15
votes
Is it permitted to bring bottled water from an outside source into a kosher dining hall?
My best guess is that it's the policy of the kosher dining hall to not allow outside food or drink to cut down on the amount of non-kosher food which comes in. To my knowledge, there's nothing wrong ...
- 18.4k
11
votes
Accepted
Can an igloo be a valid succah?
Regarding #1:
If it is likely to melt, I assume it would be a problem using this to begin with, as the walls are not steady.
Not sure what you mean here. If the walls don't sway in the wind, then ...
- 42.7k
10
votes
Is it permitted to bring bottled water from an outside source into a kosher dining hall?
Without being able to ask the staff who sets the standards for your "kosher cafeteria", we can only speculate if it was truly not allowed to bring a water bottle in, or why.
However, this is my best ...
- 10.6k
9
votes
Does a sotah make a bracha?
Sefer Otzar Palos HaTorah pg.161 brings down that no birkas hanehenin is said on Sotah water since it has a bad flavor.
Rav Chaim Kaniefsky rules that one does not make a birkas hamitzvah on Sotah ...
- 40.7k
9
votes
One shouldn't drink water in front of others - but other drinks are OK - why?
Water is explicitly mentioned as problematic in the Talmud.
Bechorot 44b
אמר רבי אבא בריה דרבי חייא בר אבא משתינין מים בפני רבים ואין שותין מים בפני רבים ותניא נמי הכי משתינין מים בפני רבים ואין ...
- 48.9k
8
votes
Accepted
Why would spring water or mineral water need a kosher certification?
The OU says water does not need supervision. My guess is that it is not expensive to obtain the hekhsher and perceived as adding value so the manufacturers do it anyway.
Aish has a nice explanation ...
- 45.6k
8
votes
Why does water purify?
R Aryeh Kaplan in his beautiful book Waters of Eden (also part of his Anthology vol. 2) writes this is a chok and cites Bamidbar Rabbah 19:8
By your lives, a dead person doesn't make things impure, ...
- 45.6k
7
votes
Accepted
Why doesn't Tefilat Geshem have a verse referring to Miriam?
It's important to notice that there IS a verse for Miriam in the Hoshanos that we all said (or mumbled) just a day before Tefillas Geshem, and we must remember that Tefillas Geshem and Hoshanos were ...
- 637
7
votes
May liquids other than water be used to kasher a material?
It's a machlokes haposkim - see Rema, Orach Chaim 452:5, citing Orchos Chaim. The Ramban says it's no good, while the Rashba allows it. So the Rema says that it shouldn't be done, but bedieved (after ...
- 7,711
6
votes
Does a sotah make a bracha?
You only recite a bracha on water if you are thirsty.1 Since the sotah is not drinking the water to quench her thirst, there would be no bracha. As for birkat hamitzvah I don't know.
The question has ...
- 18.4k
6
votes
Can one make ice on Shabbos?
One of the prominent poskim of the past generation, R. Dov Berish Weidenfeld, who was the Tshebiner Rav and author of Dovev Meisharim, ruled that freezing water to make ice cubes on Shabbos is not ...
- 1,130
6
votes
Blessing over a wine-water mix
It appears that you need 1/6 (17%) of wine or grape juice to still be able to say hagefen. The issue is that wine nowadays is already diluted. The proper way therefore appears to be to first say the ...
- 45.6k
6
votes
Accepted
Leaving drink out over night
That the Gra was very careful about the Talmudic prohibition against uncovered beverages is recorded in Maaseh Rav #95.
The details of this prohibition are recorded in the Tur (YD 116) and earlier by ...
- 96.9k
6
votes
Accepted
Is it Bishul Akum if a gentile boils non potable water?
In general there is no prohibition of bishul akum with water since its form and taste do not change through cooking. Star-K for instance writes
Foods whose form and taste do not change through ...
- 45.6k
6
votes
May liquids other than water be used to kasher a material?
Rema OC 452:5 writes that one cannot kasher with liquids other than water in the first instance, but that after the fact they work.
- 41.3k
6
votes
Accepted
Is a Shehakol blessing required when drinking water in order to not become thirsty?
R' Nissim Karelitz in חוט שני mentions this case and says that you would not make a Bracha. However if there is any small amount of enjoyment, like if it is hot outside, then you would have to make a ...
- 10.3k
6
votes
Accepted
How can a mikvah be kosher if rain water flows through it?
As mentioned in the comments, the Mikva already has 40 seah and the running rain water is in addition to that so it won’t make it passul. I’ve searched for a direct source for this on this Rambam and ...
- 10.3k
5
votes
Accepted
Salt Water With Karpas
What else do you put on your salad besides salt water? That's what the word salad means after all! Oh a vinaigrette, you say? Indeed Tosfot (Pesachim 114a) and others (and ruled in the Shulchan Arukh ...
- 96.9k
5
votes
Ki'bolo Kach Polto
R Ezra Friedman from OU Kashrut brings an answer to your question (here)
It would seem logical based on the principle of kebol’o kach polto
that not only would the method of kashering be based on the ...
- 45.6k
4
votes
For puposes of Tashlich, what is considered a "body of water"?
According to this article it is "ideal" to use a flowing, natural body of water that contains fish and is located outside the city boundaries (MA 583:5; Kitzur Shulchan Aruch 129:21).
https://www.ou....
- 877
3
votes
Accepted
Refilling a percolator on Yom Tov
The Federation Beis Din here in London have an incredible department called 'Fed Tech' which explores various appliances and their halachic status on Shabbos and Yomim tovim etc.
Their article on urns ...
- 27.4k
3
votes
Can flowing water be used as walls for a sukkah?
There are two problems that come to mind.
There is a general law about building a sukkah, discussed in the Talmud (Sukkah 24b) and throughout rabbinic literature, that the walls of a sukkah should ...
- 11.2k
3
votes
Water heaters on shabbos and yom tov
I received the following answer from the Star-K but it doesn't include detailed sources:
The way this system works is that, when you open a faucet, hot water
exits the tank. Cold water enters ...
- 5,114
3
votes
Accepted
For puposes of Tashlich, what is considered a "body of water"?
I was in Yerushalayim for Rosh Hashanah this year for the first time. I saw in Yeshivas Netzach Yisrael in Rechavia that they had a small fishbowl with two goldfish swimming in it to be used for ...
- 41.3k
3
votes
Coffee Urns on Shabbos
R. Ovadiah Yosef (Hazon Ovadiah Shabbat vol. 4, 414ff.) rules on this exact type of urn that it is permissible to use.
In presenting the question, he discusses various issues at play that are ...
- 11.9k
3
votes
Hot water tap at work
The Star-K advises as follows:
In general, these are permissible. If one witnessed a co-worker submerging the spout into non-kosher food, the urn should not be used. In many cases, however, one does ...
- 1,607
3
votes
Where do matza bakers find flour that's definitely never gotten wet?
i called the OU today (3/10/16) to ask this very same question, and the answer i got was not amazing. They said that their normal certification for normal kosher for passover for flour is only "...
- 10.5k
3
votes
Can you use carbonated water for washing?
With regards to netilas yadayim:
The Aruch Hashulchan 160:17 brings a machlokes if one can use something else besides water. The Raavad and Rosh hold only water can be used and Rashi and the Rashba ...
- 40.7k
3
votes
Must ice cubes be designated meat or dairy and separated?
This Halacha is discussed in Shulchan Aruch Yore Dea 91:
א בָּשָׂר וּגְבִינָה שֶׁנָּגְעוּ זֶה בָּזֶה, מֻתָּרִים, אֶלָּא שֶׁצָּרִיךְ לְהָדִיחַ מְקוֹם נְגִיעָתָן. וּמֻתָּר לָצוּר אוֹתָם בְּמִטְפַּחַת ...
- 22.6k
3
votes
Using hot water on shabbos
There are at least 2 aspects involved:
How to get hold of hot water on Shabbat without desecrating the Shabbat. This is a technical question.
You could leave the tap on, assuming the water remains ...
- 42.7k
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