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 »
Category: Monetary Law and Charity
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 »
Mechaneches Terminated in Violation of Written Contract
Question: I switched schools between school years and my new school offered to pay me a certain salary for the year. They were claiming to be expanding the school and… Read more »
Maaser on proceeds from pain and suffering award
Question: I developed cancer that was deemed to be related to 9/11 and I will receiving two awards one for pain and suffering and one for lost income. Am I… Read more »
Taking back unused item donated to hekdesh
Question: Bechavod, I donated a large amount of sweetener to a community kollel about a year ago, but nobody has been using it. Can I take it back? Answer: You… Read more »
Neighbor broke old popcorn machine and paid back a new one is that ribis?
Question: I lent a popcorn popper to my neighbor and it broke while they used it. They went and bought us a brand new one. Is it ribbis if we… Read more »
Maaser to adult children
Question: We have several adult children. One is married with four kids, he is learning and his wife works. He lives in our basement apartment and does not pay rent… Read more »
Verbal agreement with Realtor
Question: Hello, I was looking for an apartment in Yerushalayim to rent, and I contacted realtor agents for assistance. The minhag is for the renter to pay the agent one… Read more »
lost keys
Question: Lost Keys and New Lock could i get rav fleishmans opinion on this question? Answer: Rav Fleishman’s reply is: I don’t agree and I spoke to two other dayanim… Read more »
Friend bought me a ticket and I paid him back extra
Question: shalom, my friend bought me a ticket to a shabbat dinner and said you can pay me back. When i payed him back i gave him 40$ when the… Read more »
Must pay workers before Rosh HaShana: y/n?
Question: Does an employer have to pay his workers before Rosh HaShanah or does the normal pay date suffice? Answer: No. An employer must pay his workers after they finish… Read more »
Giving ma’aser money to Gift of Life
Question: There’s a organization called the gift of life. It’s an international public bone marrow and blood stem cell registry. It facilitates transplants for children and adults suffering from many… Read more »
Is the stock market called “gambling?”
Question: If gambling is a bad thing in both halacha and hashkafa, what is the heter to “play” the stock market? What is the difference between gambling and investing in… Read more »
Out of Business
Question: Hi, My son was recently riding his bike near a home goods store in our neighborhood and accidentally knocked down an item being displayed outside the store, breaking it…. Read more »
Re: Land Contracts
Question: I want to clarify Land Contract payments are usually with interest calculated into the actual monthly payment even when there is no late payment. Is that not a problem… Read more »
Heter Iska when buying with a land contract
Question: Do you need a Heter Iska when buying a property through land contract? Answer: Essentially it is a sale, and would not need a heter iska, but if there… Read more »
Investing in a non-kosher establishment
Question: I was wondering if one is halachically allowed to buy stock in a company that sells some kosher and some non kosher products, even if I wouldn’t eat there…. Read more »
Maaser Question
Question: My wife is a makeup artist by profession. She has been doing a great chesed recently, by providing makeup service free of charge for brides who cannot afford to… Read more »
Tefillin from maser for grandchild
Question: Can I use maser money to buy my grandchild tefillin. My son is jobless for awhile and low on funds generally. I know for a child its questionable. How… Read more »
Are the yorshim allowed to read private letters written by the deceased?
Question: Is the cherem applicable after the death of the letter writer? Are the yorshim allowed to read private letters written by the deceased? Answer: My apologies that it took… Read more »
Kosher Investment Fund
Question: I inherited an IRA account. From what I can tell, the investment company, Vanguard, invests the funds in a wide range of stocks in various stock markets around the… Read more »
Playgroups
Question: My pediatrician advised me to pull my 24 month old child out of his playgroup due to serious concerns about his well being while he is there (He does… Read more »
Maaser Money
Question: A single unmarried teenage girl is asking whether she can give her maaser money to her single mother whom she lives with in order to help her with paying… Read more »
maaser
Question: We are living a kollel life in Yerushalayim; money is tight. Can my single sister in America buy for my toddler some clothing with her maaser money? Answer: Yes… Read more »
Must one return change of over-payment
Question: The lessor received payment from the lessee of $260 when the charge (beknowen to the lessee) was $257, does change need to be returned? Answer: It depends when the… Read more »
Using Office supplies at work
Question: Am I allowed to print out a document for personal use using the office’s printer, ink, paper… Answer: It really depends on what the boss would say about it…. Read more »
Using ma’aser money for wedding gifts
Question: Can I use ma’aser money for a wedding gift? Answer: There are times when one may use maser money to give a wedding present. First of all it is… Read more »