Tagged Questions
0
votes
0answers
22 views
Can I cut my toenails consecutively? [duplicate]
Should I be careful about this issue or there is no rule regarding this?
6
votes
1answer
50 views
Hatoras Nedarim for wife taking her husband's Minhagim
According to Minchas Yaakov 112:2 and Darchei Teshuva 112:94, one who is always careful with Pas Yisrael and now wants to start eating Pas Paltar would have to be Matir Neder. Suppose a girl who was ...
0
votes
0answers
44 views
How should the items on the noticeboard in the synagogue be arranged?
On a board where the name of the week’s parsha and the relevant additions in the prayers are displayed as shown here for example, is there an order of placing the items accepted by halacha or minhag?
...
2
votes
1answer
57 views
Can a man marry a woman with the same name as his mother? (Or vice-versa?) How?
Rabbi Yehudah Hechassid wrote in his testament (Testament of R. Yehudah Hechassid, sec. 23) that a man should not marry a woman whose name is the same as his mother’s, and a woman should not marry a ...
5
votes
3answers
146 views
Do sefirah mourning restrictions occur on Isru Chag?
Many North African Jews celebrate the day after Pesach (which is Isru Chag) with the festive Mimouna. Does such a party atmosphere conflict with the customs of mourning during sefirat haomer? Could ...
2
votes
1answer
43 views
paskening in front of Rebbi who is your father inlaw
It is assur to pasken (rule on a halachic matter) in front of one's Rebbe (Eiruvin 63).
If one's father-in-law is his Rebbe and his wife asks him (her husband) a halachic question in front of her ...
7
votes
1answer
128 views
Changing minhag about tallit gadol
I first became involved with a non-orthodox congregation where it was customary for everyone over Bar Mitzvah age to wear a tallit gadol. However, I understand that it is an Ashkenazi minhag not to ...
2
votes
2answers
268 views
Are (opaque) stockings under a skirt considered enough to cover ervah?
This is a question about skirt lengths. From this answer:
The halacha is that "tefach b'isha ervah" - a tefach (about 3.5
inches) uncovered on certain parts of a woman's body is ervah -
...
4
votes
1answer
35 views
Doing something in one breath
I am looking to make a list of halachot/minhagim that involve doing something in 1 breath so I can see if I can draw any connections between them. So far, I have 3 things:
the shevarim-tru'ah (or at ...
2
votes
1answer
124 views
What level of obligation is of kriat shema al hamita?
What is the level of obligation for krias shema al hamita (the recitation of Shema before going to bed)? Is it a mitzvah deoraisa, mitzvah derabanan, is it a minhag avoseinu byadeinu? Maybe it's ...
3
votes
1answer
108 views
adoption and qualifying for being “officially” considered Jewish
My wife and I (no known Jewish heritage) are adopting an infant child. The child's birth-mother was herself adopted and raised as a Jew by Jewish parents. We do not know of any Jewish heritage ...
6
votes
2answers
174 views
Is there a minhag for a chassan and kallah to hold hands after the chupah?
I have been to many weddings where the chassan and kallah hold hands after the chupah on their way to the yichud room. It seems like a widespread (minhag?) thing that everyone does, even by couples ...
3
votes
3answers
99 views
Kissing the hand to catch a cold?
There is a popular custom in Israel to shake a person's hand and then kiss your own. In every single Sephardic and Mizrachi synagogue I've ever been to in the country this is the standard way of ...
2
votes
0answers
67 views
Which Names of Hashem can/can't we say [in regular conversation]?
Kitzur Shulchan Aruch (6:3) writes that one shouldn't say Hashem's name except by way of praise or blessing whenever required, or when learning (Torah)
[see this answer and this question ]
Indeed, ...
3
votes
3answers
237 views
Husband deciding how his wife should cover her hair
Issues of Shalom Bayis (peace in the home) and any other deciding factor aside, does the husband have any "right" or "privilege" (from a halachic standpoint) to decide how his wife will cover her hair ...
10
votes
3answers
317 views
May a Jew be a Freemason?
According to what I've been told by several people who have inquired of "practicing" (is that the right word?) Freemasons, and supported by Wikipedia, "Freemasonry explicitly and openly states that it ...
7
votes
1answer
145 views
May a man learn Torah without a Kippah?
Is it permissible for a man to learn Torah without a Kippah?
Let's say that he can't wear a Kippah at work, or he lives someplace where it is dangerous to outwardly display signs of being Jewish, ...
2
votes
0answers
55 views
Should I rend k'riyah if I witness the death of a non-relative? If so, what's the procedure?
In "Must EMTs and others rend Kriyah each time they see a patient die?", Chalutznahal cites Yoreh De'ah 40:5, which says that when I witness a fellow Jew die, I must rend my shirt out of sadness. And ...
2
votes
2answers
98 views
Hanging the kesubah on the wall?
I've heard from some people that there is a problem with hanging/displaying ones kesubah on the wall. Others have told me that it's good to display the kesubah as a reminder to the husband to fulfill ...
3
votes
2answers
90 views
Chanukiyot inside or out?
Shabbat 22a says that the halacha is that we should place the chanukiyah outside, within a hand-breadth of the door, to the left. In Israel I've seen people do this, placing the chanukiyah in a glass ...
2
votes
1answer
89 views
What is the source for “the custom of our forefathers is in our hands”?
Where does "minhag avoseinu byadeinu" as a halachik concept, which is commonly cited as the source for keeping two days of yom tov outside of Israel, originate from?
4
votes
2answers
227 views
Why do some Jews get married at night?
In images and other media I have seen of Jewish weddings, there seems to be a trend to get married in the evening or night time. Is this a Jewish custom a halachic requirement and what is the origin ...
2
votes
1answer
65 views
What is the point of Hataras Nedarim every year?
The second paragraph of Hataras Nedarim has the person being mattired saying that "I am making a modaah that any oaths being made in the future are considered to be as if 'bli neder'".
Is this ...
9
votes
3answers
293 views
Wedding ring composition
I was recently told that the ring used for kiddushin should be made entirely out of one kind of metal (usually gold), with no other adornments such as diamonds, etc. I had been under the impression ...
3
votes
1answer
162 views
Should a woman wear a gartel?
My understanding of the halachic need for a gartel is very limited; is there any reason a woman should or should not wear one during prayer?
11
votes
3answers
173 views
I heard not to say “Good Shabbos” after mincha. Is it true, and what defines mincha?
I heard from somewhere that, on Shabbos, one does not say "Good Shabbos" after mincha. I am not sure whether it's in a halacha sefer somewhere (I tried looking) or just a minhag.
First of all, is ...
11
votes
2answers
212 views
May one walk under the Arch of Titus?
I have heard that it is prohibited (or at least that the custom is not) to walk under the Arch of Titus in Rome. Is this accurate? If so, what is the source? Would it make a difference if a large ...
5
votes
1answer
276 views
What are the halachot of Chanukat Habayit?
What are the laws and customs appertaining to chanukat habayit?
At what point, if at all, should you make a shehechiyanu; upon closing? Moving in?
Should you make a chanukat habayit on a home that ...
3
votes
1answer
85 views
Birkat hamazon w/ cup of wine Vs. Prohibition on wine during shavua shechal bo
For one whose custom is to drink wine (or grape juice) after reciting Birkat Ha-Mazon and to refrain from eating wine during shavua she-chal bo Tisha b'Av:
Does the requirement to use a cup trump the ...
6
votes
0answers
88 views
Father being Matir Neder for himself: does it affect the family?
If a father is Matir Neder on a minhag (gebroktz, let's say) for himself for a valid reason, does that include his whole family? Are they now also permitted to eat gebroktz because that is now the ...
4
votes
2answers
145 views
Speaking while wearing Tefillin - revisited
In today's day and age the vast majority of the time we only wear Tefillin when we are Davening. However, in theory, we should wear them all day (ibid). So what about the requirement not to speak ...
4
votes
2answers
170 views
What are the requirements of a men's mikva?
There are many requirements given for a women's mikvah (See Yoreh De'ah siman 201), yet I have not seen much information regarding a men's mikva (to tovel every day before prayers or for Erev Yom ...
6
votes
1answer
114 views
Can you sing during the sheva brachos?
I have been to weddings where, during the recitation of the seventh bracha under the chuppah, the congregation sings "asher bara...". Sometimes it is along with the one reciting the bracha and other ...
7
votes
1answer
109 views
Wearing no head-covering?
Under what circumstances is it permissible for a man to wear no head-covering?
If one is in a place that is experiencing anti-semitism, for example, does one need to wear a hat if one feels ...
2
votes
1answer
201 views
What is the reason for V-neck Titzis?
When buying Tzitzis, I have seen that there are two types of garment:
A "round" neck (the hole has a racetrack shape).
A "V" neck (the hole for the neck has a diamond shape).
What is the reason ...
1
vote
0answers
63 views
Should people not say Vidui before Tachanun?
Assuming that it is a hefseik and forbidden to interrupt between amidah and tachanun, should a person who regularly recites vidui change his custom and delay the recital of vidui until later on, after ...
3
votes
0answers
102 views
Following minhag of tzitzit in vs. out [closed]
When I became frum (around 2 years ago) I started wearing tzitzit hanging out. My grandfather just told me that he remembers that when he was a kid, he tucked his tzitzit in. He remembers his father ...
7
votes
1answer
83 views
Is one allowed to eat foods that were grown from non-kosher materials?
There is a known story of how one time a person brought a giant carrot on Erev Pesach to the Belzer Rebbe (back in Europe) for Karpas. After the donor left, he said "burn it with the Chometz". As the ...
4
votes
2answers
124 views
What is the halachic source for the minhagim of mourning during Sefira?
What is the earliest halachic source for the minhagim of mourning during sefira? Note that this does not mean the story of R' Akiva, I'm talking about halachic references to prohibitions such as not ...
7
votes
2answers
167 views
bracha on tefillin while sitting
The shulchan aruch apparently writes (by hilchos tzitzis) that one should stand while reciting birchas hamitzvah. Tefillin are a mitzvah. So why is the Sfardic minhag to sit while putting them on and ...
5
votes
3answers
365 views
wearing a hat instead of a kipah
If I want to do something and/or go somewhere and partake in something that is permissible, but I just don't want anyone to hassle me about being Jewish, am I allowed to wear a baseball cap or some ...
5
votes
2answers
174 views
Tallit with Wool Atara
The only tallit I know of that has an all wool atara is the Beit Yosef Tallit, which is marketed for Sephardim. Is there a specific source for this or is it simply being machmir to wear an all-wool ...
9
votes
1answer
138 views
May I rely on the halachik leniency of others?
If "Reuven" believes the halacha to be one way and "Shimon" believes it to be more lenient may Reuven rely on Shimon to do something for him based on this leniency?
Here is a 100% fictional ...
5
votes
3answers
200 views
Status of feet while making a bracha or davening
In todays day and age where we no longer have homes with dirt floors:
do you still need to cover your feet when making a bracha or davening?
If so are socks enough?
does it depend on the custom of ...
5
votes
3answers
118 views
Megilas Esther by day - why is it done after Kriyas HaTorah?
We read Koheles on Succos, Shir HaShirim on Pesach, and Rus on Shavuos, and we always read it prior to Kriyas HaTorah. Then why do we read Megilas Esther on Purim day after Kriyas HaTorah?
4
votes
2answers
115 views
Handling Conflict between Jewish and Civil Law
This question is an offshoot from the one titled "Questions about Polygamy in Jewish Law and Culture"
Taking under the knowledge that the previous question was well answered with an observation:
It's ...
5
votes
3answers
323 views
Hair dyeing for women
What are the halachic issues involved in hair dyeing for women? Most importantly, does hair dye constitute a chatzitza for mikvah?
Also: are there any communities that forbid hair dyeing altogether? ...
11
votes
2answers
368 views
Why don't brides (always) cover their hair for their weddings?
Why don't brides (always) cover their hair for their weddings? I understand that in some ultra-religious groups they do, but there seem to be many groups within Orthodoxy where they do not cover their ...
8
votes
1answer
190 views
Following the Biur Halacha
As far as I know, the most accepted Posek around the entire non-Chassidic Ashkenazi world is the Mishna Berura (and of course the Rama). He wrote the sections to his commentary to the Code of Jewish ...
15
votes
3answers
190 views
Glasses and Shema
The Shulhan Aruch records the custom of placing one's hand over his eyes in Shema in order to increase concentration. What about someone who wears glasses? Must he move them or remove them?
