16
votes
Is somebody who dozed off behind the wheel liable for damages?
Humans are liable for damages caused while sleeping (Mishna Bava Kamma 2:6) unless they went to sleep far from things to be damaged and someone else placed something to be damaged near them (...
- 100k
10
votes
Is somebody who dozed off behind the wheel liable for damages?
A Driver’s Liability in Halacha and Civil Law deals with the issue of automobile liability in modern times. Over and above the concept of Adam Muad Leolam. This means that even if halacha were to say ...
- 43.4k
6
votes
Kosher food on cruises?
Based on our experience on three such cruises in the US and Europe (and many religious friends doing the same), there are two options. Sometimes both are on the same boat at the same time.
Airline-...
- 53.6k
6
votes
Does an RV need a mezuza?
Rabbi Kaganoff says that the point is not that it is mobile but how it is used. That is, it appears that even if he drives around in it, if he lives in it permanently he should put up a mezuzah (...
- 43.4k
5
votes
Can one make a bracha 'al biur chometz' if they are only searching their car?
It’s proper to check one’s car(s) for Chametz on the night of the 14th
using a flashlight. Otherwise, one should check it during the day.
No Bracha is required for performing Bedika in a car¹. ...
- 3,879
5
votes
Accepted
Do I have to help my enemy change his flat tire?
Rambam ends his Laws of the Murderer and Preservation of Life actually saying it's not about the donkey -- it's about this guy might get stuck on the road at night and it would be dangerous for him. ...
- 135k
5
votes
Why is the return to Egypt on boats?
R. Yosef Kara there writes (there) that this was a particular punishment since it included those unable to walk:
אינה דומה שבייה שהשבויים מוליכים ברגל למוליכים אותה באניות, שהשבייה שמוליכים ברגל ...
- 35.9k
4
votes
Did the garbage in the teiva (ark) stink?
The Radak on bereshis 6:16 (10 lines from the bottom) brings the midrash rabbah which mentions a kind of trapdoor through which Noach shoveled the garbage out. According to this, it seems that the ...
- 7,064
4
votes
Permission to Drive on Shabbat for the President's Daughter
If they are not driving, and if a non-Jew opens and closes the doors for them, then the halachic issues are relatively minor.
Under such circumstances, in cases of significant need or hardship, ...
- 5,635
4
votes
Accepted
Is somebody who dozed off behind the wheel liable for damages?
Rav Ovadia Yosef (יביע אומר חלק ט חושן משפט ה) wrote about the liability of a driver who fell asleep behind the wheel and caused serious injuries to the passengers.
He invokes the Talmudic concept ...
- 15.6k
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 ...
- 45.2k
4
votes
Accepted
Shabbat pedestrian crossing, and Marit Ayin
This was a difficult and great question!
Just to put it out there, in no way am I paskeining anything here, this is just out of מקורות וסברות.
The way I would like approach this question is by ...
- 3,285
3
votes
How serious is it that visibly observant Jews offend traffic laws
It is known that Rav Elyashiv ZTL & Rav Chaim Kanievsky Shlita and other Rabanim often refrain from giving public Proclamations regarding subjects about which they have reason to believe that many ...
- 7,062
3
votes
Accepted
What was the shape of Noach's Teivah? Box or Houseboat?
Okay, I think I've found the answer.
The Teivah was definitively not a boat shape according to the Ibn Ezra, Abarbanel and Rav S. R. Hirsch.
Ibn Ezra:תיבה ולא ספינה כי איננה על צורת אניה ואין לה ...
- 181
3
votes
Is it justified to stone cars being driven on Shabbat?
It is obviously forbidden to throw stones at anyone/ a car on Shabbat or any other day of the week. Even if someone was sure without a shadow of doubt that the driver was not either 1. a gentile or 2. ...
- 659
3
votes
Reason for the Conservative driving teshuva?
According to my uncle, who is a Conservative rabbi, the psak was issued for a few reasons. It should be noted that he does not like it, although were he to attempt to pasken that his schul not hold ...
- 13.1k
3
votes
Can an Orthodox frum woman who keeps tziniut ride a motorcycle?
A quick search through the Internet shows, as expected, a disagreement among Poskim.
Rav Eyal Karim, Rav Uri (Amos) Sherki, and likely Rav Yaakov Ariel (he is asked a slightly different question) ...
- 21.2k
3
votes
Yichud in a car?
R. Yitzchak Abadi has a responsum (Ohr Yitzchak vol. II Inyanim Shonim #13) in which he critiques the responsum of R. Feinstein cited in user6591's answer, and specifically the idea that we are ...
- 49.8k
3
votes
Is it okay to drive a car on the Sabbath?
See Shut Har Tzvi Vol. 1 O"C 171 Oth 2 where HaGaon HaRav Tzvi Pesach Frank writes explicitly it's an Issur DeOraita of Mavír - lighting a fire on Shabbat. Therefore its Assur.
- 136
2
votes
Can One Ride in a Self-Driving Car on Shabbat
The Tzitz Eliezer (1:21) says that according to those who hold that there's a biblical prohibition against leaving his Techum (Like the Rif and Rambam about the 12 mil limit), the decree against ...
- 40.7k
2
votes
Why did those on the ship ignore what Yona told them?
They did not disregard Yonah's suggestion, they were trying to work out the best course of action. What could be perceived as them ignoring Yonah is actually them hesitating as they grappled with an ...
- 33.9k
2
votes
Accepted
Obligation to stand while praying on public access transportation
Peninei Halakha (Laws of Prayers 17:16) writes
When traveling by bus or train [...] if one can stand and concentrate properly, it is better that he stand for Shemoneh Esrei.
However, if standing will ...
- 53.6k
1
vote
What is the Halacha of establishing one's home at the onset of Shabbos?
This sounds like you're referring to the Mishna in Eruvin 4:7
מִי שֶׁבָּא בַדֶּרֶךְ וְחָשְׁכָה לוֹ, וְהָיָה מַכִּיר אִילָן אוֹ גָדֵר, וְאָמַר, שְׁבִיתָתִי תַחְתָּיו, לֹא אָמַר כְּלוּם. שְׁבִיתָתִי ...
- 44.1k
1
vote
What is the Halacha of establishing one's home at the onset of Shabbos?
This is passim in mishnayos maseches Eruvin, indeed it's the fundamental idea in that maseches[1]: that one has, on Shabas (or yom tov), 2000 amos to walk in around where he started Shabas. If he ...
- 73.7k
1
vote
Menstruating women on public transportation
As the comments stated -- without a Temple today, we basically assume we're all "ritually impure" and don't worry about it beyond that. This isn't particularly about women, by the way -- the guy who ...
- 135k
1
vote
Is one allowed to drive a car according to the Steipler?
In the biography on Rav Chaim Kanievsky entitled Rebbetzin Kanievsky, there are stories of the Steipler taking taxis. I recall one story where he takes a cab to pick up his son at the bus on an erev ...
- 1,743
1
vote
Reason for the Conservative driving teshuva?
As a historian, Rabbi Rakeffet has an mp3 about it where he says that Joe Average Conservative Jew was already living pretty far from the synagogue and driving when the responsum was written.
- 135k
1
vote
Selling contents of car trunk for Pesach
In the Sefer Nitei Gavriel he says you cannot do so (same reasoning as SabaHillel). However in the book Practical Guide to Mechiras Chametz (page 56, new 2017 edition) it says that you can do so (...
- 11
1
vote
closing car doors on shabbos
Rabbi Moshe Feinstein addresses this (Igros Moshe O"C vol. 5 letter 21:11 [translated]):
"It appears that....it is permitted to open a car door and take out what you need (as long as no light is ...
- 6,515
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