New answers tagged halacha
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Regarding your sidebar about conversion: Decisions about conversion need to be made with the guidance of a competent rabbi who knows you. If you are serious about converting, and you don't already know a rabbi, I implore you to get in touch with a rabbi in your area, or as close to your area as possible. Relationships build over time, but first contact must ...
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For practical advice you need to consult a rabbi, but here is some general information.
Certain prayers/blessings, including the one said after lighting Shabbat candles, contain the phrase "who has commanded us". Gentiles haven't been commanded, so (a) saying it isn't accurate for you, and (b) you might be taking God's name in vain by saying it. (What ...
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Yes. (Yalkut Yosef Helek 3, 215:4).
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אגרות משה או"ח ח"ב סי' כז says that the fact that one has to go out of his way to Daven with a Minyan proves that it is a requirement.
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Per this article at theyeshivaworld.com the Rabanut denied a Jewish burial to a husband who kept his wife an Aguna.
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First of all, I can only mirror what people said before me: ask your LOR!!!
Halachically (please don't take it as a psak for this case) it is okay. In Hilchos Geirus a well known Haloche is cited: that a Ger has to take upon himself all Mitzwos at the moment of Geirus. One of the Meforshim (I would have to look up exactly which one it was) adds that a Tinok ...
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This is one of those areas where he really, really needs to be consulting his rabbi. As noted in the question, you can't just flip a switch and -- boom! -- you're observant; it's a process. But, per Avot 2:5, you also can't say "I'll do it later"; later may never come. Only your own rabbi can help you chart a path between these two extremes. (Which is ...
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Nit'e Gavriel (Avelus 16:15) says:
One can be lenient and join the simcha of his rebbe, including of the rebbe's descendants, provided the conditions of paragraph 9 are met.
Those conditions are that he not eat at the meal, that he do some labor at the meal [like a waiter] to serve as a marker that he's in mourning, and that he not dance. (In paragraph ...
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Once again, see Rabbi Torczyner's lecture on attending conferences.
While debated by medieval rabbis, it appears that we conclude it is permissible to study science or medicine on Shabbat. (Assuming it's being done for the right reasons, assuming you're not writing, that it's not "business talk", and the like.) There had been a discussion whether an ...
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See Rabbi Torczyner's lecture on attending conferences.
If I understood and recall his lecture correctly, generally speaking, where necessary it would be permissible, assuming that the speaker would be using the same electronic devices regardless of your presence.
(Rabbi Torczyner always starts with "ask your local synagogue rabbi for actual psak", of ...
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An excerpt from this article in which Rav Eliyashiv is discussion adopting various non-jewish practices there is a source which would seem to prohibit it and is cited as follows
the Gra (to Shulchan Aruch [Yoreh Deah 178]) rules stringently, that we are even forbidden to adopt non-Jewish rituals that are based on obvious and positive motivations.
...
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The Baal HaTanya, in his Piskei HaSiddur, Hilcheta Rabbata L'Shabbata, rules that one should remove a fly from cup of wine by spilling out the wine until the fly leaves the cup.
Since he is holding the cup of wine, and want the wine and not the cup, this is considered manually separating Food from Waste, which is permitted on Shabbat, if one wants to ...
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Have a look at Chayei Adam 145:3
While four walls are ideal, if you have two walls that form a corner, and the third wall has at least a tefach (~4 inches) of width and forms a tzuras hapesach, that works.
(He continues on a discussion whether this is an adequate "private space" with regards to carrying on shabbos; basically if we call it good enough to ...
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In Mishna Maseches Sukkah 3:11 it says that the after Beracha of Hallel is not obligatory like the first Beracha -so it's obvious that one would not say the after Beracha in the case of the question.
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I am unaware of blanket heteirim but perhaps the discussion regarding inviting a non-orthodox person for shabbos knowing she will drive may shed some light here. Based on this post it would seem that:
An additional consideration is the concept of committing a minor sin in order to save someone from a more severe sin. We do not ordinarily permit such a ...
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I think you are misunderstanding what that opinion held. The text of Ibn Ezra is (to Lev 18:22):
ויאמר רב חננאל ז"ל, כי יש מי שיחדש בגופו כצורת בשר אשה וזה לא יתכן בתולדה. וי"א אנדרוגינוס. וכל הצער הזה בעבור היות משכבי אשה לשון רבים. ודברי יחיד שני משכבים. והנכון בעיני, כי המצוה כפשוטה. גם אנשי התושיה חייבו מיתה עליה והכתוב אחז דרך כבוד לאמר כמו לא תקרב, ...
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This interpretation that the Ibn Ezra mentions and rejects is an interpretation of the simple meaning (p'shat) of the verse (Vayikra 18:22). It is likely that the Ibn Ezra rejects this as the simple meaning of the verse because it's doesn't make sense in the context of Vayikra 20:13, which explicitly refers to two males.
Regardless, for halachic purposes, ...
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In Mishnah Berurah 243:2 it says that to have a Mumar do work on Shabbos (even if it were permitted to have a non-Jew do the same work) there is Lefnei Iver Lo Sitein Michshol.
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I think the standard when putting t'filin on another person is to put it on a right-handed person's left arm and a left-handed person's right arm irrespective of the handedness of the one putting it on him. Since the order of tying shoes is derived from the arm on which one puts t'filin, I propose that it depends on the handedness of the one wearing the ...
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Rama rules (YD 334:2) based on a responsum of Rivash (173) that one who is in cheirem is not banned from the community synagogue qua being in cheirem, though he does not count for the minyan. However, since one may not sit down within 4 amot of someone in cheirem (Shulchan Aruch ibid.), some communities do remove him (ֹגרשו) from the synagogue because of the ...
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I recently went to a shiur on this topic after posting this question. The Rabbi said that there is much debate on what the Rambam actually held with regards to this i.e. whether he was writing as a response to the Jews of Fez and their 'coerced conversion' at the hands of the Almohads. The Rambam was writing in response to an unnamed chacham who was ...
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The two questions that are nearly duplicates of this discuss whether a person is considered from the perspective of Halachah to be Jewish if he converts to another religion, and what the person's status is generally. But they don't, IMO, really address this specific problem.
Here's the short answer: No.
Here's the more complex answer: No. Unless you mean ...
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There are lots of examples of this in Sefer Kol-Bo (c. 14th century). One such example, brought in §122, concerns the halakha that a convert will only be accepted if s/he agrees to observe the entire Torah. This is learnt out from Psalm 146:7-9, as follows:
ה' מתיר אסורים, ה' פוקח עורים, ה' זוקף כפופים, ה' אוהב צדיקים, ה' שומר
את גרים: ראשי התיבות הללו ...
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I know that the rules for internment at the New Montifiore Cemetery in Suffolk County, New York, require that all who buried there are Jewish under Jewish law, and they can deny burial to anyone not fitting that definition. Many other cemeteries share that position.
Many cemeteries will also not bury an apostate Jew. I recall that a Toronto cemetery ...
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Maaseh Rav - Rabbi Feldman made comments about Dov Lipman based on his understanding of what Dov had said. These comments were seized upon by the Jewish media, many of which decried the Chareidi leader's stance. When he later discovered that he had his facts wrong he apologized. As to whether or not the comments violated halacha see this post
I assume both ...
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The answer is NO.
It MUST be rain water.
You can use a funnel to stream the rain down into it, but it has to come from the sky
Boiling water was around for a very long time, and if it were permissable it would have been added to the talmus. in the 42 times, it only states that water must be from the heaven.
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The reason I have seen a Jewish cemetery refuse Jewish corpes, is related to money. Specifically, if you don't pay for the plot, they will not bury you.
Since that is apparently a valid excuse, I am assuming that the answer is yes for any reason they want.
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what would you need a projector for if you cannot play anything?
is this a slide projector, tv projector?
the quick answer is no, you cannot 'use' it, since you are not allowed to play with the tv or computer, and an overhead projector is not slide projector.
hope that helps
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Since you are not actually performing avoda zarah, as it is only simulated in a role playing game, you are not breaking any commandments (unless your gameplay extends into shabbas).
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This is what it says in Shulchan Aruch Yore Deah 113:5:
If a non-Jew cooks but he did not intend to cook -it's permissible (e.g. he lit a fire in a field to get rid of the grass/hay and Chagavim were cooked -they are permitted).. But if his intention was to cook -it's prohibited (e.g. he lit a fire to bake bread and he didn't have any knowledge that there ...
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Rav Nosson Tzvi Finkel refused to take medication for his Parkinson's because he felt it reduced his mental acuity and feared it would interfere with/cause him to forget his learning.
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RS quoted a fascinating Gemara above, however there are a lot of ways it's interpreted.
Don't get started on trying to psychologically diagnose "sort of kind of pikuach nefesh", unless you're a trained professional or it's clear this person is a danger to themselves or others (at which point you need to call in the professionals).
Let's try and break down ...
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The doors operate on a infrared sensor.
'Technically' by walking in front of them, even 'piggybacking' when the infra hits you, it resets the timer for the doors to close. there really is no avoidance to this, especially if there is a fire alarm on the back door, and the windows are barred.
Since there is no way around it, Ultraorthodox will avoid having ...
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According to what it says in SA YD 281:5 and in 16:11 she would be believed.
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One of the first Tosafot in Gitin brings that the reason the Get has 12 lines is because the Gimtarya of Get is 12.
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In Eruvin - :דף סג - we learned that Yehoshua was punished for not bringing the Korban Tomid. Apparently after the battle at Ay there was no time/energy left to erect the Mishkan.
It would appear that otherwise it was brought daily - as Fred already mentioned - as is mentioned in Chagiag דף ו.
As a result it would seem that they did erect the Mishkan ...
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First Sephardim also do not rely on a non-Jewish taste tester(See Kaf HaChaim 98:2, Ben Ish Hai Year 2 Korach 61). Though this does not answer the actual question, but I thought I would start with the extra-credit first.
Yes there are poskim that deal with this.
This is providing the Jew is allowed to taste the food, as in the case of radish cut with a ...
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The talmud in Sanhedrin 75a brings a case of a man who had his eyes on a certain woman. He became "madly in love" with her. This increased more on more until the man literally became sick with love of this woman. His heart was broken and his health started to faulter until he was in mortal danger.
The sages came and asked the doctors to investigate. ...
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See Brachos 13a (IIRC) that one is allowed to call him that (the Torah does).
מתיב רבי יוסי בר אבין ואיתימא רבי יוסי בר זבידא אתה הוא ה' האלהים אשר בחרת באברם אמר ליה התם נביא הוא דקא מסדר לשבחיה דרחמנא מאי דהוה מעיקרא:
R. Jose b. Abin (or, as some say, R. Jose b. Zebida) cited in objection the following: Thou art the Lord, the God who didst ...
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Maimonides makes it clear in Laws of Repentance, chapter 3 that a Jew who denies the irrevocable validity of the Torah as Judaism understands it is deemed a sinner but still a Jew. Hence, a Jew who converts to Islam would be in this category.
There are opinions that upon returning to the fold of mainstream Judaism it would be best for the individual to ...
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The Talmud (Sotah 18a) records the following question:
בעי רבא: השקה בסיב, מהו? בשפופרת, מהו? דרך שתיה בכך, או אין דרך שתיה בכך? תיקו.
Rava asked: If they had her drink [the waters] through a tube, what is the ruling? through a reed, what is the ruling? Is that the manner of drinking or it is not the manner of drinking? The matter remained ...
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I don't think that counts as avodat elilim. Now, I guess one could say that doing such an act would be considered hana'ah because you derive benefit (in the video game) from performing such an act. However, role playing on a computer or even a board game never pops up in any literature that I have read that claims that the player is committing avodat elilim. ...
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I'm more concerned that you want to die. Why would you want to die after eating non kosher food? You can break nearly any mitzvah to save your life, certainly kashrut laws are included in Pikuach Nefesh. So I just find it concerning that you'd want to lose your life after committing an aveira. Do teshuvah and you're fine.
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The first and foremost step in Teshuvah is to whole heartedly resolve not to do the sin anymore, the next step is (a positive Mitzvah) to verbelly confess and ask Hashem for forgiveness. See Tanya first chapter of Igeres Hatshuvah.
(In Shaulchan Aruch Orach Chaim 334:26 it talks about Teshuvah for Chillul Shabbos.)
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My rabbinic sources in Rome tell me that there is no written source, but that this is local minhag. --SF
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From Rambam Sefer Madda Hilchos Teshuvah
(I am posting only a very short summary, read the source for the full details. In particular chapters 1 and 2.)
Chapter 1 Halacha 1
If a person transgresses any of the mitzvot of the Torah, whether a positive command or a negative command - whether willingly or inadvertently - when he repents, and returns from ...
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When I teach the 39 Melochos to teenagers I give the following introduction. The definition of what is allowed or not allowed to do on Shabbos is not defined by what we call work. For example, if your mother asks you to wash the dishes would you consider that 'work'? (I typically get a loud 'yes'); Yet it is permissie to wash dishes on Shabbos! Now, if I put ...
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The short answer is that, due to the juxtaposition of the command to build the Mishkan (tabernacle) to the prohibition of violating the Sabbath, we derive that any activity associated with creating the Mishkan is prohibited on the Sabbath.
Here is a short summary.
Top 50 recent answers are included
