10 votes

Who is the Ba'al Nefesh of the Mishnah Berurah?

R. Herschel Schachter quotes an informative anecdote (in this essay): Rabbi Yehuda Amital (shlit”a) relates that when he was a teenager learning in yeshiva, when the students learned Mishna Berura ...
Oliver's user avatar
  • 11.9k
8 votes
Accepted

Who is the Ba'al Nefesh of the Mishnah Berurah?

First thing... The Mishnah Berurah (including the Be'ur Halakhah) has a number of idioms for soft stringency, ie for presenting a stringency as a desired objective but not as baseline law. Some ...
Micha Berger's user avatar
  • 9,418
7 votes

Kibud Av versus Midas Chasidus - what wins?

As discussed previously: Yoreh Deah 240 siman 8 says that kibud av v'em does not override "any torah or rabinic commandment." Beis Lechem Yehuda there comments: If a son knows that his parents ...
Shalom's user avatar
  • 131k
6 votes

Who is the Ba'al Nefesh of the Mishnah Berurah?

R. Avrohom G. Yachnes addresses this in his commentary to Orchos Tzadikim. A Treasure for Life Vol. I p. 62 On the other hand: Years ago, while in kollel, I had the unusual privilege of engaging ...
Alex's user avatar
  • 49.1k
5 votes

How is one allowed to eat both cholov stam and pas palter?

The Igros Moshe (YD 2:33) writes that the common custom is to consume pas palter even where pas yisrael is easily available.
Joseph's user avatar
  • 193
5 votes

Kibud Av versus Midas Chasidus - what wins?

Yeshivat Hesder Yerucham has a long discussion on Kibud Av V'Aim. It mentions in the name of Harav Yaakov Ariel that Midas Chasidus is not Doche Kibud Av V'Aim. הוא מסביר שזה תלוי בשאלה האם הידור ...
Gershon Gold's user avatar
5 votes

Is cantillation with Kriyat Shema required?

The Mishnah Berura 61:38 says clearly that one shouldn’t say with the cantillations if it will take away from his concentration בכך - ובלבד שיכוין כי הנגינה למי שלא הורגל בה מפסיד הכונה: https://www....
Chatzkel's user avatar
  • 10.6k
4 votes
Accepted

Opinion Of The Maharam MiRottenburg Regarding wearing tzitzis on shabbos

The Tur in Orach Chaim 301 says this in his name. כשמצוייצת כהלכתה לא הוי משוי הלכך מותר לצאת בטלית שלנו לרשות הרבים דחשיבא מצוייצת כהלכתה אע"פ שאין בה תכלת ד קיימא לן אין תכלת מעכבת הלבן תדע לך ...
user6591's user avatar
  • 33.4k
4 votes
Accepted

Should we prevent a chumra in the laws of Shabbos that exceeds the normal understanding?

R. Eliezer of Metz in Yereim 274 writes explicitly that one should not put any food in a keli sheni nor in a keli shelishi (if they are at the temperature of yad soledet bo) as we do not know which ...
Joel K's user avatar
  • 41.8k
4 votes

Keeping your own community's dinim vs. yuhara

This is not a complete answer, but... There is an interesting responsum of R. Sherira Gaon. The question posed to him was what one should do in a place where people don't wear tefillin. Specifically, ...
Alex's user avatar
  • 49.1k
4 votes
Accepted

Who holds that Cholov Yisroel is not a chumra?

I feel the need to post this because of the widespread misconception on this topic, as evidenced by Daniel's comments above, and the number of agreements to them. It is a major Machlokes Haposkim as ...
רבות מחשבות's user avatar
3 votes

How is one allowed to eat both cholov stam and pas palter?

The piece you're quoting says with regards to aseres yemei teshuva. The Shulchan Aruch writes that those are lenient concerning pas paltar year-round should be strict during the Ten Days of ...
Shalom's user avatar
  • 131k
3 votes
Accepted

Can Sefardim eat meat in the homes of Ashkenazim?

Rav Ovadiah Yosef (Yabiah Omer 5; YD 3) relies on the heter of R' Shmuel Abohav (D'var Shmuel ch.320). He says that if you do not actually know if the piece of meat you are eating is "chalak" or not, (...
David Kenner's user avatar
  • 10.7k
2 votes

Why are we strict during the 10 days of repentance?

Yes, there is a source extending this to being strict in other areas: Levush O.C. 603:1 writes that extra stringencies will remind us to be in a state of teshuvah. If that is the case, then the Tur ...
הנער הזה's user avatar
2 votes

Covering containers of water

Terumoth 8:4 implies that the drink would only have to be unobserved for a short time to be forbidden: כַּמָּה יִשְׁהוּ וְיִהְיוּ אֲסוּרִין? כְּדֵי שֶׁיֵּצֵא הָרַחַשׁ מִמָּקוֹם קָרוֹב וְיִשְׁתֶּה: ...
Loewian's user avatar
  • 17.7k
2 votes

Extended fasting on 10 Av

The Ramban (Torat ha-Adam) cites this as follows: ר' יהושע בן לוי הוה ציים תשיעי ועשירי, ר' לוי הוה ציים תשיעי ועשירי, פי' מנהג חסידות היה להם, וכל המוסיף להתאבל על ירושלים זכות היא לו This implies ...
wfb's user avatar
  • 14.3k
2 votes
Accepted

Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky on Iphones

The reason behind this ruling is that the user of a mobile phone (abbr. iPhone - generic term for all mobile phones in certain cirlces) is a Rasha - a wicked person. Why? Because these Rabbis have ...
Danny Schoemann's user avatar
2 votes
Accepted

If one wishes to take on chumrot, or segulot, or mystical practices, to what extent is one allowed to negatively impact others to do so?

This is an important question. Thank you for that. In my de'ah, chumrot are valid only from the sources I have elected as being in resonance with my ideals, to wit, my neshama. For me, these happened ...
SimpleYid's user avatar
  • 167
2 votes

Reward for keeping Minhagim and Chumros

The Gemara (Pesachim 50b) discusses this issue: בני ביישן נהוג דלא הוו אזלין מצור לצידון במעלי שבתא אתו בנייהו קמיה דרבי יוחנן אמרו לו אבהתין אפשר להו אנן לא אפשר לן אמר להו כבר קיבלו אבותיכם ...
wfb's user avatar
  • 14.3k
1 vote

Reward for keeping Minhagim and Chumros

If someone made a vow, (even though the Gemara generally suggests that we avoid vows) then they get the reward for the mitzvah of keeping a vow. However, if it is just a chumrah or custom, then it ...
David Kenner's user avatar
  • 10.7k
1 vote

The Halachic issues for the preparation of Green Loose Leaf tea

you can not drink it with the bug (having the bug come into your mouth), so you need to filter the liquid until you know that the bug is not there (for example by taking out the teabag) and then you ...
hazoriz's user avatar
  • 7,466
1 vote

Kibud Av versus Midas Chasidus - what wins?

When the Chasam Sofer was about 13 he gave a shiur in which he argued with his grandfather. His father slapped him for his chutzpah. Reb Nosson Adler consequently forbade the Chasam Sofer to speak to ...
pcoz's user avatar
  • 2,010
1 vote

Being more stringent than your Rebbe

When I was in the conversion process all new comers to shul will think I was the shul's Rabbi as I habe a natural beard but his was trimmed. Of course the impression wouldn't last as my lack of ...
Yosef's user avatar
  • 11
1 vote

Why do Tefillin have filler material in the base of the batim?

The filler material (typically a piece of leather) is needed to ensure the parallelism of the base with the rest of the tfilin, as the base is typically not thick enough on its own to be parallel. ...
mbloch's user avatar
  • 48k
1 vote

When lighting Chanukah candles on both entrances to courtyard, can I use only one candle?

R. Yerucham Olshin in Yarei'ach LeMoadim Chanukah ch. 18 suggests that this question hinges on whether one recites a blessing upon kindling the second light (opinion of Rashba) or not (opinion of Ran)...
Joel K's user avatar
  • 41.8k
1 vote

Wine made/handled by non-religious Jews

According to R' Moshe Feinstein this is just a chumrah which does not apply to most non-Shomer Shabbat Jews today. As summarized by dinonline: Some authorities rule that one can be lenient concerning ...
ky7's user avatar
  • 81

Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible