Hot answers tagged

14 votes
Accepted

If you daven on a plane, should you turn around when you cross over Jerusalem?

According to many opinions, as recorded in answers to "Praying on an airplane", one should remain in one's seat for prayers while on a commercial flight. Presumably, according to them, one's ...
  • 47.3k
12 votes
Accepted

If a woman, whose husband is away, becomes pregnant, is she assumed to be adulterous?

This was already discussed in שולחן ערוך אבן העזר ד סעיף יד האשה שהיה בעלה במדינת הים ושהה שם יותר מי"ב חדש וילדה אחר י"ב חדש, הולד ממזר, שאין הולד שוהה במעי אמו יותר מי"ב חדש. ויש מי שאומר שאינו ...
11 votes

If you daven on a plane, should you turn around when you cross over Jerusalem?

Mishna Berura 94:10 says that is one is in middle of Tefila and was made aware that he is facing the wrong direction he may not move his feet, he should move his face to face Mizrach. If that is not ...
10 votes
Accepted

Who made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem on the three Regalim?

See the Mishna in Chagigah (Perek 1 - Chapter 1) : פרק א - משנה א הַכֹּל חַיָּבִין בָּרְאִיָּה, חוּץ מֵחֵרֵשׁ, שׁוֹטֶה וְקָטָן, וְטֻמְטוּם, וְאַנְדְּרוֹגִינוֹס, וְנָשִׁים, וַעֲבָדִים שֶׁאֵינָם ...
9 votes

Should you say HaGomel after a flight?

R. Moshe Feinstein points out a fundamental difference between flying and driving. Flying is inherently dangerous. This is because man cannot survive in the air without the protection of the airplane. ...
  • 48.4k
9 votes

Is it mentioned in the Talmud that Moses time traveled into the distant future

Masechet Menachos 29b states that Moshe Rabeinu was allowed to sit in the bais medrash of Rabbi Akivah, but could not follow the learning there. They told that when Moses went above to receive the ...
  • 42.6k
8 votes
Accepted

Did the Lubavitcher Rebbe ever state why he didn't visit Israel?

In his own words (on video) here in Hebrew with English subtitles (the second half of the video). He states two reasons. 1) Lack of solid Halachic authority to return if he did go to visit, and ...
  • 31.6k
7 votes
Accepted

Why don't we care if the Pesach pilgrims get rained on?

Daf Al Hadaf brings this question from Kovetz Bais Hillel He brings a few answers, two of them are below. Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach answers that when Jews went to Jerusalem for Succos they were ...
7 votes
Accepted

Time for morning prayer when flying over Greenland and seeing the sun rise twice

From http://ravbaruch.com/AskTheRabbi.asp?QID=92#_ftn2: Reportedly, Rav S. Z. Auerbach z’’l and Rav Moshe Feinstein z’’l ruled that if one experiences two sunrises on the same day of the week, one ...
  • 17.4k
7 votes
Accepted

Mitzvah of hachnasat orchim at a B&B

Per Rabbi Chaim Ehrman from the Chicago Community Kollel based on a Maharsham there are Poskim that say that since Hachnosas Orchim is a Mitzva therefore one may accept payment for one staying over ...
7 votes
Accepted

Check out of hotel after shabbos

This is a fairly common problem in U.S. hotels. I've found that most hotels are quite happy to accommodate your religious requests if you explain things in advance. The easiest idea is to prepay your ...
  • 69.5k
6 votes
Accepted

How Was the Red Heifer Water Administered in Israel?

Maseches Parah 3:11 points out that the ashes of each of the parah adumah were divided into thirds. One went to the temple (the Cheil, next to the ezras nashim), another to storage in har hazeisim (...
6 votes

Were new arrivals stuck at Ellis Island for Shabbos?

I found two anecdotes of people on Ellis Island in terms of halacha. One is from an article in the Jerusalem Post: ""Ellis Island was their first connection to the other side," said ...
  • 23.3k
6 votes

Can one charge coffee to one's room on Shabbos?

The Ramban in his commentary to Vayikra 23:24, explains that the Biblical word "Shabaton" is the Rabbinical source for forbidding business transactions on Shabbos. It implies that one should rest, by ...
  • 10.6k
5 votes
Accepted

How do you look into a Pesach program?

I have been to many, many Pesach programs, all "Glatt Kosher" with "Top-notch Kashrus". The truth is, though, the quality of Kashrus varied greatly from program to program. From several unpleasant ...
  • 5,252
5 votes

Praying on an airplane

Rav Avigdor Nevenzahl Shlit"a the former Chief Rabbi of the Old city and foremost student of Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, told me that to daven in a minyan on the plane bothers people and it therefore ...
5 votes

What to do regarding postponed havdalah on a plane?

The criterion for beverages for havdalah (and kiddush, and the four cups at Pesach) is that they be chamer medina, a "national drink" or something you would serve guests. According to the OU: In a ...
5 votes

Is flying over Har Habayis allowed?

This question assumes that it's forbidden to enter certain parts of the Har Habayit nowadays, since we are all Ritually Unclean, which is how the Rambam paskens. For the record, the ראב"ד argues. (...
5 votes
Accepted

Is there a "Jew" P.S. app for Android or iPhone?

Rustybrick makes such an app for both Android and iOS. Here are the links: iOS Android Here is a description from their site: Minyan Now For iOS & Android Minyan Now lets you quickly ...
5 votes
Accepted

How was the time in the wilderness distributed among all those encampments?

If I understand your question correctly, you're asking specifically about the middle 38 years. I have a partial answer to address that time, and I can flesh this out further with times for the first ...
  • 33.8k
4 votes

Halakhic International Date Line issues

Halachic authorities (e.g., the Chazon Ish and Rav Yechiel Michel Tukatzinsky) dispute where the halachic dateline resides. As such, there is a halachic uncertainty with regards to when Shabbat falls ...
  • 17.4k
4 votes

bicycle on Shabbat?

The Tzitz Eliezer (1:21:27) says that one may not travel on a Bicycle on Shabbos or Yom Tov for three reasons: One may leave the Techum. It's a "Weekday Activity". One may fix his tire. Also, the ...
  • 40.1k
4 votes

Who made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem on the three Regalim?

Pirkei Avot 5:5: עֲשָׂרָה נִסִּים נַעֲשׂו לַאֲבוֹתֵינוּ בְּבֵית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ... וְלֹא אָמַר אָדָם לַחֲבֵרוֹ צַר לִי הַמָּקוֹם שֶׁאָלִין בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם: Ten miracles were performed for our ...
  • 69.5k
4 votes

Precut fruit is kosher but not lemon?

As stated from Din online where Rav Rubanowitz also works, they hold that by some views, lemon is considered a davar charif and so it's usage is different from other cut fruits. They reference the ...
4 votes

Embarking a ship on shabbat

DailyHalacha provides one reason that embarking on a boat is different from boarding a bus which is that you get sea-sick on many boats - not on buses. Since they provide one minority opinion which ...
  • 44.5k
4 votes

Travelling on hoshanah raba

Hoshanah Rabbah is the final day of Chol Hamoed Sukkot. As such (to quote from this chabad.org article): On the full-fledged festival days of Passover and Sukkot we are prohibited from creative ...
  • 39.8k
4 votes

Where to daven in Logan airport (Boston)?

The waiting area by the gate your plane will be arriving at or in your seat on the plane itself are just fine for davening
  • 4,058
4 votes

Can a Frum Jew go on a sponsored mixed trip if he can not afford to go to Eretz Yisroel?

Birthright is the general label for a 10-day all-expense paid first trip to Israel. Within that umbrella, different providers organize the actual trips. Some of these providers offer options geared to ...
  • 44.5k
3 votes

Determining times of Halachic import on a long flight

The Chai Air Tables are a fantastic tool I've used many times and have seen others use many times. One simply inputs one's flight route (i.e. source, destination, departure date and time) and the ...
  • 7,383

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