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5
votes
1answer
36 views

Do reward tokens qualify halachically as money?

I give my children special slips of paper as a reward for good behavior (a "token economy"). They can collect these slips of paper and use them to "buy" rewards such as toys, treats, or fun ...
2
votes
1answer
36 views

Renting building from a church

The question of renting a hall in a Church to use for a simcha (bar mitzvah) has been discussed. I have a similar question, however a little different. There is a Christian church that owns a large ...
1
vote
1answer
47 views

Mitzva of Tzedaka for Pikuach Nefesh

Let's say one has a relative/parent who needs a life saving operation but does not have the financial means to pay for it or even get a loan, is one required to sell his property to help them?
7
votes
0answers
94 views

How were coins that were destined for the Dead Sea managed?

A mishna on Meila 11a talks about money that a nazarite set aside for his offerings; if he died before completing the term and had set money aside specifically for the sin-offering, those coins are ...
6
votes
0answers
137 views

Chad Gadya: The price of a kid goat

Was the fair market value of a kid goat really two zuzim? This piyyut is of course allegorical, but, if the value given is highly inaccurate, is the discrepancy in value symbolic beyond the symbolism ...
4
votes
0answers
63 views

How should parents divide wedding expenses with their child's future in-laws

Today there are many different practices that have been "adopted" (not formally though) among the various Jewish communities on how the parents of an engaged couple divide up the expenses of the ...
4
votes
0answers
28 views

Davar Ha'avad on Chol HaMoed — Loss coming later

It says in SA OC Siman 537 that one is allowed to do a malacha on chol hamoed if it's a "davar ha'aved". That is to say if the person doesn't do the malacha now it will come to a loss ("hefsed".) ...
3
votes
0answers
16 views

Why redeem hekdesh?

Kind of related to What is my relationship to an object once I have pledged it as hekdesh? Why would somebody pledge something to hekdesh and then redeem it when he could just donate money directly? ...
3
votes
0answers
65 views

Sources for supporting a married couple

The way I understand, it has become common in recent times for the parents of the girl, to offer a monthly stipend for a period of time after marriage. Is there a source for doing this?
3
votes
0answers
130 views

Selling a house to a non Jew

Notwithstanding anti discrimination laws which may disallow a seller to only sell to other Jews exclusively. Suppose a Jewish fellow - living outside of Eretz Yisroel - lives on a block which is ...
2
votes
0answers
41 views

Time-limited promotional giveaways for some, fees for everyone later

If someone provides a discount for early payment, and raises the price for others, there is reason to consider this a form offorbidden usury. What if someone is giving away a gift to some as a ...
2
votes
0answers
50 views

What if the Gabbai Tzedakah runs away?

Suppose a Gabbai Tzedakah passes our good friend Reuven while making his collection rounds. Reuven reaches into his pocket for his wallet and removes the money he wants to donate. By the time Reuven ...
2
votes
0answers
35 views

Can pledged cash be exchanged for other cash?

Authorities like the Or Zaru'a have been so stringent as to say that even mental pledges are binding when it comes to gifts to the poor. Many less extreme opinions hold that verbal pledges of the same ...
1
vote
0answers
41 views

Is Sephardi Chief Rabbi Sholomo Amar's recent psak on fiduciary responsibility really “unprecedented”?

HaAretz, last week, reported that Sephardic Chief Rabbi Shlomo Amar issued a halachic decision that "[b]usiness owners whose actions, either intentionally or through negligence, cause the public ...
1
vote
0answers
50 views

Loan in exchange for keeping shabbos, ribis?

The Father (not frum) of a Baal Teshuva asked his son for a loan. The son agreed to give his Father the loan on condition that he starts to keep Shabbos. Is this a problem of ribis?