NOTE: For professional medical advice, please contact your physician.
18
votes
7answers
1k views
Is one allowed to smoke Marijuana?
Not taking into account Dina D'malchusa, what are the Halachic problems with smoking marijuana? Is it allowed?
10
votes
1answer
321 views
Is one allowed to drink alcohol on regular weekdays?
Is it permissible to drink alcohol in any circumstance other than Holidays and Shabbat? Please cite sources.
CYLOR.
4
votes
8answers
475 views
Things we do not do because of Danger
What are things Brought down in Halacha that we do not do because of Danger?
12
votes
3answers
576 views
Is Metzitzah B'peh a must?
There is a lot of talk in the news, etc., about Metzitzah B'peh that employs direct oral contact being dangerous.
First: If it is dangerous, shouldn't pikuach nefesh push it off?
Second: How ...
9
votes
2answers
505 views
How should one dispose of cut finger nails? Is it dangerous for a pregnant woman to walk on them?
Is there an Inyan of pregnant women walking over cut nails ex: a nail salon? Also, can I just vacuum up the cut nails from the floor?
8
votes
2answers
264 views
Does kosher mean healthy?
What is the relation between kosher and healthiness? G-d wants us to eat properly but also to be healthy. For example, it is better to try not to eat too much meat (even if it's kosher), and more ...
4
votes
2answers
218 views
Is a Cohen Allowed to Perform CPR?
CPR is performed when the heart has stopped but the brain is still alive. We have a general rule that a Cohen is not allowed to come in contact with a dead body. If so, does this mean that a Kohen ...
15
votes
4answers
752 views
Is practicing Yoga against Torah?
What does Halacha and Halachic Authorities have to say about the permissibility of a Jew practicing Yoga? Is it Avodah Zarah?
If it is problematic, are there methods of doing it where it would be ...
12
votes
3answers
360 views
Should one induce vomiting upon realizing s/he just ate non-kosher?
I've heard several stories of people who ate something, realized it was non-kosher, and therefore induced vomiting. Is this halachically required? Recommended? Does it accomplish anything? (If not, ...
12
votes
5answers
302 views
Saying “Laberiut” “God bless you” or “Gesundheit”
Is there are source for saying "Laberiut" "God bless you" "Gesundheit" or any other response to a sneeze? In other words, are there posekim who mention it in Halacha?
11
votes
1answer
277 views
Mouthwash on a public fast day?
Is it permitted to use mouthwash on a public fast day? Would a sensitive mouth, due to medical reasons be a good reason to be lenient?
(I can see it being less problematic than brushing one's teeth, ...
7
votes
2answers
195 views
Having children when both parents are Tay-Sachs carriers
This is an obvious CYLOR question, but I am interested in whatever halachic information is available out there.
Suppose a couple got married without ever getting genetically tested for Tay-Sachs. ...
2
votes
2answers
121 views
Can one make a mi'shebeirach for animals?
Is it proper to conduct a mi'shebeirach prayer (which is a prayer normally said by a synagogue official, at a communal Torah reading, for the health and recovery of a sick person) for the ...
11
votes
1answer
199 views
Sneezing during davening
I have read in the Gemara (Berachoth 24B) that sneezing during the Shemonei Esrei is a sign that your tefillot have been accepted. "Just as you have been granted relief below, so you have been granted ...
11
votes
3answers
349 views
Is it better to kill 1 person or let 5 die?
I was recently reading about the Trolley Problem
A trolley is running out of control down a track. In its path are five people who have been tied to the track by a mad philosopher. Fortunately, ...
10
votes
2answers
232 views
What can a pregnant woman do if she already stepped on nails?
A pregnant women is advised by the gemara (Nidda 17a) to avoid stepping on cut human nails out of fear of miscarriage. What can she do if she has already stepped on them? Is there a way to "fix" ...
8
votes
3answers
393 views
How do I avoid thirst when fasting?
I started fasting on Yom Kippur as an adult, about 10 years ago.
A couple times I had to drink a glass of water either after Kol Nidre or before Shacharit, because I felt completely dehydrated (I did ...
7
votes
1answer
53 views
Are bushes acceptable for elevations that require a maakeh, a fence?
If evergreen bushes span the entire length of a side of a porch, at about waist-height for someone on the porch, do the bushes remove the need for a railing? The difference being that a railing can be ...
6
votes
4answers
132 views
Does one need to perform a delayed brit milah at the first possible time?
If a baby is sick on the 8th day, the brit is pushed off until the baby is healthy. Once the mohel and doctor determine that the baby is healthy, does the brit need to be performed right away (on that ...
6
votes
3answers
435 views
Choking on a Fish Bone
I remember learning once that the גמרא says to perform a certain procedure / say certain words when someone is choking on a fish bone. I also remember hearing that this is the one cure mentioned in ...
6
votes
1answer
96 views
What are the opinions regarding eating small-bits-at-a-time (“leshiurin”) on Tisha B'Av when necessary?
I know on Yom Kippur, if someone is medically required to eat, s/he should do so with only a bit of food every few minutes, to avoid the full severity of eating "a full serving in one sitting."
On ...
4
votes
1answer
159 views
May one consume peyote?
Peyote is a hallucinogenic plant that contains no harmful side effects or addictive properties and is legal for religious ceremonial use. May one consume it?
related: Is one allowed to smoke ...
4
votes
0answers
66 views
an adult's responding to a child's sneeze with a blessing, or vice versa
The halacha states (Mishnah Brurah 230: 7) that one should respond to a sneeze with a blessing and the person who sneezed and was blessed should return with a blessing in kind. this is not done if you ...
3
votes
1answer
108 views
Tuesday and Friday nights
Bavli P'sachim 112:2 has a story of an angel of destruction who would work daily (see Rashash) until asked to quit. When she requested some time to work, the rabbi she was talking with allowed her ...
