12
As CharlesKoppelman said in the comments above, it is the custom of some Jewish people to prefer surrounding their children with only pure, kosher images, including those of animals. This is, as he said, not universal, nor even extremely common, AFAIK.
I suggest you just ask the parents beforehand. They'll be glad to tell you :D
Sources for the scholarly:...
answered Aug 19 '13 at 22:40
Hod - Monica's Army
20.7k5 gold badges85 silver badges149 bronze badges
8
The issue is discussed in the נזר התורה journal of Adar 5767, and in responses thereof.
Among the sources cited by the author are the following:
I. Responsum in Yizchak Burstein's מטעמי יצחק. There, R' Burstein cites Chulin 44b:
Whenever R. Zera was sent a gift he would not accept it but whenever
he was invited out to dine he would go, for he used to say, ‘...
8
Most likely inadvisable; may actually depend on the terms and conditions of the company from which you're ordering. Thanks to NJM for pointing to an essay from Rabbi Moshe Dovid Lebovits of Kof-K kosher; in turn citing Rabbi George Lintz, Journal of Halacha and Contemporary Society volume 24.
Rambam, end of Chapter 8 of Laws of Prohibited Foods:
ח,טז ...
7
A star of David necklace is not a ritual object (just pretty jewelry), and I've never seen anybody take offense at one being given by a non-Jew. This is, in fact, one of the safest Jewish items you can buy; were you to try to select books or ritual objects, you would quickly run into matters of differences in tradition and would risk getting the "wrong" ...
7
There are two things that would contradict your assumptions in your question.
1 - Rashi on
Breishit 32:14 cites a Midrash saying that Ya'akov included precious stones and diamonds.
2 - Breishit 36:6-7 states that Esav had a lot of herds / cattle and because he had so much the land was not big enough to hold both his and Ya'akov's cattle, which is one of ...
6
Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chaim 658:5) rules explicitly that only if the last person returns the esrog is the first one (and all others) yotzei.
Interesting sidebar: The Biur Halacha is in doubt whether they were yotzei only if the last user returned the esrog on his own volition to the original owner or even if the original owner had to demand it back from the ...
6
See this article by R. Aryeh Lebowitz, discussing the very similar case of purchasing a dish which has been pre-filled with candies to give as a gift, which I think addresses most of your questions.
I am going to answer the questions in reverse order, as I think the logic is easier to see this way.
If I don't immerse the dish, may the recipient use the ...
6
Purim.
There is a mitzvah to give one gift containing two foods to someone.
Additionally, one must give gifts to two poor people.
5
The answer, in short, is that it is allowed, and there's no problem of Ribbis.
Basically, Ribbis only applies where the money somehow flows from the borrower back to the lender. It does not matter if there's a third-party involved: if that third-party is being sent by the borrower, Ribbis would still apply.
In this case, however, the one paying the Ribbis ...
5
The non-junk-food items I've most appreciated getting, and that aren't burdensome to prepare or store, include:
Durable fresh fruit: apples, oranges, bananas, etc. Berries and other fragile fruits are nice if you can keep them from getting squished during delivery, but that's more work.
Dried fruits: raisins, figs, dates, plums, mango, etc. Raisins can be ...
5
There is no maaser on non-monetary gifts according to R Tzvi Spitz, R Moshe Feinstein, R Moshe Heinemann, Chazon Ish (all four cited by R Avrohom Chaim Feuer in The tzedakah treasury pp. 136-7).
Some disagree, e.g., Rabbeinu Yonah, R Shlomon Zalman Auerbach both cited by R Shimon Taub in The laws of tzedakah and maaser
Others hold that only if one would ...
5
R Avrohom Yeshaya Karelitz (Chazon Ish Shevi'it 5:12) writes that were we to give Maaser Rishon nowadays to Leviyim on the basis that they claim the Levi Aliya in Shul, more people would lie and pretend to be Leviyim because of the financial benefit.
However, most authorities seem to think that Maaser Rishon (taken from certain Tevel) should (at least ...
5
Number 1 ( Agree to the parents' request and don't give ma'aser ). That's what Rabbi Dovid Feinstein told me.
The reason he gave for this was that it is a present with a stipulation. He also said that if the gift is large, there is an assumed stipulation and one need not give. His mashal (example) was a car. I asked what's the smallest large amount one can ...
5
It is indeed a problem to "give" the lulav to a minor for the reasons you have stated.
Lending somebody a lulav does indeed mean that they have not performed the mitzvah as they must own it. However as a minor does not perform mitzvot anyway and you only give the lulav to him for practice, you can "lend" him the lulav so he can learn to perform the mitzvah ...
5
Yes, and I'm sure your friend and their kids will much appreciate it!
Just use some common sense about it. Don't get them Christmas stuff, or anything from other religions. It's probably worth checking with the parents before giving something to make sure it's something that a) they're ok with b) the kids are interested in.
You may also want to look at ...
5
It appears indeed one should keep his promises in the context of a small gift. The Rambam writes (MT Mechira 7:9) (based on the gemara in Baba Metzia 49a)
Similarly, if a person promised to give a colleague a gift and failed to do so, he is considered to be faithless. When does the above
apply? With regard to a small gift, because the recipient will ...
5
As DanF already answered, there's a requirement to give gifts on Purim.
And as Joel K mentioned in a comment on the question, N'chemya 8:10–12 discusses gift-giving on Rosh Hashana (the date is in verse 2).
Rambam, Sh'visas Yom Tov 6:17–18:
The seven days of Pesach, the eight of the holiday [Sukos and Sh'mini Atzeres], and other holidays are ...
4
There is a disagreement among the poskim, when there is a debt resulting from a purchase (chov machmas mekach) whether one may add extra payment at the time of the payment of the debt (if no condition was made before).
The Shach says that just as the Gemara states that if a purchaser prepaid for a purchase (rendering the payment a loan until the time of ...
4
I asked Rabbi Yitzchak Breitowitz, and he said according to the prevalent practice to give maaser on receiving gifts of cash (or checks, whatever, something that can be spent anywhere) but not goods, a gift of a gift card would not need maaser.
If you're paid by your job in gift cards? Same as if you were paid in potato chips, I guess. Not sure how we'd ...
4
Aruch Hashulchan 695:18 writes:
ויש להסתפק אם שלח לקטן אם יצא ונראה לעניות דעתי שיצא דהא לרעהו כתיב וגם קטן בכלל כדמוכח מקרא דכי יגוף שור איש את שור רעהו והנוגח שור של קטן חייב׃
One can be in doubt as to whether, if one sent [mishloach manos] to a minor, he has escaped [the hold of his obligation]. It seems to my humble opinion that he has escaped [it], for ...
4
Let's assume we're not dealing with wrapping paper. (E.g. put it in a nice gift bag instead.) And other muktza-type issues have been addressed (there was the non-Jewish guest who brought cut flowers, and the hostess asked her nicely to set them down on the countertop as you can't put them in water on shabbos!)
Similarly, if the gift was outside the ...
4
Ramban (verse 14) says it's because that's what he had at hand.
4
I have also seen that Yaakov was hinting that the bracha (which was mainly agricultural) had not helped him. The bracha from Hashem was in his flocks which had not been mentioned by Yitzchak. Yaakov was also hinting that everything he had was from the hard work and knowledge of husbandry which he had as well as a bracha from Hashem granted to him while he ...
4
If there's a Torah reading, give her an aliyah, and afterwards do a Mi SheBerach prayer. The usual one blesses the person "for coming up for the honor of the Torah", but add in "and for saving lives with her blood."
Or if she doesn't want an aliyah, have someone else do the aliyah, and include in their Mi Sheberach a blessing for Ms. So-and-so in honor of ...
4
Deuteronomy 16:17:
אִ֖ישׁ כְּמַתְּנַ֣ת יָד֑וֹ כְּבִרְכַּ֛ת יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֶ֖יךָ אֲשֶׁ֥ר
נָֽתַן־לָֽךְ׃
Sefaria:
But each with his own gift, according to the blessing that the LORD your God has bestowed upon you.
Aryeh Kaplan:
Each person shall bring his hand-deliverd gift, depending on the
blessing that God your Lord grants you.
This seems to ...
4
I read a responsum years ago that said that if the gift giver feels he would not consume the item due to a personal chumra and the recipient would (e.g. I keep pat yisrael and you don't, here's a nice kosher pat palter loaf of bread) it was fine, but if there was doubt as to whether the item was actually kosher (e.g. I don't trust Octagon-K and think their ...
4
In the circles in which I travel (American, generally modern/centrist Orthodox), there aren't any particular restrictions on acceptable gifts for a Bat/Bar Mitzva. The types of gifts I've seen most frequently are money, gift cards, Jewish books, and Judaica objects, but I've also seen other kinds of gifts that one might give a young adult of that age on a ...
4
So the Daas Zekeinim asks your question and gives a reason albeit a somewhat mystical one - that Avraham gave them strength to overpower demons and the like:
נתן אברהם מתנות, “Avraham had already given gifts.” According to the Talmud in tractate Sanhedrin folio 91, these “gifts” were the ability to utter the names of the holy name of the Lord without ...
Only top voted, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible