wed in an Orthodox wedding, according to Torah… Read more »
Bar Mitzvhah/Yartzeit on Adar
The rama seemingly contradicts himself in certain halachas during adar aleph and adar beis. He writes a bar mitzva boy isn’t barmitzvah untill the date in Adar 2 but a… Read more »
Importance of Circumcision
Why is circumcision part of the Jewish religion? Please explain in detail according to scripture. Answer: Circumcision is one of the mitzvos of the Torah, as the verse states, “On… Read more »
Who Gets to be Sandak First?
In a bris where both grandfathers are still alive and it’s the first for both, who typically acts as the sandek? Is it customary for the father’s dad or the… Read more »
Woman Performing Circumcision
Is a woman allowed to perform a bris? Answer: According to a number of authorities, it is permitted for women to perform a bris. This is based first and foremost… Read more »
Leining on the day one becomes Bar Mitzvah
Does a bar mitzvah boy get an aliyah and possibly lein on the actual day of his birthday (if it falls on a Leining day of the week) or does… Read more »
Practising Bar Mitzvah boy
1)Can a Sefer Torah be taken out of the aron kodesh so that a bar mitzva boy can practice the leining (in order simulate the environment that he will be… Read more »