Question: What do you say before a civil court hearing Answer: Essentially saying any part of tehillim which will strengthen your emuna is good. If you want some specific ones… Read more »
Category: Prayer (tefilla)
Holding a child while davening
Question: If one is davening and needs to hold a child at the same time, what are the parts of davening in which this is permissible and what are the… Read more »
Passing in front of someone who is davening
Question: Hi. I am learning Orach Chaim siman 102 which states that one must not pass in front of someone who is davening. I have an issue that often comes… Read more »
Telling people that you are ill?
Question: I want people to daven for me if I have a serious illness but I also know that some people feel that אין הברכה מצויה אלא בדבר הסמוי מן… Read more »
Drinking before shacris
Question: Can I drink seltzer with a natural lime flavor added to it before davening shacris Answer: If there is a need to drink before davening, for example to help… Read more »
tefilla b’tzibbur
Question: I was learning in a shul where I was # 10 for Mincha. I was willing to stay there, but I did not wish to daven with them. However,… Read more »
Minyan in Bad Weather?
Question: Winter is upon us! I used to live in the tropics and am finding the cold weather to be really difficult. I’ve been one-and-off sick for much of the… Read more »
Hours earlier Shmoneh Esrei
Question: BS”D Shalom dear Rabbi, Question: What is the earliest time to do Shmoneh Esrei, because one has to get up early to go to work? can you do Shmoneh… Read more »
Tefilah with only five people
Question: We were 5 people that did not daven maariv and 5 people did daven already .they told us we need to have 6 people that did not daven yet… Read more »
cleanliness during davening
Question: I generally try to clean myself thoroughly after a bowel movement. However, on motzoi Shabbos I had a feeling that I was dirty over there, and when I went… Read more »
Davening behind someone else in shul
Question: Am i permtited to stand SE behind a certain person when I know, or suspect, that this person will daven very quickly and then step back into my dalet… Read more »
breaking minyan
Question: A person is makpid to always daven with asara mispallelim, as required by some poskim, and not to rely on six (which is questionable). If one is in a… Read more »
Stopping for kadish
Question: When one is davening for example uleini or uva litzion in shachris and kadish is being said should he stop and answer for all the amens or he should… Read more »
Chazaras hashatz without six people who davened
Question: Can one daven Chazaras Hashatz if there were not even six people who davened SE together? Does it make a difference if it is anyway after the zman tefilla?… Read more »
Stopping for Kaddish
Question: When one is davening and in the middle kadish is being said should he stop for entire kaddish as well does it make a difference which part of tefillah… Read more »
chesed at the expense of tefilla b’tzibbur
Question: If one is asked to come to a certain place to help them with a minyan, but one knows that they are not makpid on having asara mispallelim, whereas… Read more »
Coffee in the middle of davening
Question: If one is in the middle of pesukei di’zimrah or birchos kerias shema and one feels tired and is falling asleep, is it permissible to stop and have a… Read more »
Playing with child prior to davening shacharis
Question: Sometimes my one and a half year old daughter wakes up in the morning before I have a chance to daven shacharis. My wife is still sleeping at the… Read more »
Davening SE loudly for sick person who can’t daven himself
Question: There is a person who is not able to daven on his own because he r”l had a stroke and it takes him very long to say the words…. Read more »
Can I make a shachris minyan and Bris in a Conservative temple?
Question: Can I make a shachris minyan and Bris in a conservative synagogue which no longer has any services on a regular basis ( I am not sure about the… Read more »
Taking three steps in shemoneh esrei in a crowded place
Question: If I am davening in a crowded place, such as a shul, where there are many other people davening around me, I sometimes find it difficult to take three… Read more »
Baby with dirty diaper?
Question: What’s the halacha regarding davening around babies? Am I mechuyav to check their diaper to see if it’s soiled, before davening? Is it considered covered? How about if it… Read more »
Learning during davening
Question: 1) Why do so many chashuve people learn during chazaras hashas, when it’s not permitted? 2) Am I allowed to learn during birchas krias shma (eg while waiting for… Read more »
Tefila when taking out sefer torah
Question: Someone once told me that the tefila said when taking out the sefer torah is very important and powerful, but he didn’t explain why. Can you please enlighten me… Read more »
Vesain brocha from Eretz Yisroel
Question: If a Ben Eretz Yisroel will be traveling to chu”l after starting to say vesain tal umatar, but before it is being said in chu”l, and will be returning… Read more »
Starting shmone esrei after tzibbur
Question: Many times the tzibbur will start shmone esrei while I am in the middle of shma. The people by the table behind me are all standing in shmone esrei…. Read more »
asara mispallelim
Question: When davening by the minyan of a tzaddik who is makpid that there should be asara mispallelim, am I obligated to inform him that I already davened earlier? Answer:… Read more »
Where to daven
Question: Is it better to daven in a large minyan (brov am) or in a struggling minyan, where one can also comply with the mitzvah of chessed (by helping the… Read more »
Taking three steps back when someone isavning a very long Shmone Esrei
Question: Many times there will be a person, davening an inordinately long shome esrei. Is one mechuyav to wait for such people to step back from their shmone esrei before… Read more »
Asara rishonim
Question: I try to make a point of being one of the first 10 people in shul. Sometimes, before shmone esrei I need to leave the shul to use the… Read more »
Al tashlicheinu
Question: Why do we daven al tashlicheinu l’eis zikna? It seems like we are saying we only need hashem when we get old and weak, but we can manage fine… Read more »
Taking 3 steps back while others are still davening
Question: Rabbi, Why do I see so many people, even Rabbis and yungerleit, finishing their Shmoneh Esrei and taking 3 steps back while there are clearly people still davening behind… Read more »
Lack of kavana in passuk of “Poseiach es yadecha” in Ashrei
Question: If one forgot to have kavana while saying the passuk of “poseiach es yadecha,,,” during Ashrei, what should he do? What if one already completed the entire Ashrei tefillah… Read more »
How ask the Rabbi to stop the talking in shul
Question: It is normative within halacha that there is no talking during Tefillah, drasha, Krias haTorah, shiurim, Kaddish, etc. I am newly married with a special needs stepchild. Both my… Read more »
Saying Tehilim without understanding the meaning
Question: hi does saying Tehilim without understanding what the word mean help? thanks! piske tova! Answer: It is definitely better to understand what you are saying, but even if you… Read more »
asara mispallelim and maariv
Question: I came 5 minutes late to Maariv at shul X where there are more than asara mispallelim. Should I try to quickly catch up and then daven SE (doable,… Read more »
asara rishonim
Question: There is a mitzvah to be from the asara rishonim, and this mitzvah applies to all three tefillos. If one came to shul for Maariv (first person there) but… Read more »
minyan
Question: I am getting paid to daven in a minyan where there are 6 or 7 mispallelim (others are just sitting). I am also getting paid to learn beforehand. However,… Read more »
Ashkenazi Davening in sfardi minyan
Question: The minhag in this sfardi minyan is to daven mincha with the chazzan starting shmone esrei out loud and everyone also starting with him. Everyone says kedusha and then… Read more »
Activities before davening
Question: What is allowed halachically for a woman to do before davening? I sometimes get up with my babies/children at the same time. Feeding kids breakfast? Preparing their bags/lunches? What… Read more »
davening with kavana
Question: A person who davens in a shul in someone’s living room where the rav’s children run around and make noise during davening, which many find disturbing – in the… Read more »
Skipping brachos after krias shema to daven btzibur?
Question: If one misses all the brachos after krias shema to daven btzibur should he make them up afterwards and if so with a bracha? Answer: During Shacharis a person… Read more »
Saying Tehillim for two people
Question: If I have been asked to recite certain kapitlach for one choleh, and then asked to choose some to say for a different choleh, can I say both names… Read more »
Learning during krias Shema, Halel, pesukai dizimra
Question: Shalom. Is it permitted to learn (look in a sefer) during halel, Shema, and pesukai desimra? I would appreciate a source. Thank you! Answer: After you finished saying Yishtabach… Read more »
Losing one’s place in middle of shmoneh esrei bracha
Question: If one is in the middle of an individual bracha of shmoneh esrei and loses focus and doesn’t remember where he is up to in that individual bracha, what… Read more »
13 middos
Question: Why is emes a good thing to mention in the 13 middos when we’re trying to get rachamim, in light of the gemara in AZ daf 4b says emes… Read more »
Tashlumim for Maariv for Women
Question: If a woman usually davens Maariv and forgot one night does she need to daven Shachris twice? Answer: In the sefer Peninei Tefillah (Psakim in the name of R’… Read more »
Davening Shemone Esrei While Scrolling
Question: If one doesn’t have a siddur and the only way to daven shemone esrei is by accessing an online siddur, is one allowed to continuously tap the mouse to… Read more »
Can musaf be said during bein hashmashos like mincha?
Question: Can musaf be said during bein hashmashos like mincha? Also, which should be said first, mincha or musaf? Thank you! Answer: We should be careful to say mussaf… Read more »
Eating before mincha for a woman.
Question: I’ve been learning the halachot of tfillah and just learned that it is prohibited to eat before davening mincha, from the time that zman tfillah begins until you have… Read more »