Question: Someone gave money to sponsor kiddush in honor of a family member’s political accomplishment. The shul did not include this in the weekly announcements that acknowledge those who sponsor… Read more »
Category: Monetary Law and Charity
business question
Question: HI i import cosmetic products made in Israel to USA. specifically, a factory near Jerusalem area and i work here in los angeles. i have a financial dispute with… Read more »
nusach for an employment contract for disputes
Question: Shalom, I live in EY in Sanhedria Murchevet and daven by Rav Yitzchok Berkovits and am his talmid. We are hiring someone for our company and he told me… Read more »
Hashavas aveida
Question: The mehadrin bus company advertised that they were bringing all the lost and found stuff to a place where everyone could pick it up. After a certain time everything… Read more »
In which circumstances is it permissible to test G-d through Maaser?
Question: Someone has been asking me a question for months. I’ve been asking round but no-one has yet given a straight answer to it. I was wondering what you could… Read more »
Investing maaser money
Question: I want to donate a substantial sum of money for my maaser obligations, but don’t want to have to give it away all at once, in order to better… Read more »
Can a ger become a Dayan?
Question: Can a ger get smicha for dayanus? Serve in a beis din? If yes, any restrictions? What is the reason for the din? I heard it has to do… Read more »
Maaser
Question: Is donating a prescription medication that I can’t sell maaser deductible? Answer: Technically you could take it from maaser. Practically though you can not take off too much money… Read more »
Inheritance of a wife and sons
Question: When a man dies, the heritage goes, only, to the children, not the wife? Then, what went, wrongly, to the wife, 40 years ago, now, that she died, can… Read more »
Kinyan without knowing the owner
Question: If I own an object, for example a pen, but Reuven mistakenly thinks it is his and gives it as a gift to Shimon. If I had in mind… Read more »
Knas in yeshiva
Question: Is a Yeshiva allowed to ask bucherim for knas for coming late in the morning? If yes, what’s the limit? Is the Yeshiva supposed to give back the money… Read more »
co-signing on a loan
Question: If someone cosigned on my mortgage from an Israeli bank (that has a heter iska) do I also need a heter iska with the cosigner? If needed can this… Read more »
Doubling my maaser with “matching”
Question: If i donate money to a campaign that has someone else match my donation, can i take the doubled amount off my Chiyuv Maaser? Answer: No you can’t. You… Read more »
Inherited IRA and giving maaser
Question: My situation and then the question: I am 69 years old and retired. I was recently diagnosed with cancer. My only family (3 siblings) live out of state. My… Read more »
Paying debts from maaser
Question: Kavod Harav. If I owe other Jews money from 10 years ago when I was in trouble financially and they helped me. And now I pay my maaser money… Read more »
Donate maaser locally?
Question: Should all maaser be donated locally? What about the needs of the poor in Israel? Thank you. Answer: You don’t have to give all of your maaser locally, and… Read more »
Copyright
Question: Am I allowed to copy music from a friends CD’s/mp3 if these songs are already available on YouTube or Spotify ? Answer: It is controversial if it is permitted… Read more »
Ribbis on late rent
Question: A new commercial tenancy Jew to Jew . I want to agree a higher payment on late rent- How? Answer: You should make a heter iska when signing the… Read more »
Chomesh
Question: As a bocbur I gave chomesh. Married with kids, can not really afford nasser but give since we have family help, so tithe mine and wife’s earnings. The q… Read more »
Paying back time from hourly work
Question: 10-15 years ago, I engaged in hourly work for non-Jews in the Chicagoland area. While I cannot remember specifically not working honestly, I suspect that at some points in… Read more »
giving maaser or 20%
Question: 1)Currently I don’t have any source of income, besides my Kollel check, and I am living off my savings (which I was planning on using to help buy an… Read more »
Maaser
Question: Who can I give maaser to. Can I give to my sister and she give me Answer: Maaser money can be given to a poor person, to support torah,… Read more »
Inhereted a Shtar Ribis that on which one of the co lenders is a not religious
Question: Shalom, I am about to inherit a Shtar Ribis that on which one of the co lenders is a not religious. It has on it a lien on a… Read more »
Masser deductions
Question: May i deduct the return from work to home taxi fee Answer: Getting home from work is considered a business expense, the same way that getting there is. Therefore… Read more »
Borrowing Money from a Credit Union
Question: Shalom, I am in a situation of getting a mortgage on my house and a broker brought me a offer from a Credit Union which has very good rates,… Read more »
Hashovas Aveidah to a gentile
Question: Dear Rav, I’m learning Eilu Metzios and I’m very troubled by the Halachah that Aveidas Akum is muteres. I understand that we’re not mechuyav to trouble ourselves to return… Read more »
Downloaded Game from the Library
Question: My family frequents the library and I occasionally take out old CD-Rom games for the computer. We have found a wonderful (and kosher) children’s game that asked us to… Read more »
Master ksafim
Question: Can one use maaser money for a yisachar zevulun shutfis, even to the extent of drawing up a formal contract? Answer: A Yisachar Zevulun shutfus is business deal between… Read more »
Using rental debt as charity?
Question: I rented a machsan for many years to a person who makes batim for tefilin. He was always late with rent but eventually paid. More than a year ago,… Read more »
Payments to Bituah Leumi
Question: Could mandatory payments to Bituah Leumi qualify as maaser money? The cause assists other Jews, one would need to qualify stringent criteria to (indirectly?) benefit from these payments; in… Read more »
borrowing and ribit
Question: in the past i have probably done ribit and borrowed something and not paid back and stole and not given back. Now that I learnt about the laws and… Read more »
Paying friend for favor done
Question: If my friend bought me a ticket to an event to pay him back later. it was about 37.50 and I paid him back 40$ is that a problem… Read more »
Man passed away with no heirs
Question: Hello, I live in a relatively small town with a small but active Jewish community. Over the years my family has befriended an old Jewish man, who has no… Read more »
Paying someone who bought you pizza
Question: Is one allowed to pay someone as much as he wishes because his friend was nice to him or bought him a pizza. This is not a case of… Read more »
tzedakkah
Question: We have a tzedakah box in our house which was leftover from renters before us. I just read the label on it and realized that the money goes to… Read more »
giving someone else second half of return ticket
Question: The train that runs from Ben Gurion airport to Jerusalem costs 11NIS if you start from the airport but is free if you start from Jerusalem (the trip from… Read more »
Who is responsible for a ruined dish at a restaurant
Question: I was at a restaurant and took the spice dispenser provided by them to put hot pepper on my dish. The cover was loose and as I tried to… Read more »
Notifying an owner of damage that was repaired
Question: Shalom, I was staying somewhere and broke something in the bathroom. I immediately went out and bought a replacement, and repaired the damage. My question is, am I obligated… Read more »
Does one fulfill maaser if they give maaser to an atheist Jew?
Question: Does one fulfill maaser if they give maaser to an athiest jew? Answer: One should not give his maaser kesofim to an atheist Jew as he is considered an… Read more »
Evictions
Question: A tenant that lives in affordable apartment is not paying his rent for the past two due dates. He quit his job and does not have much money left… Read more »
Cutting Out the Middle Man
Question: I needed someone to deliver things in the neighborhood. I called a jewish company who sent me one of the non-jewish delivery men they use for deliveries. Can I… Read more »
Teacher confiscating Item
Question: Would it be possible to ask the Rov`s opinion on the following: A Rebbe who confiscates an item from his talmid (as it was distracting him and / or… Read more »
Worker that was asked to leave early
Question: My wife has a job being a home attendant for an elderly woman while the woman’s daughter is out working. The arrangement is that she is to take care… Read more »
Inheritance and halacha
Question: I am about to receive an inheritance which I know was derived by my father from working on shabbos and charging usurious interest rates. Does Halacha allow me to… Read more »
False pledge to tzedakah
Question: I saw a sign advertising for our community’s melava malka for women. It stated the price, but underneath, it read ‘we would rather you come so pay any amount… Read more »
taking transactions off of Airbnb
Question: Hi Rabbis, Airbnb is a platform for booking rooms from other individuals. Their online platform has a terms of use that people agree to when using the account, to… Read more »
Maaser money separated, but now person may not need the money
Question: Hi, I set aside maaser money for a relative of mine whom I knew can use the money, as she was a divorced mother of 5 with barely making… Read more »
Seforim store
Question: Is it ok to go to a seforim store to look up something very quickly in a sefer, to clarify something that I’m learning, or is that gezel? I… Read more »
Repair of tenant damages.
Question: I have a tenant who rents a residential apartment in New York. There is no written lease. The tenant caused the toilet to be backed up and it overflowed…. Read more »
liability for a negligible(?) car damage
Question: Hi Rabbi(s) — My parents rented a car. My wife was registered as a driver on the car. My wife accidentally reversed into a parking meter. The damage done… Read more »