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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. ...
Alex's user avatar
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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 ...
sabbahillel's user avatar
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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 ...
Loewian's user avatar
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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 ...
Gershon Gold's user avatar
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 ...
DanF's user avatar
  • 70k
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 ...
Harel13's user avatar
  • 24.8k
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 ...
David Kenner's user avatar
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6 votes
Accepted

Sh’ma time on a long travel

As the OU writes "always say the prayer service based on the day and time where you are at the moment you are ready to pray" To calculate the right times, you can use tools such as The Chai ...
mbloch's user avatar
  • 47.7k
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 ...
Monica Cellio's user avatar
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. (...
Danny Schoemann's user avatar
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 ...
user218076's user avatar
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 ...
DonielF's user avatar
  • 34.1k
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 ...
ertert3terte's user avatar
  • 40.3k
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 ...
Loewian's user avatar
  • 17.7k
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 ...
Yaacov Deane's user avatar
  • 14.2k
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 ...
mbloch's user avatar
  • 47.7k
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 ...
Joel K's user avatar
  • 41.7k
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
Dude's user avatar
  • 4,293
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 ...
mbloch's user avatar
  • 47.7k
4 votes
Accepted

Where can I buy kosher ground beef in London?

There's a huge difference between USA/Israel vs. UK. In the USA, the OU are on top of their game. Most stores in the USA, even 1000 miles away from a Jewish hub, have plenty of OU goods on their ...
Rabbi Kaii's user avatar
  • 7,107
3 votes

Is there a prayer I should say before taking off in a plane?

Most say the traditional Prayer for Travel. (From the Chabad site): May it be Your will, G-d, our G-d and the G-d of our fathers, that You should lead us in peace and direct our steps in peace, ...
Shalom's user avatar
  • 131k
3 votes
Accepted

Where to put books while traveling?

In a long and interesting response on the laws of handling Jewish books R Yirmiyohu Kaganoff specifically writes this appears permitted to him, see here where he writes Anyone visiting a sefarim ...
mbloch's user avatar
  • 47.7k
3 votes

Negel vasser on a plane

הרב רצון ערוסי paskens that א. מותר ליטול בבית הכסא רק את הברכה יברך מחוץ לבית הכסא. יהיה בית הכסא אשר יהיה. ב. בית הכסא (מודרני) של ימינו (אסלה ומי ניקוז וכיסוי לאסלה), מותר לברך מחוצה לו, ואפילו ...
Avrohom Yitzchok's user avatar
3 votes

Can one go on a boat during the 9 Days?

The Moadei Yeshurun in the laws of the 3 weeks halacha 41 writes that one may ride on a boat but not on a canoe that is unstable. It's intresting to note that the reason of not going on a canoe ...
sam's user avatar
  • 41k
3 votes

Leaving Eretz Yisrael on vacation

R Shlomo Aviner (at the very bottom of here) uses this Rambam to forbid vacation outside of Israel for those who live there. However R Shmuel Halevi Wosner (Shut Shevet Halevi 5:173, cited bottom of ...
mbloch's user avatar
  • 47.7k
3 votes

Not to sweep floor on day of traveling (source)

This appears to be a general superstition: See here: Bulgaria: Skip sweeping after someone departs No matter how untidy your abode gets after you leave for a trip, make sure no one sweeps ...
Alex's user avatar
  • 49.1k
3 votes

May one ride on a commuter ferry during the 9 days?

In general, activities restricted during the nine days are pleasurable activities and many of the relevant lists do not include boating (e.g., here, here and there). Some include taking trips (e.g., ...
mbloch's user avatar
  • 47.7k
3 votes
Accepted

Birchas Ha'Gomel for ocean fishing

dinonline answers your question here and writes Birkat ha-gomel should not be recited for a short fishing trip Shut Kinyan Torah (Vol. 1, no. 16, sec. 3) writes that somebody who sails across the ...
mbloch's user avatar
  • 47.7k
2 votes

How can one achieve k'fitzat hadereh (miraculous speedy travel)?

I say that answer lies clearly in the talmud Makkos 5a where it discusses a case that עדים testified about an individual that killed someone in the morning in the city of סורא, then other עדים ...
shayachagigah's user avatar

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