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If it is the first yahrzeit, then one may not. Regarding a subsequent yahrzeit, the Taz holds that all the limitations of the year of aveilus apply on that day. According to him, one should not listen to music. However, the Shach disagrees. He holds that the limitation not to eat at a chasuna applies on a yahrzeit, but other limitations do not. According to him, one could listen to music. The Halacha follows the Shach, but it would seem to be meritorious to be stringent like the Taz. עי' ברמ"א (יו"ד סו"ס שצה) וט"ז (שם ס"ק ג) וש"ך (שם ס"ק ג) ופתחי תשובה (שם ס"ק ח). ועי' בחכמת אדם (כלל קעא סו"ס יא) מה שהביא מהבית לחם יהודה בשם בעל המגן אברהם, ועי' בחידושים וביאורים להגר"ז מרגליות בעל היד אפרים (הל' אבלות סעי' כד). ובספר נשמת ישראל להגרי"ד הארפענעס שליט"א (ח"ב עמ' תתקסא) כתב שיש להקל מיהו המחמיר תבוא עליו ברכה.

Most essential oils are extracted through steam distillation, which produces a vapor that is cooled till it is a liquid. As such, the original source of the fragrance is no longer present. This may possibly be classified as a rei’ach tov she’ein lo ikar (a pleasant smell that remains even though the original source of the fragrance is no longer present), for which there is no bracha (see Shulchan Aruch O.C. 217:3). Therefore, one should make a bracha on some other besamim.

The minimum amount needed for hafrashas challah without a bracha is 2.6 lbs. of flour, and one should only recite a bracha on 4.95 lbs. of flour. See Rabbi Heber’s article at "When You Need to Knead: A Guide to Hafrashas Challah | STAR-K Kosher Certification" (at star-k.org) for more details. The actual measure is a volume measure, and we are converting it to weight, which the Chazon Ish (O.C. 39:8) says one can do when teaching the halacha. However, this conversion from volume to weight is true for wheat. Barley, rye, spelt and oats have different densities and would have slightly different weight measures. According to the website שיעור הקמח לחיוב חלה - בית המדרש להלכה בהתישבות (bhl.org.il), the measurements would be: Wheat: 2.64 lbs. (without a bracha), and 4.96 lbs. (with a bracha). Barley: 2.31 lbs. (without a bracha), and 4.59 lbs. (with a bracha). Spelt: 2.59 lbs. (without a bracha), and 4.86 lbs. (with a bracha). Oats: 1.96 lbs. (without a bracha), and 3.97 lbs. (with a bracha). Rye: 2.29 lbs. (without a bracha), and 4.47 lbs. (with a bracha).

The shul board can conduct a public sale of the shul building. עי' במ"ב סי' קנג ס"ק לד שאפילו בית הכנסת של כרכים אם אין מתפללין בו יכולין למכרו ז' טובי העיר במעמד אנשי העיר, וכ"ש ביהכ"נ שלנו שיש להם דין ביהכ"נ של כפרים כמש"כ הערוך השלחן שם סעי' לד. וועד של מנהלי ביהכ"נ מקרי ז' טובי העיר כמש"כ המ"ב שם ס"ק כט, וכל שז' טובי העיר מוכרים בפרסום מקרי במעמד אנשי העיר כמש"כ הרמ"א שם סעי' ז.

If you are renting for less than thirty days, there is no chiyuv mezuza. Those who rent for more than 30 days and don’t put up a mezuza are relying on the opinion of some Poskim. However, most Poskim say that if one is there for more than 30 days one should put up a mezuza without a bracha. If you don’t know who will be living there after you, you can take it down when you leave. בשו"ת משנה הלכות ח"ד סי' קלד כתב שבכה"ג א"צ מזוזה, אמנם בשדי חמד מערכת מ כלל קיח כתוב שיש לקבוע מזוזה בלי ברכה, וכן פסק בשו"ת חלקת יעקב יו"ד סוף סי' קס.

Rav Zilberstein shlit"a allows this sort of thing. He says that one can hint that there is a rainbow by asking someone - "what's the nusach of the bracha on the rainbow?" or "where is there a siddur with the nusach of the bracha on a rainbow?". עי' בדברי הגר"י זלברשטיין בספרו חשוקי חמד על מסכת ברכות דף נט ע"א.

Regarding greeting a woman, the Maharam Shick writes that it is customary to apply what the Rema writes in a slightly different context, that if a person’s kavanah is lesheim shomayim then it is permissible. Furthermore, the Aruch Hashulchan says that saying “good morning” to a woman and suchlike is fine nowadays, because doing so is considered normal derech eretz and does not imply any sense of affection. The Maharam Shick does conclude that someone who is stringent is called a “kodosh”. However, this would presumably be true only if this stringency does not result in the woman feeling insulted. עי' בשו"ע אהע"ז סי' כא סעי' ו שאין שואלים בשלום אשה, ועי' בזה בשו"ת מהר"ם שיק אהע"ז סי' נג ובערוך השלחן אהע"ז סי' כא סעי' ח. וע"ע בשו"ת מנחת יצחק ח"ח סי' קכו ושו"ת בצל החכמה ח"ה סי' מח מש"כ בזה.

A person should not stand naked in front of kisvei kodesh. However, if a person is at least partially dressed it is fine. עי' מ"ב סי' מה ס"ק ה שאין לעמוד ערום לפני כתבי קודש

You should fast on Friday till tzeis hachochavim. If fasting is difficult for you, you can make an early Shabbos and daven maariv and then eat before tzeis hachochavim. Even if fasting is not difficult for you, if when you first started fasting you said that it was bli neder then you could do this - make an early Shabbos and daven maariv and then eat before tzeis hachochavim. עי' מ"ב סי' רמט ס"ק כב שמי שמתענה ביום שמת בו אביו או אמו, ופעם ראשון השלים עד צאת הכוכבים, שוב צריך לנהוג כן לעולם. ואם הפעם ראשון שהתחיל להתענות חל בערב שבת, אז יותר טוב שלא ישלים אלא יאכל אחר שיוצא מבית הכנסת. ואם הפעם ראשון שהתחיל להתענות היה בחול והשלים התענית, אם מצטער יכול להקל בערב שבת לאכול תיכף אחר יציאתו מבית הכנסת, ואם התנה כן בפירוש אז ודאי אין צריך להשלים ויכול לאכול אחר יציאתו מבית הכנסת.

No, you should not have him work on Shabbat. If he needs to meet the deadlines, he should start earlier in the morning and work till later at night during the rest of the week. עי' שו"ע או"ח סי' רמד סעי' א ומ"ב שם ס"ק ז וביה"ל שם ד"ה או.

There is a difference between walking in front of someone who is davening and walking behind or to the side. Not walking behind or to the side of someone saying shemoneh esrei is a chumra, and in a classroom setting it may just not be practical to be machmir. However, not walking in front of the person within 4 amos is a halacha. Some Poskim say that if a person davens in a public place which is not intended for tefillah in such a way that he blocks the public from walking, such as by the doorway to a room, then it is muttar to pass in front of him. Some Poskim say that if the person who is davening shemoneh esrei has his eyes closed then it is muttar to walk in front of him. Even though we try not to rely on this, at least beshaas hadechak there is room to be lenient. If you want to take three steps back at the end of shemoneh esrei and there is someone davening directly behind you, if it is not difficult then you should wait until that person finishes, but if this is difficult then you can take the three steps sideways so that you are not walking directly in front of the person. If you are davening in a place that the school designates for you to daven, then you don't need to be concerned about people who may walk in front of you. If you easily have the option, you can try and daven close to a wall where no one will walk in front of you. ע' בשו"ע או"ח סי' קב סע' ד שאסור לעבור כנגד המתפלל בתוך ד' אמותיו ומותר לעבור בצד המתפלל, ועי' במ"ב ס"ק יז שהזוהר מחמיר גם בזה. ועי' בביה"ל שם ד"ה 'אסור' שיש מקילים אם המתפלל משלשל טליתו על פניו, והביה"ל כתב שאין להקל בזה. אמנם האשל אברהם מבוטשאשט כתב להקל בכה"ג ובמי שמתפלל בעינים עצומות. ועיי"ש עוד שאם המתפלל עומד לפני דרך הרבים מסתמא אמד בנפשיה שלא יתבלבל, ועל הניזק להרחיק את עצמו. ועי' במ"ב שם ס"ק יח וס"ק יט שלילך בתוך הד' אמות בצדדים שלפניו יש להקל במקום הדחק.

One cannot necessarily assume that all the contents are fully cooked. Therefore, one should not heat them up on Shabbos in a kli rishon or kli sheini. Rabbi Heinemann is concerned that since they are nearly cooked, they are kalei habishul which could cook even in a kli shlishi. Furthermore, the Chazon Ish does not accept the premise of kli shelishi being different than kli sheini. Therefore, it is advisable not to cook Tradition soups on Shabbos even in a kli shlishi. The vegetables in the soup are freeze-dried and certainly cannot be cooked on Shabbos. עי' בשו"ע או"ח סי' שיח סעי' ד-ה ובמ"ב שם ובחזו"א או"ח סי' נב ס"ק יח-יט.

When you ask a non-Jew, it ultimately is his decision whether or not he does the melacha. However, when you speak to Alexa and it makes the air conditioner go on, you basically have a voice activated air conditioner which you are turning on yourself. One should not do this on Shabbos.

In smaller minyanim it is not uncommon for the sheliach tzibbur to start chazoras hashatz after six people have finished shemoneh esrei. Although the sheliach tzibbur should actually wait until nine other people have finished shemoneh esrei, there are lenient opinions and there is no need to leave a minyan that follows those opinions. עי' בשו"ע או"ח סי' קכד סעי' ד שצריך ט' אנשים להקשיב לחזרת הש"ץ ואם לאו קרוב להיות ברכותיו לבטלה, אמנם המג"א סי' נה ס"ק ח הביא בשם המהרי"ל שנוהגים להקל בו' אנשים. ועי' במ"ב שם ס"ק לב שהביא מחלוקת אם אפשר להצטרף לדבר שבקדושה יותר מאדם א' שאינו יכול לענות. והפמ"ג במשב"ז שם ס"ק ד ושו"ע הגר"ז שם סעי' ז כתבו שבחזרת הש"ץ כו"ע מודים שיש להחמיר. ועי' בפסקי תשובות סי' נה אות יא שכתב "לענין חזרת הש"ץ יש להחמיר עפ"י שיטת הפמ"ג ושו"ע הרב ודעימיה שתשעה עונין לעיכובא הוא, אך גם בזה יש מקום להקל בשעת הדחק כמהג"א בשם מהרי"ל".

The Rema writes that it is customary to allow this. He does conclude that it is “tov le’hachmir” not to do this if it is so close to Shabbos that were the food cold it would not have time to heat up before the onset of Shabbos. However, it is fine to do this if there is enough time from when you put your food into the oven until you are mekabel Shabbos that the food could have heated up to yad soledes had the oven been on the highest setting. Therefore, it is sufficient if there is merely a few minutes between when you do this and kabalas Shabbos. עי' ברמ"א או"ח סי' רנג סוף סעי' ב שכל שהוא סמוך לקבל שבת שאם נצטנן הקדירה אי אפשר להרתיחה מבעוד יום דינו כמו בשבת עצמו לענין נתינה ע"ג האש ונהגו להקל וטוב להחמיר במקום שאין צורך כ"כ. ובשו"ת מנחת שלמה ח"ב סי' לד כתב שדי אם היה יכול להגיע לשיעור יד סולדת בו. ובספר אוצרות השבת עמ' תטו הביא שהגר"ח קנייבסקי שליט"א כתב "שמעתי בשם החזו"א שאפילו מעמיד על גבי אש קטנה, כיון שאילו היה מעמיד על גבי אש גדולה היה יכול להרתיח מותר".

You can ask replacements.com if they have any of the glasses available in the original packaging or wrapping, or with the original stickers on them. I haven't dealt with replacements.com myself, but I have been told that they get requests like this from frum people and are familiar with it. If you buy crystal which has been used, it can be kashered. If it is fragile and does not go into a dishwasher and was presumably washed by hand, then it should be kashered by the process called "milui ve'irui". Fill a bowl with cold water and submerge the crystal completely underwater and leave for 24 hours straight. Then replace the water and do this again a second time, and then replace the water again and do the same a third time. The three days do not need to be consecutive, but for each one of them the crystal has to stay underwater for 24 consecutive hours. This will kasher the crystal.

People who use homeopathic medicine generally believe that it works just like other ‘mainstream’ medicine. I don’t think that they ascribe the healing to anything religious or any ‘force’ or ‘power’. If someone is using a medicine because he believes that it has physical/chemical healing properties just like regular medicine, I think that it is halachically fine. Obviously, halacha does not determine whether the treatment is actually effective or not. Regarding the therapy that you referred to as “coaching and therapy type of talk”, the question as to whether there are halachic concerns would depend upon what was involved.

With very limited exceptions, Rav Moshe Feinstein paskens that divorced woman are required to cover their hair in public. See Igros Moshe Even Ho’ezer 1:57, 4:32#4. עי' בשו"ת אג"מ אהע"ז ח"א סי' נז וח"ד סי' לב אות ד

ne of them can write and sign the heter iska and then fax it to the other person to sign as well. פשוט שאין זה גרוע ממש"כ הקיצור שו"ע סי' סו סעי' ז "אם השעה דחוקה ואי אפשר להם לכתוב שטר עיסקא יכולין להתנות כל הדברים הנזכרים לעיל בעל פה".

Anyone in the world who wanted to could conceivably copy the Star-K symbol and put it on their product. But if they did that, someone in the kashrus world would soon enough realize that the symbol was fraudulent, and the Star-K would be able to legally require the company to destroy the packaging. Companies mass-produce the packaging, and the loss would be significant. Furthermore, the Star-K would ask retail stores which carry the product to pull it from their shelves, which they generally will do. We are only choshed that someone will cheat if there is some hanaah to them, which is not the case here.

The only suggestion I have is to give some money to tzedakah. Tzedaka tatzil mi'maves.

I don't think that people believe in Greek mythology any more, and I doubt that people are actively worshipping Greek Gods there. Bittul by a non-Jew helps for an avodah zorah of theirs. One can assume that there are people who over the years have treated this sight with disrespect, which is automatically a bittul. Furthermore, the fact that the Acropolis is a ruin which is not being rebuilt constitutes a bittul of the avodah zorah. I wouldn’t necessarily have chosen this as the optimal place for a frum person to go for vacation, but if your mother wants to go and see the Acropolis then she may do so.

The article seems to have two issues with the Star-K Sabbath mode. The first argument is that a 15-25 second delay should not necessarily be considered a grama. The article quotes Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach as allowing the use of a refrigerator on Shabbos because of a one-minute delay between the opening of the door and the activation of the compressor, and the article states that there is no indication that Rav Shlomo Zalman would accept a delay of less than a minute. The second argument is that there is actually an immediate change. The article states, “such a system cannot be considered a ‘grama’, because the digital thermostats present in most refrigerators causes the immediate closure of an electric circuit”. Regarding the first argument, I see no difference between 60 seconds and 20 seconds. Differentiating between the two seems arbitrary. If 60 seconds is grama then 20 seconds is too. Regarding the second argument, I don’t think it this is factually accurate. Therefore, neither of the concerns with the Star-K Sabbath mode refrigerator is correct.

You can use a match, but if the match goes out and you need to light a new match then you should not light it from one of the actual neiros chanuka. If you have already lit the oil shamash then you can light a new match from that flame. עי' בשו"ע ורמ"א או"ח סי' תרעד סעי' א

You are correct that if pita chips are made from leftover bread then they would be hamotzi. However, commercially made pita chips are not made from leftover bread but rather are produced with intent at the outset to make pita chips. Therefore, they do not have the halachic status of bread and are pas habah bekisnin, requiring a mezonos if eaten as a snack. כן פסק הגרש"ז אויערבאך זצ"ל הובא בספר וזאת הברכה עמ' 21.

If you are in your own home for Shabbos then you should light at home before you go to the melava malka. If you are staying at your in-laws for Shabbos, and you live in a different city, then you can light by your in-laws on motzei Shabbos even though you will be going home later that night. However, if you live in the same city then it is preferable to go home to light and then come back for the melava malka. עי' בספר הליכות שלמה תשרי-אדר עמ' רעט שכתב שהמתארח בבית אחרים אפילו ליום אחד ונמשכה שהותו שם עד תחלת הלילה הבא, כפי שמצוי במוצאי שבת, טוב שידליק שם ובלבד שישהה שם חצי שעה לאחר הדלקתו. וכעי"ז כתוב בספר אמת ליעקב על שו"ע להגר"י קמינצקי זצ"ל סי' תרע"ז בהגה. ועי' בספר מקדש ישראל (חנוכה) סי' פג שהביא שיש חולקים, ולכן פסק שאם הוא נמצא בעיר שדר בו טוב שיחזור לביתו, אבל אם ביתו בעיר אחרת רשאי להדליק במקום שאוכל סעודת מלוה מלכה, עיי"ש.

If you eat a kezayis of pomegranate seeds, you should make a bracha achrona. A kezayis is approximately the size of a golf ball. The Shulchan Aruch says that there are those who say that you should make a bracha achrona even on one pomegranate seed because it is a "beria" (a whole fruit). We do not pasken this way and would not make a bracha achrona on less than a kezayis. However, as it is subject to debate, the Shulchan Aruch says that it is "nachon lizaher" (correct to be careful) not to eat less than a kezayis of pomegranate seeds so as to avoid this question. עי' בשו"ע או"ח סי' רי סעי' א ובמ"ב שם

If at all possible you should find a different job. אסור מדאורייתא לסרס בהמה זכר, ולדעת הט"ז אהע"ז סי' ה ס"ק ו מותר לסרס בהמה נקבה כל שאין בה צער בע"ח, אבל בביאור הגר"א שם ס"ק כה משמע שגם סירוס בהמה נקבה אסור מדאורייתא. ולהרדים הבהמה קודם הסירוס לכאורה אין בו איסור לפני עור במקום שיש עוד מרדימים אחרים, אמנם אם גם הם ישראלים י"ל שיש איסור לפני עור לדעת המשנה למלך הובא בפת"ש יו"ד סי' קס ס"ק א, עיי"ש. אלא שבספר נשמת אברהם או"ח סי' תרנו כתב בשם הגרש"ז אויערבאך זצ"ל בענין הרדמה קודם הפלת עובר בזה"ל, "אפשר שהמרדים חשיב רק כמסייע לרופא שמבצע את ההפלה ואינו עובר ממש בלאו". אלא שעדיין אסור מדרבנן משום מסייע ידי עוברי עבירה, ולדעת המג"א סי' שמז ס"ק ד ומ"ב שם ס"ק ז אסור לסייע אף מומר, אבל הש"ך יו"ד סי' קנא ס"ק ו ודגול מרבבה שם כתבו שאין איסור מסייע במומר. ובשו"ת אג"מ אהע"ז ח"ד סי' פז צירף לשיטתם גם דברי השו"ת משיב דבר להנצי"ב ח"ב סי' לב שהתיר לאלו שפרנסתם בשדכנות לשדך גם לעוברין על איסור נדה, עיי"ש. וכמו"כ כאן יש לצדד להתיר אם א"א בלאו הכי, אבל ודאי אם אשפר יש למנוע מזה.

Let me start with a short introduction. In the Torah, there are ‘mitzvos’ and ‘middos’. Mitzvos have set parameters. For example, the arba minim consists of a lulav, esrog, hadassim and aravos. You cannot add more plants to that. However, middos are different. For example, a person should be humble, and he can always add to his level of humility. The more humble you are, the better. There is no such thing as baal tosif in humility. Mitzvos are generally all or nothing – either you shook the arba minim or you did not. However, middos are not like that. Here is another example. A person should have bitochon. Every frum yid has some level of bitochon, and the more you have the better. It is not all or nothing. The Shulchan Aruch discusses mitzvos, because they have set parameters which can be listed in a book. However, there is no Shulchan Aruch for humility or bitachon, because they don’t have limits. Tzniyus is unusual in that it has a bit of both. It is both a mitzvah and a middah. It is a mitzvah in that there are set parameters – a woman should cover her elbows and knees, a married woman should cover her hair in public, etc. However, tzniyus is also a middah. Kimchis covered her hair all the time even when she was alone inside her house. When answering questions about tzniyus, we have to keep in mind both these aspects. Regarding the technical ‘mitzvah’ of tznius, there is some difference between being in front of a Jew or a non-Jew. However, the ‘middah’ of tzniyus is that a woman dresses with tzniyus wherever she goes, even in an area where there are only non-Jews. Practically speaking, when she goes out in public she should dress with tzniyus whether the people around her are Jewish or non-Jewish. However, there are less public situations where the difference between a Jew and a non-Jew could play a role. For example, let’s say that a woman wants to exercise in a gym, and men may walk by and see her. Whether the men are Jewish or non-Jewish may play a role in deciding whether or not this is a problem. When it comes to something like this different people have different situations, and one would need to know the details before rendering a psak.

It is fine to cook the eggs. It is very unlikely that there are any animal derivatives in the ink, and the ink is not a food, and even in the worst-case scenario the ink would be bottel when you cook the egg. The only possible issue would be cracking the hard-boiled egg on Shabbos if you know for sure that it will break the letters.

If a Jew instructed a non-Jew to do so, then the food is forbidden for that Jew. If this is not the case, the food is permitted (assuming that it is the type of issur which bittul applies to). עי' בפמ"ג שפ"ד סי' קג ס"ק יד שאם הישראל אומר לעכו"ם לבטל איסור הוי כמבטל איסור לכתחלה, ואסור למי שנתבטל בשבילו כמבואר בשו"ע יו"ד סי' צט סעי' ה. אבל בלא"ה מותר, עי' בפמ"ג שם ובפת"ש סי' קלד סוף ס"ק ח מהנוב"י ובדרכי תשובה סי' קח ס"ק כ ובשו"ת בצל החכמה ח"ד סי' פט ס"ק יד ובבדי השלחן סי' צט סעי' ה ס"ק מד וביאורים ד"ה שנתבטל.

If each person is planning to take her challah home, and no single challah is large enough to make a bracha on, then according to many Poskim a bracha cannot be made. See http://www.star-k.org/kashrus/kk-InsightsFromTheInstitute-Summer14.htm for more information. I suggest that one person make a large challah and say a bracha on her challah, and the other women can listen to that bracha.

In Shacharis there is a kaddish yasom after aleinu, and if there is no yasom present then any person who does not have a parent should say it, and if there is no such person present then someone whose parents are alive should say it provided that his parents do not mind. The Mishna Berura lists this kaddish as one of the seven kaddishes that need to be said every day. The kaddish after aleinu after mincha and maaariv are not included in this list, which indicates that it is not necessary to recite them. However, elsewhere the Mishna Berura writes clearly that kaddish should always be said after aleinu. הרמ"א או"ח סי' קלב סעי' ב כתב שאומרים קדיש יתום אחר עלינו, ואפילו אין יתום בבית הכנסת יאמר אותו מי שאין לו אב ואם, ואפילו מי שיש לו אב ואם יכול לאמרו אם אין אביו ואמו מקפידין. והלבוש סי' נה סעי' א ומ"ב שם ס"ק ה כתבו שאין פותחין משבעה קדישים בכל יום, ואחר מהם הוא הקדיש אחר עלינו בשחרית, ומשמע שאמירת קדיש אחר עלינו במנחה ומעריב הוא רשות. אמנם המ"ב בסי' קלב ס"ק י כתב להדיא שלעולם אומרים קדיש אחר עלינו.

If you drink just the coconut water, the bracha is shehakol. If you eat the coconut, the water is tafel to the coconut and does not need a bracha. הבן איש חי (פ' פנחס אות ט) כתב, "אבטיחים השחורים שקורין בערבי רק"י, לפעמים ימצא מים מכונסים בתוכם, אם שותה המים לבדו ואינו אוכל מן הפרי של האבטיחים יברך שהכל, אבל אם אוכל מן הפרי עצמו ג"כ אין צריך לברך דברכת הפרי פוטרתן".

Rav Moshe Feinstein writes that eating kosher food in a non-kosher restaurant is a problem of maaris ayin. One could argue that there is no maaris ayin as a person might enter a treif restaurant for numerous reasons – for a date, for a business meeting with a non-Jewish client, or to use the restroom. However, these things applied in Rav Moshe’s time too, and he still says that it is a problem. It is hard to know exactly what the parameters are. It seems that it all depends upon the nature of the restaurant and the location. For example, I don’t know of any frum people who have dates at McDonalds. When frum people go on dates in establishments which have non-kosher food, they usually go and sit at an area away from where the treif food is being served. I think that it would be considered maaris ayin to go on a date and sit in the middle of a treif restaurant next to someone eating ham, and should not be done even if the people on the date eat only kosher food. עי' בשו"ת אגרות משה או"ח ח"ד סי' פב

If a number of people are putting on a tallis at the beginning of davening at the same time, meikar hadin one of them should make a bracha for everyone because ?berov am hadras melech?. However, the Mishna Berura says that this is not the custom, and he explains that sometimes the person saying the bracha may not have the proper kavanah to be motzi the other person and sometimes the person listening may not have the proper kavanah to be yotzei. I think that the same would hold true for this situation. Meikar hadin, it would be better for the other person to be motzi you on the sholeim. However, the minhag is not to do so because of the concern that people will not have kavanah. There are occasions where we do apply the principle of ?berov am hadras melech? and have one person make a bracha for everyone, for example for kiddush and motzi on Shabbos. The difference seems to be that at the time of kiddush and motzi everyone is at the Shabbos table and not busy with other things and are paying attention. However, on a weekday, where people are busy, the custom is not to have one person make a bracha for someone else. עי' במ"ב סי' ח ס"ק יג לענין ברכה על הטלית בבית הכנסת, ועי' בשו"ת מנחת שלמה ח"א סי' א מש"כ בזה.

If a person makes a neder to give tzedaka to a certain poor person and that poor person does not want to accept the money, the donor is absolved from his neder. Perhaps it is the same here, that the tzedaka decided that they do not want your money. However, this is probably not the case and they just lost the check. As such, there was a kabbalah on your part to give money to tzedakah. If you did not verbally speak out that you were definitely going to give the money specifically to this cause, then you could now decide to give the money to some other tzedaka instead. עי' בט"ז יו"ד סי' רג ס"ק ה שאם נדר ליתן צדקה לעני והעני אינו רוצה לקבל הרי הוא פטור מן הנדר, אמנם נראה שאין זה שייך הכא. ועי' ברמ"א שם סי' רנח סעי יג שמי שגמר בלבו ליתן צדקה חייב לקיים מחשבתו (והאחרונים כתבו לחלוק על התירו של השו"ת אש דת הובא בפת"ש שם ס"ק טו), אמנם בספר צדקה ומשפט פ"ד הערה יג כתב שבכה"ג מותר לשנות מעני לעני. ואף לפי השו"ת חוות יאיר ס' קצד שבנדר אמרינן כתיבה כדיבור מ"מ כתב בשו"ת באר משה ח"ב סי' ח שכתיבת ש'יק הוי כמחשבה שהרי לא כתב 'הריני נודר כך וכך לצדקה', וא"כ מותר לשנות מצדקה לצדקה.

I don?t know of any problem with having clothes on your bed unless they are under your head. The Gemara says that one of the things that can cause a person to forget his learning is putting his clothes under his head, meaning that a person should not use his clothes as a pillow. Women need not be concerned, but a man should avoid this. If he puts something between his head and the clothes, then it is fine. בגמ' הוריות דף יג ע"ב אמרו שאחד מן הדברים המשכחים את הלימוד הוא הנחת כליו (פירש"י מלבושיו) תחת מראשותיו, והמ"ב סי' ב ס"ק ב כתב שאפשר שאם מניח דבר אחר המפסיק בין ראשו לבגדיו אין קפידא. והחוות דעת (יו"ד סי' עב) וכף החיים (או"ח סי' קנז ס"ק כח) כתבו שנשים א"צ ליזהר בדברים אלו כיון שאינן מצוין בתלמוד תורה, וכ"כ הגר"ח קנייבסקי שליט"א (שיח השדה, קונטרס ספר זכרון ח"ב בהקדמה), ועי' במבוא לספר שמירת הגוף והנפש (פי"ט) מש"כ בזה (וע"ע בזה בספר זכרון שם אות טו ובשמירת הגוף והנפש סי' קיח).

Rav Moshe Feinstein says that the chassan and kallah should drink, but not the mevarech (the person who led the zimmun). The chassan and kallah need to drink together at least the shiur of moleh lugmov (a cheekfull) of one of them. 2 fl. oz. would be sufficient to fulfill this requirement. כ"כ בשו"ת אגרות משה או"ח ח"ד סי' סט, ועי' במ"ב סי' רעא ס"ק סח ששיעור מלא לוגמיו הוא בערך שיעור ביצה, ובספר כזית השלם עמ' כד כתב ששיעור ביצה הוא מעט פחות מן 2 fl. oz

A utensil used in the preparation or eating of food (a ?kli seudah?) needs tevilah. A pill is not eaten as food, and a pill splitter therefore does not require tevilah.

It is not appropriate to use these words to refer to anyone other than Hashem, and the wearer should not intend to turn ?divrei Torah? into ?divrei chol?. The words of the necklace should be covered before entering a bathroom. I suggest tucking the necklace into your shirt or top, and you can then rely on the opinion of many Poskim that one covering is sufficient to allow bringing divrei Torah into the bathroom. Regarding the jewelers, I don?t think that it is lechatchila to make and sell jewelry which has words from pesukim. One can change the words slightly and then the phrase does not have a din of kisvei kodesh. They could change it to ?dodi li ve?ani ledodi?. Maybe it is sufficient to just skip the letter vav and write ?ani ledodi dodi li?. עי' במ"ב סי' מג ס"ק כה שספרים אם הם בכיס אחד שרי להכניסן לבית הכסא וי"א דבעינן דוקא כיס בתוך כיס, ועי' בספר גנזי הקודש עמ' נט ובמלואים ס' ב מש"כ בזה. ועי' שם בעמ' שלב שכתב שהרוצה לכתוב "אני לדודי ודודי לי" באופן שא?צ גניזה יכתוב "דודי לי ואני לדודי".

The Shulchan Aruch quotes the Rambam as saying that there is a mitzva deoraissa to remove and guard oneself from any life-threatening hazard. The requirement to remove the hazard seems to imply that endangering another Jew’s health is also included in the issur. However, Chazal say that risks that normal regular people take are permitted. For example, it is perfectly fine to drive a car, even though there are some inherent risks. Rav Moshe Feinstein writes that smoking cigarettes is considered a normal activity, and even though it is preferable not to smoke it is permitted to give a cigarette to someone else who does smoke. Some people argue that Rav Moshe wrote this teshuva many years ago, and now that the dangers of smoking are much clearer even Rav Moshe would agree that it is forbidden. That is debatable, as smoking is still legal and commonplace. However, it is illegal to use drugs, at least for non-medicinal uses. Certainly, among frum people it is considered unacceptable. Therefore, Rav Moshe would presumably agree that it is forbidden to do so, and one may not use drugs or give or sell them to another Jew. A person is also halachically obligated to keep the law of the land, which forbids him from selling them to a non-Jew. Furthermore, there is a fundamental ethical problem with using illegal drugs. Hashem created Yidden with a purpose, and he gave us the seichel to be able to accomplish that purpose. Using recreational drugs is a rejection of that seichel, and is therefore tantamount to a rejection of the purpose of Hashem’s creation. עי' בשו"ע חו"מ סי' תכז סעי' ח וערוך השלחן שם, דרכי תשובה יו"ד סי' קטז ס"ק נז, שו"ת אגרות משה יו"ד ח"ב סי' מט. ואף שלא שייך כאן האיסור של לפני עור כיון דלא הוי בתרי עברי דנהרא מ"מ הוי מסייע ידי עוברי עבירה שאסור מדרבנן. ועי' במג,א סי' שמז ס"ק ד ובגדול מרבבה יו"ד סי' קנא על הש"ך ס"ק ו מש"כ בזה.

Rav Heinemann paskens that the hair of the peyos ha?rosh should be left at least 3 millimeters long. On the Wahl website it says that the Wahl ?Color Pro? clipper comes with the following comb sizes: No. ? - 1/16" (1.5mm), No. 1 - 1/8" (3mm), No. 2 - 1/4" (6mm), and another six larger sizes. The ? size should not be used, but all the other sizes are fine.

If the pancakes are very thin then the bracha is mezonos. If they are not so thin and are not fried in oil, then they would be classified as pas habah bekisnin. The bracha would be mezonos if a person ate less than a shiur of kevias seudah or hamotzee if he ate a shiur of kevius seudah or more. עי' בשו"ע או"ח סי' קסח סעי' טו ובמ"ב שם ובס"ק לח

Rav Moshe Feinstein discusses a nusach Ashkenaz person davening in a nusach Sefard minyan. He says that – (1) He should say pesukei dezimrah quietly in his own nusach. (2) He can say birchas krias shema out loud in the nusach of the shul, or he can say it quietly in his own nusach. (3) Kedusha, which is said out loud, he should say in the nusach of the shul. (4) He should say the vidui and 13 middos harachamim with them. (However, Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach and Rav Elyashiv say that nowadays a person can follow his minhag regarding nefilas apayim wherever he is, as long as he does not stick out). If the Ashkenazi is the sheliach tzibbur then he should say everything like the nusach of the shul. עי' בכל זה בשו"ת אגרות משה או"ח ח"ב סי' כג וח"ג סי' פט. ובספר אשי ישראל פכ"ה ס"ק ה כתב "אם נמצא בבית הכנסת שנהגו לומר בו תחנון קודם והוא רחום אינו חייב לנהוג כמותם, והוא הדין להפך". ובהערה כ"א שם כתב, "שמעתי מהגרש"ז אויערבאך זצ"ל דכיון שכיום בכל מקום יש שנוהגים כך ויש שנוהגים אחרת אין חשש של לא תתגודדו, אך אפשר שאם כל הנמצאים בביהכ"נ אומרים והוא רחום קודם תחנון והדבר ניכר אם ינהג אחרת, ינהג כמותם. וכ"ה בשם הגרי"ש אלישיב (שליט"א) [זצ"ל] בספר תפילה כהלכתה פרק ד הערה כו".

The Chazon Ish is unsure about the halachic status of our bathrooms, and concludes that one should be machmir. Other achronim concur with this. Even if digital text is not called ksav, reading a text message containing torah would at least constitute thinking about divrei torah, which is ossur in a beis hakisei. Therefore, one should not read a Torah text message in a bathroom. עי' חזו"א או"ח סי' יז ס"ק ד וס"ק יא, שו"ת אגרות משה אהע"ז ח"א סי' קיד ד"ה ובענין בית הכסא, שו"ת מנחת יצחק ח"א סי' ס, שו"ת יביע אמור ח"ג או"ח סי' ב, שו"ת ציץ אליעזר ח"ז סי' ה, שו"ת חלקת יעקב או"ח סי' ב

My understanding is that Rabbi Heinemann is concerned about zilusa de?Shabsa only if the machine makes noise. A dishwasher makes noise, and Rabbi Heinemann does not permit setting it on a timer. There are Poskim who are machmir and feel that zilusa de?Shabsa applies to coffee makers and similar things, even though they do not make noise, but Rav Heineamnn is meikel. עי' ברמ"א או"ח סי' רנב סעי' ה ומ"ב שם ס"ק מח, ועי' בשו"ת מנחת יצחק ח"ד סי' כו שכתב להחמיר אף במקום שאין השמעת קול.

There is debate in the contemporary Poskim about this. Rav Heinemann holds that, if he said it within 42 minutes after shkia (in this part of America), he can continue counting with a bracha. עי' בשו"ת מנחת יצחק ח"ט סי' נז שכתב להקל רק אם ספר בזמן בין השמשות של הגאונים, אבל בספר מקדש ישראל (ימי הספירה) סי' כא הביא שהאדמו"ר מסאטמאר זי"ע אמר שיש להקל כל שספר קודם צאת הכוכבים של ר' תם, וכן דעת מו"ר ר' היינעמאן שליט"א

Perhaps there is a simpler reason for the psak: Bitul berov only helps for min be?mino. The Chasam Sofer discusses a case where potatoes and wheat were mixed together and fermented. He writes that if the potatoes made up the majority of the mixture, and if the fermented products of wheat and potatoes taste the same, then the wheat would be botel berov and the mixture would be muttar after Pesach. However, he writes that he finds it hard to believe that the two products taste the same. Similarly, the corn and barley are min be?sheino mino and bitul be?rov is not sufficient. עי' בשו"ת חת"ס או"ח ח"א סי' קלג, ועי' בשדה חמד ח"ז מערכת חמץ ומצה סי' ה ס"ק לז שהאריך בזה

A faucet has the status of “machshirei ochel nefesh” – a utensil used for the preparation of food. Replacing a whole faucet is usually a maaseh uman – it needs proficiency. A maaseh uman is permitted for machshirei ochel nefesh if needed. However, since you have a fleishig sink and you could get water from that faucet, fixing the milchig faucet is not really needed. Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach leans towards forbidding this. Therefore, you should not fix the faucet on chol hamoed, unless you need to fix it in order to stop the water from flowing in which case it is a davar ha’oveid and is muttar. If the fix is simple to do and is not a maaseh uman then it is also fine to do it on chol hamoed. עי' בשש"כ ח"ב פס"ו סעי' יד שתיקון ברז המים בחוה"מ דינו כתיקון מכשירי אוכל נפש, ובהערה סה שם כתב בזה"ל, "שמעתי מהגרש"ז אויערבך (שליט"א) [זצ"ל] דאם יש לו ברז-מים באמבטיה, ... יש לו ממש מים בביתו, קשה להתיר מלאכה גמורה משום קצת טירחה, אך מי שרגיל להחמיר על עצמו לא לשתות מים של חדר-אמבטיה נראה דשפיר שרי, עכ"ד".

If the eggs are regular chicken eggs, and if the hotel lets you bring your own pan and do your own cooking in their kitchen, and if the stovetop grate on which you are putting your pan is clean, it would be fine. However, if a non-Jew turns on the fire and cooks the eggs, even if you are watching, it would be a problem of bishul akum. עי' ברמ"א יו"ד סי' קיב סעי' ו שביצים שנתבשלו ע"י עכו"ם אסורים משום בישול עכו"ם.

You can’t find this in the Mishna Berura because it is not there. The Mishna Berura brings the Magen Avraham that ”rikudin u’mecohlos” – dancing and going round in a circle - are forbidden during the sefirah. The Aruch Hashulchan also brings this halacha, and he writes that “rikudin u’mecholos” are forbidden and “kol shekein” – all the more so – playing musical instruments. Similarly, the Teshuvos Minchas Yitzchok provides sources proving that music is considered to be a bigger simcha than rikudin u’mecholos. The Igros Moshe adds that during sefira one cannot listen to music on the radio either. Presumably this psak is not limited specifically to the radio and would apply to any device which is used to play music. עמ' במ"ב סי' תצג ס"ק ג לאסור ריקודין ומחולות בימי הספירה ומקורו במג"א כמש"כ בשעה"צ שם ס"ק ג, ועי' בערוך השלחן שם סעי' ב שכ"ש שאסור לזמר בכלי זמר, ועי' בשו"ת מנחת יצחק ח"א סי' קיא ובשו"ת אגרות משה או"ח ח"א סוף סי' קסו.

Ashkenazim do not eat kitniyos products on Pesach. However, R. Yitchok Elchonon Spector allows one to drink on Pesach a kitniyos-based liquor which had been produced before Pesach. He argues that the reason that the custom developed not to eat kitniyos on Pesach was due to the fact that kitniyos crops often grow near wheat fields and there is a concern that wheat kernels got mixed into the kitniyos. However, any wheat kernels mixed with the kitniyos that were used to produce this liquor would have been bottel before Pesach, and the final product certainly does not contact any intact grains of wheat. However, R. Yitchok Elchonon Spector himself notes that the Chayei Odom seems to forbid this. The Avnei Nezer and other Poskim also disagree with this heter, and the minhag is to be machmir and not rely on this heter. Therefore, an Ashkenazi should not eat this product on Pesach. עי' שו"ת באר יצחק מהגרי"א ספקטור או"ח סי' יא ושו"ת אבני נזר סי' שעג וספר מרחשת סי' ג

It is possible that the nest and eggs are automatically considered to be hefker without you saying anything, but it is a good idea for you to explicitly be mafkir them in front of three people. It is sufficient for you to be mafkir, and your wife does not need to do so. בשו"ת אגרות משה (יו"ד ח"ד סי' מה) כתוב "אם אחד טוען שאין זה זכות בשבילו ולא רצה לזכות יש להאמינו גם למפרע ולא קנה, וממילא יכול עדיין לקיים מצות שילוח הקן". ולפי"ז אם רוצה לקיים המצוה ואין זה זכות לו שיזכה חצירו א"צ להפקיר. וכן צידד הגר"ח קנייבסקי שליט"א (בתשובות בספר שלח תשלח עמ' קיז). אמנם הגרי"ש אלישיב זצ"ל (שלח תשלח עמ' סח הובא באשרי האיש יו"ד ח"ב עמ' קמב) חולק על זה. ואם כבר קנה לו חצירו, דעת הגר"ח קנייבסקי שליט"א (שם עמ' קיז ועמ' קיט) שיכול להפקיר את הביצים, לכתחילה בפני ג' (ובספר שלח תשלח עמ' עא כתב שכן שמע מנכדו של בעל האגרות משה בשם סבו, אבל בעמ' עב שם כתב שהגרי"ש אלישיב זצ"ל אמר שהפקר אינו מועיל לזה). ועכ"פ נראה שא"צ האשה להפקיר, שכל מה שקנתה אשה קנה בעלה. ועי' במ"ב סי' תלד ס"ק טו שא"א לעשות שליח להפקר.

The kugel should not be eaten together with milk, but it is not necessary to wait six hours after eating it. The blades of the food processor should be taken off and kashered. Wait 24 hours after the incident happened, heat up water in a parve pot until it is bubbling, drop the blades in, then pour out the hot water and pour in cold water, and the blades are now kashered. עי' בחי' רע"א (יו"ד סי' פט על הש"ך ס"ק יט) שכתב שאם בישל דבר חריף בקערה של בשר מותר לאכול גבינה אחריו. והפמ"ג (או"ח סי' תצד א"א ס"ק ו) כתב שאחר שאכל בשר אין לאכול צנון שנחתך בסכין חלבי, ומשמע שחולק על רע"א בזה. והגרי"ש אלישיב זצ"ל (אשרי האיש יו"ד ח"א עמ' מג) פסק שאין צריך להמתין. וכתב המ"ב (סי' תנא ס"ק צ) בזה"ל, "כתב המ"א יש ליזהר שלא לחתוך הזנגווי"ל רק בסכין חדש ואותן שאינן זהירין בזה יוצא קלקול מזה שחותכים זנגוויל שהוא דבר חריף בסכין של בשר ודכין אותו במדוכה ונמצא המדוכה בלוע מבשר ואח"כ דכין בתוכו בשמים ואוכלים בחלב". ולפי"ז ה"ה כאן יש להגעיל סכיני המדוכה משום שנבלע בהם טעם בשר ע"י הבצל. ואף שהאבן העוזר (יו"ד סי' צו סעי' ג) וחוות דעת (שם ביאורים ס"ק ו) חולקים על המג"א בזה, והכף החיים (או"ח סי' תנא ס"ק קפה) כתב שבדיעבד יש להקל, עכ"פ לכתחילה צריך הגעלה.

No, you should not do that. Also, nowadays the shat?z is not being motzee anyone, and there are other reasons for chazaras hashat?z. כתב המ"ב (סי' קכד ס"ק י"ז) "יש ליזהר מלומר תחנונים או ללמוד בעת חזרת הש"ץ ... שאם הלומדים יפנו ללימודם עמי הארץ ילמדו מהן שלא להאזין לש"ץ ויעסקו בשיחה בטילה". ועי' בספר פסקי תשובות (סי' קכד אות א) כמה טעמים לחזרת הש"ץ אף בזמן הזה שכולנו בקיאים.

Regarding the bracha on cooked wheat berries, it would depend: If the cooked wheat berries get soft and stick together and form one dish, the bracha would be mezonos. If the cooked wheat berries remain separate distinct whole pieces, the bracha would be ha'adama. The cooked wheat berries that I have seen did get somewhat soft and stick together to a degree, and their bracha would be mezonos. עי' בשו"ע או"ח סי' רח סעי' ב ובמ"ב שם ס"ק ג שחמשת מיני דגן שחלקן או כתשן ועשה מהם תבשיל מברך עליהם בורא מיני מזונות, ואם הם שלמים אף שבישלן מברך בורא פרי האדמה, אכן אם נתמעכו ע"י הבישול מברך עליהם בורא מיני מזונות.

If a person has a gas oven with a pilot light, then is fine for him to turn it on himself on Yom Tov. If he has a gas oven with electronic ignition or if he has an electric oven, turning it on will complete a circuit and create a new fire, which is not permitted on Yom Tov. However, if necessary he may ask a non-Jew to do this on Yom Tov. The reason is that according to many Poskim both creating a fire on Yom Tov and completing a circuit are issurei derabonnon. Therefore, if one needs the flame to cook food, asking a non-Jew is a shvus di?shvus bemokom tzorech which is muttar. The second day of Yom Tov is certainly derabbonon, so everyone would agree that asking a non-Jew is a shvus di?shvus and is muttar. בשו"ת אגרות משה (או"ח ח"א סי' קטו) כתב "בדבר להדליק את הגעז ביום טוב מהפיילאט לייט פשוט שמותר". וכתב הביה"ל (סי' תקב סעי' א ד"ה אין) שנחלקו האחרונים אם האיסור של הולדת אש ביו"ט הוא דאורייתא או דרבנן, ורוב האחרונים ס"ל דהוי דרבנן, ועי' מה שהאריך בזה הגרש"ז אויערבאך זצ"ל בספרו מאורי אש. וידוע ג"כ שיטתו שהפעלת חשמל אינו אסור אלא מדרבנן כמש"כ בשו"ת מנחת שלמה (ח"א סי' יא). וא"כ במקום צורך יש להתיר אמירה לעכו"ם כאן משום שהוא שבות דשבות במקום צורך שמחת יו"ט. וכעי"ז כתב בשו"ת שבט הלוי (ח"ח סי' קכ"א) להתיר אמירה לעכו"ם ביו"ט לחבר זרם החשמל של כירה חשמלית שנתקלקל.

I think that you are referring to statement in the tzavaa of Reb Yehuda Hachassid that it is a sakana to break apart an old oven in order to use the ground that it was on for something else. Some people are careful to follow everything written in the tzavaa of Reb Yehuda Hachassid, while other people are not. Either way, if the oven has already been broken apart then the action that Reb Yehuda Hachassid does not like has already been done, and I don?t think that there is a problem to walk on that spot. בצוואת ר' יהודה החסיד (אות מט בצוואת ר"י החסיד הנדפס בתחילת ספר חסידים הוצאת ר"ר מרגליות) כתוב "לא יתוץ אדם תנור וכריים שאופים בו להשתמש באותו מקום אלא יניח אותו לתקן שנית כי סכנה גדולה כל עושה אלה". ועי' בספר שמירת הגוף והנפש (מבוא פט"ו) שהאריך בצדדים להחמיר וצדדים להקל באזהרות ר"י החסיד.

As you noted, the Shulchan Aruch mentions this in regard to putting on shoes. The Mishna Berura says that it is ?tov? ? good - to do this when putting on clothes. It seems that it is not an absolute obligation, but rather a commendable thing to do when getting dressed. The Mishna Berura also mentions that when showering one washes the head first and then the right side of the body and then the left side. The Mishna Berura does not provide any further examples of beginning with the right side. Presumably there is some middas chassidus to do this for someone who is on a very high level and always thinking about Hashem, and the teacher may in fact be at that level. However, for the average person I don?t think that there is any preference to put in the right eyedrop before the left one. Apart from the issue of right coming before left, there is a general idea of using the dominant hand when performing mitzvos. When a person says a bracha before eating or smelling something, he should hold the item in his dominant hand. Similarly, when reciting a bracha over a mitzva item he should hold the item in his dominant hand. When getting dressed or undressed, I don?t think that there is any preference whether a person starts at the top or at the feet. One should do whatever seems most appropriate in terms of tzniyus. כתב השו"ע או"ח סי' ב סעי' ד ינעל מנעל ימין תחלה, ובמ"ב ס"ק ד כתב טוב שישים שני צדי המלבוש ביד ימינו וילבש הימין ואח"כ השמאל, ובמ"ב ס"ק ז כתב כשהוא רוחץ וסך ימין תחלה ואם סך כל גופו ראש תחלה. ובשו"ע שם סי' רו סעי' ד כתב כל דבר שמברך עליו צריך לאוחזו בימין, ועי' במ"ב שם ס"ק יח שה"ה בכל ברכה שמברך על איזה מצוה שיש לו לאחוז הדבר ביד ימינו בשעת ברכה, ובאיטר יד אזלינן בתר ימין דידיה,

The best thing to do is to make a tzuras hapesach spanning the doors. If there is a tzuras hapesach, then you can carry in your property whether the doors are closed or open. Here is how to make a tzuras hapesach: I assume that the doors are hinged to doorposts. Run a string or wire from the top of one of the doorposts to the top of the other doorpost. The horizontal string must go over the tops of both doorposts. The two vertical doorposts and the horizontal string connecting the tops of the doorposts is called a tzuras hapesach. Although it is not hard to do, there are various halachic criteria which have to be fulfilled for the tzuras hapesach to be ?kosher?. After you construct it you should show a picture to someone who knows the halachos of eruvin. עי' בשו"ע או"ח סי' שסד סעי' ב שרה"ר ניתרת בדלתות והוא שננעלות בלילה וי"א אע"פ שאין ננעלות, ובמ"ב שם ס"ק ח כתב מדהעתיק המחבר דעה ראשונה בסתמא משמע דכן ס"ל. אמנם החזו"א או"ח סי' עח ס"ק א כתב שדלתות בלי צוה"פ לא מהני. ועי' בנתיבות שבת פכ"ג הערה טז והערה כה שהביא שהרבה מקילים בזה, ומ"מ נראה שלכתחילה יש לעשות צוה"פ, ושוב א"צ לדלתות להתיר הרה"י.

There is a prohibition of ‘bal tolin’, which means that one is required to pay a Jewish worker on the day of the work. However, if the worker agrees before he starts the work that he will not be paid that day, this prohibition does not apply. If you do a few sessions a week, you can tell him before you start that you will pay at the end of the week. Also, if the clinician does not expect his clients to pay until they receive a bill in the mail, then the issur does not apply. עי' בשו"ע חו"מ סי' שלט סעי' ט "שכיר שמכיר בבעל הבית שאין דרכו להיות בידו מעות אלא ביום השוק אינו עובר בבל תלין אפילו יש לו מעות", וכ"ש אם הבעל הבית אמר לו כן.

The best thing would be to have a non-Jew use the lancet device and give the insulin injections, but this is probably impractical. Rabbi Bodner (Halachos of Refuah on Shabbos, page 184) writes as follows: “In most cases a non-Jew will not be readily available, so the next best option is to test blood sugar with a shinui – e.g., he should hold the lancing device in his mouth, and squeeze the release trigger with his teeth or with the back of his finger. He should then squeeze the blood out of his finger in an unusual manner – e.g, press the punctured finger in an unusual manner against a tabletop. He should insert the strip into the reader without turning it on, and then give the final push on the monitor device with an elbow or back of the hand.” If this is not practical and you cannot find any similar shinui and there is no non-Jew available, and your doctor says that it may be dangerous If you don’t do this on Shabbos, then you should do it without a shinui. Regarding injections, there are different types of injections – intravenous injections into a vein, and intramuscular and subcutaneous injections which do not go into a vein. Intravenous injections on Shabbos may be an issur deoraissa; other injections are ossur miderabonnon. A Jew cannot give an intravenous injection to a sick person whose life is not in danger. If there is no non-Jew available and there is a pressing need, a Jew may give an intramuscular or subcutaneous injection to a choleh she’ein bo sakana without any shinui. I believe that insulin injections are subcutaneous and are therefore muttar for a choleh she’ein bo sakana, and certainly muttar in a case where there may be sakanah. The Shemiras Shabbos Kehilchassa (33:8-10) says that one should prepare the injection by putting the needle into the syringe before Shabbos if it can be kept sterile, and he then discusses how to sterilize the equipment and injection site on Shabbos. כתה השמירת שבת כהלכתה פרק לב סעי' נח שהזרקת זריקה תת-עורית או תוך-שרירית אין בה כשלעצה איסור תורה מה שאין כן בהזרקת זרקיה תוך-ורידית אשר יש אומרים שיש בה איסור תורה, ועי' בהערה קנ"א שם. ובפרק לג סעי' ז כתב שמותר להזריק לחולה שאין בו סכנה זריקה תת-עורית או תוך-שרירית אבל אסור להזריק זריקה בווריד. ואע"פ שלכאורה אין להתיר זריקה תת-עורית או תוך-שרירית אלא ע"י עכו"ם או ע"י שינוי, ביאר ר' בודנר (עמ' 62) שכיון שא"א לעשותו ע"י שינוי א"כ במקום צורך יש לסמוך על המקילים לעשותו ע"י ישראל בלי שינוי, וכוונתו לדעת החיי אדם הובא במ"ב סי' שכח ס"ק קב. וע"ע בשש"כ שם סעי' ח-י.

The Nodah Biyehuda says that an eveir min hachai does not need to be buried unless there is concern for tumas kohanim. However, Rav Moshe Feinstein disagrees. It seems that if the amputated part contains flesh and bone (or most of a bone) then it needs kevurah according to Rav Moshe. If the amputated part is just flesh without bone then all agree that it does not need kevura. עי' בשו"ת נודע ביהודה תנינא יו"ד סי' רט הובא בקצרה בפת"ש יו"ד סי' שסט ס"ק ג, ובשו"ת אגרות משה יו"ד ח"ג סי' קמא חלק עליו וכתב "צריכין ליקח מבתי החולים ולקוברם רק אברים שיש בהם בשר וגידים ועצמות, אף אברים קטנים, ואף כשחסר מעט מהעצם, דלענין קבורה אין לחלק, ולא בני מעים ולא כליות וטחול ולא שפיר ושליא כשליכא עדיין צורת ולד שאין שם גידים וכן כל כה"ג שליכא עצם".

There is a problem of bishul akum if a non-Jew is turning on the flame and cooking the eggs. עי' ברמ"א יו"ד סי' קיב סעי' ו שיש בישול עכו"ם בביצים.

I don’t think that clicking the “Submit” button is equivalent to taking a neder or shevuah. Furthermore, if you said kol nidrei on Yom Kippur then you already stated that you do not want something like this to be binding on you as a neder or shevuah. Having said that, I think that it is a good idea to say that perek of tehillim now. איתא בחז"ל (נדרים דף ח ע"א) שהאומר אשנה פרק זה נדר גדול נדר לאלוקי ישראל. והבאר הגולה (יו"ד סי' רלב סוף סעי' יב) הביא בשם הר"י מגאש שאפילו הכותב נדר או שבועה צריך לקיימו אע"פ שלא הוציאו מפיו, ועי' בפת"ש (שם סי' רלו ס"ק א) ובחמת אדם (כלל קא סעי' כ) ובערוך השלחן (יו"ד סי' רי סעי' יא) ובשו"ת חתם סופר (יו"ד סי' רכ וסי' רכז) מה שדנו בזה. ומ"מ י"ל שבנדון דידן שאין כאן כתב אלא לחיצה בכפתור לבד אפשר שלכו"ע אין זה בגדר שבועה כלל. ובשו"ת מנחת שלמה (ח"א סי' צא אות כ) כתב שלענין דין זה של האומר אשנה פרק זה וכו' שפיר יש לסמוך על מסירת מודעא בערב ר"ה, וכעי"ז כתב הגרי"ח זוננפלד בשו"ת שלמת חיים (סי' רל"א). ובספר הל' חג בחג (ימים נוראים פ"ד הערה 23) כתב שכן שמע מהגרי"ש אלישיב זצ"ל, ועוד כתב שכן מטו בה משמיה דהגרא"ז מלצר זצ"ל. ונראה שאע"פ שנשים אינם נוהגים לומר המסירת מודעה של ערב ר"ה, מ"מ אם אמרו 'כל נדרי' מהני ג"כ. ולכאורה ה"ה כאן, שלא היתה לה כוונה של קבלת נדר ורק לחצה בכפתור נגד הלשון שכתבו העורכים, יש לסמוך על המסירת מודעא שלאחר כל נדרי. ובפרט שלשון הקבלה שכתבו הם אינו מובן, שהרי בתחילה כתבו I understand that I am making a commitment, שמשמעותו הוא שאני מקבל לעשות דבר לעתיד, ובסוף כתבו and certify its fulfillment, שמשמעותו הוא שאני מאשר שכבר עשיתי דבר בעבר, והם דברים הסותרים את עצמם. ומכל זה נראה שאין לחוש לשבועה לבטלה. ומכל מקום כדי להיות 'איש אמת' במה שאפשר, כדאי לומר הפרק תהלים עכשיו, כנלע"ד.

You are referring to the prohibition of ona’ah. However, the one-sixth price increase does not mean that a person can only charge up to one-sixth more than it cost him to buy the material. Rather, it means that he cannot sell an item for one-sixth more than what other merchants are charging for the same item. In other words, a person should not trade on someone else’s lack of knowledge of the market price in order to hike the price up. This prohibition applies only when the two merchants are selling the exact same item. If you want to charge more than what other people are charging because you feel that your items are of higher quality, that is perfectly fine.

The yak does have the Torah requirements (simanim) associated with a kosher animal, and should be kosher. In fact, Yak Ribs were served in 2011 at the "Mesorah Dinner" organized by Dr. Ari Zivotofsky and Dr. Ari Greenspan. The menu is available at http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=shallots%20bistro%20mesorah%20menu&source=web&cd=5&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CDsQFjAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ruths-kitchen.com%2FMenu%2520(Jul%252023%2C%25202011)%2520Printed.pdf&ei=ra4gU4v-O5TMkAfNgoG4Bw&usg=AFQjCNErYi0bXsVTyaUIanN3VhbD1bTB-A&bvm=bv.62788935,d.eW0 Some Poskim feel that even if an animal has the required simanim it should not be eaten unless there is an unbroken tradition of Jews having eaten it over the centuries. According to these Poskim, one would need to research whether there is an unbroken tradition of eating yak. However, the Star-K follows the opinion of the Pri Megadim that one does not need an unbroken tradition, and it is sufficient that the animal has the required simanim. (The Star-K would not necessarily accept some of the other items served at this “Mesorah Dinner”). החכמת אדם כלל לו סעי' א כתב שאין אנו אוכלין אלא אותם הבהמות וחיות שקיבלנו במסורת מאבותיו, והחזון איש יו"ד סי' יא ס"ק ד וס"ק ה פסק כדברי החכמ"א הללו ודלא כהפמ"ג יו"ד סי' פ שפ"ד ס"ק א, אמנם דעת מו"ר ר' משה היינעמאן שליט"א הוא שנוהגים כדברי הפמ"ג.

Rav Heinemann writes Hunt Valley – האנט וועלי שבמדינת מערילנד.

This is not accurate. Rav Heinemann does allow the Remington microscreen shavers. According to Rav Heinemann, all straight-edge foil shavers are in included within Rav Moshe’s heter to use shavers. His only concern is the three-head rotary shavers, such as the Norelco shavers. Rav Heinemann holds that there is no need to remove their lift-and-cut mechanism, but he holds that some of those shavers have blades that are as sharp as a razor which need to be slightly dulled before use.

This chumra is brought by the Mishna Berura, so there is some hiddur mitzva to be machmir. However, Reb Shlomo Zalman Auerbach zt”l is quoted as having said that the minhag is to be meikel, and that there is no need to be machmir. I think that, similar to other areas of hiddur mitzvah, if a person has money berevach then it is nice to be mehader but if not then it is fine to skip it. עי' במ"ב סי' יא ס"ק ג שהפרישה בשם המהר"ל מפראג הסכים דלכתחלה יש להחמיר לנפץ לשמה, אמנם הגרש"ז אויערבאך זצ"ל הובא בספר שלחן שלמה (תפלה פ"ג סי' יט) כתב "אין צריך להחמיר להטיל דוקא חוטי ציצית שנפצום לשמה שהרי כבר כתב הרמ"א (סי' יט ס"א) 'והמנהג להקל' ".

There is some discussion in the Poskim as to whether or not paper plates and plastic cups that have been thrown away are muktza. Even if they are muktza, I would agree with you that if the mess is disturbing to the people who come to shul then it would have the din of graf shel rei and could be moved. Even if it does not disturb people, it is certainly fine to sweep the mess up with a broom and dustpan. בענין כלי חד פעמי שנשפך לאשפה האם הוי מוקצה, עי' מש"כ הגרש"ז אוירבעך זצ"ל בתיקונים ומלואים לספר שש"כ פ"ט הערה יא, ובמכתבי הגרש"ז אויערבאך בספר מאור השבת ח"א מכתב טז אות ו וח"ב מכתב כב אות ב ואות ב* ומכתב כד אות ז, וע' בשלחן שלמה סי' שח אות כח.ג ואות לז, ועי' מה שהובא בשם הגרי"ש אלישיב זצ"ל באשרי האיש או"ח ח"ב אות פט ואות צ.

: The prohibition of bishul akum does not apply to foods which are sometimes eaten raw. I am not sure to what extent maple syrup is eaten raw. However, there is another reason why bishul akum does not apply here. Maple syrup is not eaten by itself but is just used to give taste to a dish, and is therefore not called ‘oleh al shulchan malochim’ (it is not served by itself at a prestigious meal). Pouring maple syrup over food is no different than sprinkling sugar, and there is no bishul akum by sugar. For this reason, there is no problem of bishul akum with maple syrup. Having said that, there may well be other kashrus concerns with the equipment that they are using to cook the maple syrup. עי' בספר חלקת בנימין סי' קיג ציון סא שהביא סברא זו משו"ת טוב טעם ודעת מהדורא תנינא סי' רכ"ה ושו"ת שואל ומשיב מהדורא ג' סי' ר"ל ושו"ת בית שלמה סי' קע"ח.

It is true that tomatoes can grow as perennials in their native habitat in certain temperate climates, and tomato plants can live there for a number of years. However, this is not generally the case. In colder climates, tomato plants will not last for more than a year. In tropical climates, it is possible to grow tomatoes plants that last for two or three years, but generally not more than that. As far as the bracha, a plant which only lasts for a year is certainly ho’adama. Even if a plant lasts for more than a year, if it doesn’t live for more than three years and its seeds produce fruit in the first year, then the correct bracha is ho’adama. This is true for tomatoes in most climates, which is why the bracha on tomatoes is ho’adama. עי' חזון איש ערלה סי' י"ב ס"ק ג שכתב "ונראה לדינא דכל שהגרעין מגדל פירי בשנה ראשונה וגם הגזע אין מתקיים יותר משלש שנים אין בו משום ערלה ... וכן לענין ברכה מברכין עליו בורא פרי האדמה".

I would agree that the first dish is mezonos. As for the second dish, I think that it would depend upon how much oatmeal is used. As you know, it is customary to say shehakol on chicken schnitzel even though it is covered with a thin layer of mezonos. Even though mezonos generally is not considered a tofel item, in the case where it is clearly tofel to the chicken shnitzel the bracha is not mezonos. In your case, if a minimal amount of oatmeal was used, such that it is clearly tofel to the apple-cranberry, the bracha would not be mezonos (it would be ha’eitz if the apple slices are the majority ingredient or shehakol if the cranberry sauce is the majority ingredient). If a larger amount of oatmeal was used, the bracha would be mezonos. I suggest that you ask your wife whether the oatmeal coating is comparable to the coating on schnitzel, or whether it is doing something more than that for the apple-cranberry. I suspect that it is doing something more than the coating on shnitzel, in which case you would be correct that the bracha is mezonos. בענין ברכה על שניצל, עי' בספר וזאת הברכה עמ' 248 ובספר ותן ברכה עמ' 78 שהגר"מ פיינשטין והגר"י קמנצקי והגרי"ש אלישיב זצ"ל פסקו שברכתו שהכל. וכ"כ בשו"ת שבט הלוי ח"ד סי' קסא וח"ו סי' כד.

Yes, it is muttar lechatchila to leave the liver for more than three days and then kasher it, with no additional cooking afterwards. You should make sure that the liver did not sit for 24 hours or more in blood which came out of it (kavush). Having said that, it sounds strange to buy meat from a butcher that is not trustworthy. If you don't trust them to keep halacha properly, who knows what else they are doing wrong? עי' פתחי תשובה יו"ד סי' סט ס"ק כו.

: The Aruch HaShulchan brings a machlokes rishonim regarding this. After discussing the opinions at some length, he concludes by saying that since separating challah in chutz la’aretz is de’rabonnon therefore one can be meikel. He seems to be saying that, in chutz la’aretz, cookies are completely pottur from challah. However, Reb Shlomo Zalman Auerbach zt”l disagrees and says that they are chayav in challah with a bracha. Rav Heinemann is choshesh for the psak of the Aruch HaShulchan and therefore says that one should separate challah without a bracha. עי' בערוך השלחן יו"ד סי' שכ"ט סעי' ט-טו באורך, ועי' בשו"ת מנחת שלמה ח"א סי' סח הערה 1 מש"כ לחלוק עליו.

If you are reading recipes for pleasure, it is fine. If it is just preparation for after Shabbos, one shouldn’t do it. בשש"כ פכ"ט סעי' מו כתב שאסור לקרוא "הוראות בישול", אמנם בהערה קטז שם הביא שהגרש"ז אויערבאך זצ"ל צידד להתיר. ובשו"ת באר משה ח"ו סי' סז כתב בענין קריאת ספרי בישול – "אם לא ללמוד מעשה בישול ואפיה רק לעיין ולהתענין איך אחרים עושים דבר שהיא עושה וזה עונג להנשים, זה שרי".

If they really don’t have anything else and the only cups available are glass then you may use them, but it is better to try and find a disposable cup. The main concern with the glass cups is that they may have been washed in hot water together with plates that had treif food on them. However, there are a number of reasons why this is not necessarily a problem: (i) Perhaps the glasses were washed separately and never came into contact with treif. (ii) Some hold that glass is “smooth” and does not absorb taste; (iii) The utensils are washed with soap, which would give a bad taste to any non-kosher residue; (iv) If the glass was washed more than 24 hours before use then any absorbed taste would no longer be good taste. If there are disposable cups available then it would be best to use them and avoid this whole issue altogether. If there is nothing else available then you may use a glass cup, but you should not use a ceramic cup. השו"ע (או"ח סי' תנא סעי כו) פסק שכלי זכוכית אינם בולעים, ואף שהרמ"א (שם) חלק על זה הרי הביא הפמ"ג (משב"ז שם ס"ק לא) בשם הכנה"ג שלא החמיר אלא בפסח ולא בשאר איסורים. ואף שנוהגים להחמיר בזה מ"מ יש סניף להקל. וסתם כלים אינם בני יומן, ואפילו אם רחצו הכלים באותו היום הרי הכל נפגם ע"י הסבון. ואף שטעם פגום אסור לכתחלה, י"ל שכיון שהולך בדרך הוי כדיעבד וכמש"כ היד אפרים (יו"ד סי' קכב סעי' ו ד"ה שלא הוחמו). וכיון שאין כאן אלא ספק שמא רחצו הכוסות עם דברים אסורים, נראה שיש להקל כשאין שם כוסות אחרים.

Kosher law classifies animals and fish and plants based upon characteristics which are visible to the naked eye, which could be perceived by the members of the Jewish Nation living at the time of Moses. For this reason, DNA makeup has no bearing on kosher law.

You can eat eggs with protein spots. The way to tell the difference between protein spots and blood spots is that protein spots are asymmetrical and brown whereas blood spots are symmetrical and red. If it isn’t red then it is fine.

If we can ensure that the pilot light always stays on, I believe that the Star-K holds that it should be valid forever. Chazal made a takana forbidding bishul akum, and we pasken that if a Jew contributes to the fire in any way then the takana does not apply. We do not find that Chazal gave any time frame for this, and the Star-K does not have any specific time limit. You mentioned that some Poskim hold that a Jew needs to relight the flame every month. The choice of a month seems arbitrary. Furthermore, please note that the Rama is talking about a Jew throwing in a woodchip, which gets burnt up. Pilot lights are a continuous flame, which having been lit by the Jew may retain their status forever. Practically speaking, pilot lights do go out and the job of every mashgiach is to ensure they stay lit or to relight them on a regular basis. There is no practical difference in this regard between the Star-K and other kashrus agencies.

Wraps are made by rolling the dough till it is thin. The halachic question is whether a thin wrap has a “toar lechem” – whether it looks like bread. Rabbi Bodner (Halachos of Brochos, footnote on page 485) says that he showed a wrap to Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, who said they do not have toar lechem and are mezonos. However, Rabbi Heinemann holds that anything in which you can see the air bubbles is considered to have toar lechem. If you take a wrap and break it in half, you will usually see small air bubbles at the edge of the tear. If it has those air bubbles, the wrap will be hamotzi according to Rabbi Heinemann. At the Star-K we showed Rabbi Heinemann nine different brands of wraps, and he said that they were all hamotzi. [For various reasons, other kashrus agencies also feel that a most wraps are hamotzi – see Guide To Blessings and Hamotzei vs Mezonos

The Poskim differentiate between peas, which are generally taken out of the pod before reaching the consumer, and peanuts, which are often sold in their shells. They write that the melacha of dosh applies only to something which is generally taken out of its shell before reaching the consumer. Therefore, taking peas out of their shell on Shabbos is forbidden, whereas taking peanuts out of their shell is permitted. My understanding is that edamame is generally taken out of its shell before reaching the consumer, and therefore should not be taken out of its shell on Shabbos. The truth is that nowadays peanuts are also generally taken out of their shell before reaching the consumer. Rav Wosner therefore says that some are machmir not to shell peanuts of Shabbos nowadays, but the Tzitz Eliezer strongly disagrees and says that it is perfectly fine to shell peanuts on Shabbos. עי' בספר אגלי טל מלאכת דש הערה י"א ושו"ת אגרות משה או"ח ח"א סי' קכה ושש"כ פ"ג הערה צב בטעם היתר פריקת אגוזים מקליפתם, ולענין בוטנים בזמנינו עי' בשו"ת שבט הלוי ח"א סי' פא ושו"ת ציץ אליעזר ח"י סי' כד ושו"ת חלקת יעקב או"ח סי' קלג

Here are some of the different possibilities: Kohanim, no levi or Yisrael - call up one kohen after another. Kohanim, one levi or yisroel - call up the levi or yisroel first, then the kohanim one after another. Kohanim, two or three or four yisraelim - call up kohen first, the same kohen bemokom levi for the second aliya, then all the yisarelim present, then finish up with kohanim. Kohanim, five yisraelim or more - call up kohen first, the same kohen bemokom levi for the second aliya, then yisraelim. Kohanim, one levi, one Yisrael - calll up kohen, then levi, then yisrael, then kohanim. Kohanim, one levi, two yisraelim -calll up kohen, then levi, then two yisraelim, then kohanim. Kohanim, two leviim, two yisraelim - call up kohen, levi , yisrael, cohen, levi , yisrael, cohen. Only kohanim and leviim - call up kohen first, then levi, then continue alternating between kohen and levi. עי' בכל זה בשו"ע או"ח סי' קלה סעי' יב ובמ"ב שם ס"ק מד וס"ק מה.

There is a difference between birchos hanehenin, birchas hamitzvos, and birchas hashevach. Birchos hanehenin may be said sitting. There are six birchas hamitzvos which should be said standing – the brachos on sefiras ha’omer, kiddush levanah, tzitzis, shofar, lulav and bris milah. Birchos hashevach, such as asher yotzar, may be said sitting. However, some Poskim write that it is a nice thing to say asher yotzar standing. כתב האבודרהם (ברכת השחר) בזה"ל, "ושש מצות הן שברכתן מעומד, סימן להם עלץ שלם: עומר, לבנה בחדושה, ציצית, שופר, לולב, מילה". והב"י (או"ח ריש סי' ח) הביא מספר ארחות חיים שלברכת הנהנין א"צ לעמוד. וכתב הפרי מגדים (פתיחה להל' ברכות אות י"ח) שגם ברכת השבח רשאי מיושב. אמנם עי' בשו"ת תשובות והנהגות (ח"ג סי' עו) שכתב "ברכת השבח ראוי לכתחילה לברך מעומד".

It used to be customary to have a special pot dedicated for eggs, due to the possibility that a blood spot would be found, rendering the egg and the pot non-kosher. A blood spot indicates the start of the formation of an embryo. However, nowadays, commercially sold eggs are generally not fertilized, so this is not a concern. Rav Moshe Feinstein writes that if a person finds a blood spot in a non-fertilized egg he should throw the egg away, but if he has cooked the egg it will not affect his pot. For this reason, it is not necessary nowadays to have a special pot for eggs, and it is not necessary to cook three eggs at a time. Chicken eggs do not need a hashgacha. However, since chicken feed contains chometz, it is customary not to eat eggs that where laid on Pesach. (Eggs which are bought from a local farm may have been laid by chickens that can come into contact with roosters, and the eggs could possibly be fertilized, so the above would not apply.) עי' בשו"ת אגרות משה (יו"ד ח"א סי' לו) שביצים שנולדו מספנא דארעא שנמצא בהם דם די לזרוק את הדם מלבד, ומן הראוי להחמיר ולאסור כל הביצה, ואם הביצה נתערב באחר אין להחמיר, וגם על הכלי אף כשנבשלה הביצה לבדה אין להחמיר אף לבעלי נפש. (אמנם בשו"ת אג"מ או"ח ח"ג סי' סא כתב על זה "והכלים אני נוהג להחמיר שלא להשתמש בהן מעת לעת ואין צורך להגעיל", וזהו שלא כדבריו הנ"ל שהכלים מותרים לגמרי, וצ"ע).

Although one could argue that it is not a problem, Rabbi Heinemann has said that it is best to avoid eating the cut-up fruit. If practical, one can cut off a sliver of the fruit where it was cut and then eat the rest of of it. עי' בשו"ע ורמ"א יו"ד סי' צו סעי' ד שמי לימון של עכו"ם מותרים מפני שחותכים הרבה לימונים ביחד ואף אם נאסרו אלו שחתכו בראשונה נתבטלו באחרים. אמנם מו"ר ר' היינעאמן שליט"א אמר שלכתחלה יש לחשוש שבבתי מלון אין חותכים הרבה פירות ביחד.

A number of Poskim allow a poor person to use maaser money for basic wedding expenses, however Rav Chaim Kanievsky shlit”a forbids this. It is therefore preferable not to do so. עי' שו"ת מהרש"ם (ח"א סי' לב) ושו"ת שבט הלוי (ח"ט סי' רא אות ג) ושו"ת ציץ אליעזר (ח"ט סי' א פ"ד) ושו"ת תשובות והנהגות (ח"א סי' תקס"א) ושו"ת יחוה דעת (ח"ג סי' עו) וספר ארחות רבינו (ח"א עמ' רצו) וספר אשרי האיש (יו"ד ח"ב עמ' טו-טז) מש"כ בזה. ובספר יד מלכים לר' דוד זויברמן שליט"א (פרק לא) הביא שהגר"ח קנייבסקי שליט"א אמר שכיון שהאב מחויב להשיא את ילדיו וא"א להשיאם בלי הוצאת כסף א"כ הוי כפורע חובו ממעות מעשר כספים שאסור. ור"ד זויברמן הקשה להגרח"ק שעכ"פ מה שמעבר לסכום המינימלי שבו אפשר להשיא את בנו יתן ממעשר כספים. וכתב (שם עמ' רמב) בזה"ל, "השיב שאם נגזר שזה השידוך אולי זה דוקא עם הסכום הגדול שהתחייב דבלי זה לא היה יוצא השידוך וממילא את כל הסכום חייב ולא יכול לפרוע ממעשר כספים". וגם מו"ר ר' היינעמאן שליט"א אמר שאין להשתמש עם מעשר כספים לזה.

Although a number of Poskim advocate kashering a microwave with steam, Rabbi Heinemann here at the Star-K does not take that position. There are a wide range of opinions among Rabbonim as to how to treat microwaves in halacha. The following is Rabbi Heinemann’s psak concerning microwaves: The halachic status of a microwave will depend upon whether the walls of the microwave do or do not absorb the taste of the various foods which are cooked in it. When microwaves are used, the walls do not necessarily get hot enough to absorb. A microwave can be tested to see if the walls become hot during use. To do this, clean the microwave and cook an open potato in the microwave until it has been steaming for a few minutes. Place your hand on the ceiling of the microwave to see if it has become too hot to touch. If you cannot hold your hand touching the ceiling for fifteen seconds, then we can assume that the walls and ceiling of the microwave do get hot enough to absorb. In many microwaves, the ceiling does not become that hot. If the microwave is clean and the walls and ceiling do not become hot, it may be used without kashering even if it has previously been used for treif. However, you should first buy a new turntable. If you have a microwave that does not absorb taste, then the following rules apply: You can cook milk in the microwave and, after ensuring that the inside of the microwave is clean, you can cook meat in the same microwave. Similarly, you can cook meat in the microwave and, after ensuring that the microwave is clean, you can cook milk in the same microwave. Since the microwave is clean and there is nothing absorbed in the walls there will be no transfer of taste from meat to milk or milk to meat. However, you cannot use the same turntable for both the milk and meat dishes. One solution to this is to cut a piece of (quarter inch thick) Styrofoam so that it covers the surface of the turntable. You can then designate the turntable as milk exclusively and put the Styrofoam over the turntable whenever using it with meat, or designate the turntable as meat exclusively.

A person can’t salt a few vegetables in one go on Shabbos even if he is planning to eat them right away. This is a gezaira because of the melacha of bishul. The Mishna Berura says that it applies only to vegetables which are pickled or preserved. There is another issur not to salt any food for later use, even if the food is not usually pickled or preserved. This is a gezeira because of me’abed. The Mishna Berura 321:21 brings a machlokes as to whether this is forbidden only if you intend to preserve the food until after Shabbos, or even if you are going to eat it at a different meal on Shabbos and are salting it letzorech seudah acheres. As you wrote, lettuce is not commonly pickled or preserved, and I think that it is fine to salt lettuce if is going to be eaten during that Shabbos. One should try to only salt the lettuce for the upcoming meal and not for another later meal. עי' בשו"ע סי' שכא סעי' ג ובמ"ב שם ס"ק יג וס"ק יח ובשו"ע שם סעי' ה ובמ"ב שם ס"ק כא.

The easiest solution is to get someone else to be motzi you, and that person should drink the wine. If you can’t do that, you can make kiddush on the challah for Friday night. This means that you should wash and then say kiddush holding the challah, substituting the hamotzi bracha for borei pri hagofen. For kiddush on Shabbos day you could use orange juice or some other chamar medina for Shabbos day and havdala. You could use whisky, but It is hard to drink most of a reviis of whisky. Beer is also fine, although the people who don’t want to drink wine for health reasons usually don’t want to drink beer or whisky either. עי' בשו"ע ורמ"א סי' רעב סעי' ט ובמ"ב סי' רעא ס"ק מא ובשש"כ ח"ב פרק נג סעי' ה וסעי' ט וסעי' טו וסעי' יט.

You should kasher it first before being tovel it. שו"ע יו"ד סי' קכא סעי' ב

A person who is not all that sick should not do exercises if it is obvious and apparent that it is being done as therapy. If that is the case with these exercises, then I would suggest doing them on Friday afternoon and Motzei Shabbos. However, a person is allowed to stretch his neck on Shabbos if it is not apparent that it is being done as therapy. May Hashem send you a refuah sheleima, that the carpal tunnel syndrome goes away soon. עי' בשמירת שבת כהלכתה פרק לד סעי' כג ובשו"ת ציץ אליעזר חלק יב סי' מה

It is true that one should not draw a picture of the sun. However, this is only true if the picture is clearly recognizable as the sun, and it is not clear whether your cake decoration would qualify. I would think that this kind of cake would not be considered an accurate representation, and therefore can be made. עי' שו"ת אגרות משה או"ח ח"ה סי' ט אות ו

Assuming that there are no other halachic issues with the refrigerator, Rabbi Heinemann holds that you can open the door of the fridge if you close it within the minute and no noise is produced. However, even if this is permissible, if one time you were not careful and the fridge/freezer stayed open for a minute, then the noise would start and you would not be allowed to close the door to make it stop. You would then have to leave the door open until the beeping stops, after which you could close the door. It would obviously be best if you could prevent this possibility by, before Shabbos, disabling the mechanism which causes the noise. Whether this is possible would depend on the type of fridge they have. There are different mechanisms by which a fridge senses that the door has been opened. Some fridges have a plunger on the side of the fridge where the door is hinged, so that opening the door releases the plunger. This can be disabled by taping down the plunger. Other fridges magnetically sense that the door has been opened. There may be a way to disable the mechanism by attaching magnets in the right places. Perhaps an experienced electrician may know how.

The Rambam writes that two trees which are very similar in their appearance or their fruit and look like two varieties of the same type are not kilayim, and he adds that this is decided based on how things look to people. Therefore, even though a peach and plum are from the same genus, since people consider them as two different fruits they will be kilayim. However, it is not a problem to graft different varieties of apples. There is some discussion in the Poskim concerning grafting apples with crab apples, however the apples that you are grafting are different varieties of cultivated apples and this is fine. One should not own a grafted tree. Therefore, one should not buy a plum tree to which a branch from a peach tree has been attached or suchlike. However, if a cutting was taken from this grafted tree in order to grow a second tree, it can be replanted and owned by a Jew in order to create a second tree. A number of common fruits that we eat were created by this process. עי' ברמב"ם פ"ב מהל' כלאים הל' ד ובשו"ע יו"ד סי' רצה סעי' ו וסעי' ז ובפת"ש שם ס"ק ב

The Shach (Y.D. 122:4) explains that our assumption of stam keilim einom bnei yomo is based on a sfek sfeka, maybe the kli is not a ben yomo, and even if it is a ben yomo maybe it was used for something whose taste is pogem the food which is being currently cooked. By the coffee pitcher too, maybe it has not been washed in the last 24 hours, and even if it was washed maybe the taste which it was boleah from the other keilim is pogem the coffee. Also, even if it was washed in the last 24 hours, it was probably washed with soap which often is pogem. Also it is not clear whether the coffee pitchers are in fact washed in hot water with other dirty keilim or whether they are washed alone. Also, the Nodeh BiYehuda (quoted in Yad Efraim Yoreh Deah 122:6) says that travelling is considered equivalent to a bedieved situation. For all these reasons, when one is on the road and no other coffee is available one can be lenient. [Comments or questions regarding this answer can be emailed to [email protected]. Only generic questions and answers are posted here. All sensitive questions and answers are kept strictly private.]

One of your boys should not be alone in the house with your niece, unless other members of the family are coming and going and entering the house frequently. If the boy knows that no one will be coming to the house for some time, then it would be a yichud problem for him to be alone with the girl. If both boys are there, then it would not be a yichud problem. This is true during the daytime and evening, but late at night (after the time that people start to go to sleep) the two boys should not be left alone with the girl. (The halacha is concerned that one of them may accidentally fall asleep, leaving just one boy and one girl awake, which would be a yichud problem). If your daughter is around - you can leave one son alone with your daughter and niece. This would be true during the day and evening, but not late at night. It is fine if your daughter is playing in front of the house, as long as she has access to the house and could come inside at any time. Your husband has the same halachos as a son. He should not be alone with the girl, but he and one son can be together with the girl during the day and evening. Similarly, your husband and daughter can be alone with the girl during the day and evening. According to a number of Poskim the husband and daughter can be alone with the girl even late at night. If your husband and both sons are all in the house, they could be alone with the girl even late at night. [Comments or questions regarding this answer can be emailed to [email protected]. Only generic questions and answers are posted here. All sensitive questions and answers are kept strictly private.]

It is permitted to give a pet oral medicine on Shabbos, as stated by the Mishna Berura 332:5. [Comments or questions regarding this answer can be emailed to [email protected]. Only generic questions and answers are posted here. All sensitive questions and answers are kept strictly private.]

In general, a person cannot bake dairy bread, and the same would apply to a vegetarian. However, there are a couple of exceptions: (1) If one forms the dough into a special shape which is not usually used for bread then one can bake dairy bread (Y.D.97:1). (2) If one is only baking the amount that will be eaten up in one day, or less than that, one can bake dairy bread (Rema Y.D. 97:1). [Comments or questions regarding this answer can be emailed to [email protected]. Only generic questions and answers are posted here. All sensitive questions and answers are kept strictly private.]

One can give a wind-up toy to a child on Shabbos, but an adult should refrain from winding it himself (see Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach quoted in Shemiras Shabbos Kehilchassah chapter 16 footnote 39 and the addenda to that footnote in Shemiras Shabbos Kehilchossoh volume 3 page 28). [Comments or questions regarding this answer can be emailed to [email protected]. Only generic questions and answers are posted here. All sensitive questions and answers are kept strictly private.]

The usage of a Shabbos elevator is a complex issue which has been extensively discussed among modern Poskim. See Shemiras Shabbos Kehilchassah 23:49, Igros Moshe O.C. 2:95, Minchas Yitzchak 3:60, Chelkas Yaakov 3:137, Be’er Moshe 7:107, Shevet Halevi 6:39. As there is a difference of opinion, it would seem preferable that a healthy person who has no need to use a Shabbos elevator should avoid it. [Comments or questions regarding this answer can be emailed to [email protected]. Only generic questions and answers are posted here. All sensitive questions and answers are kept strictly private.]

If you stay up the whole night without sleeping (for example on Shavuos night), then in the morning you should do the following: (1) Use the bathroom and then say Al Netillas Yodayim and Asher Yotzar (Mishna Berurah 4:30). (2) If possible hear the bracha of Elokei Neshama from someone else and have him be motzee you. If you slept for half an hour you can say the bracha (Mishna Berura 46:24). (3) If possible have someone been motzee you in Birchas Hatorah. If you had slept during the previous day (for example during the afternoon before Shavuos) then you can say Birchas Hatorah yourself. If these options are not available then you should daven and have in mind that the brachah of Ahava Rabbah before Shema should count in place of Birchas Hatorah, and then after Shemoneh Esrei you should say the pesukim of Yevarechecha etc. that we normally say after Birchas Hatorah (Mishna Berurah 47:28). (4) Say Birchos Hashachar (Rema 46:8). (5) The bracha of Hamaavir Shena follows the same rules as Elokei Neshama (Mishna Berurah 46:24). [Comments or questions regarding this answer can be emailed to [email protected]. Only generic questions and answers are posted here. All sensitive questions and answers are kept strictly private.]

There are some packages of food where, if one opened the package before the onset of Yom Tov the food would get stale and would not taste as fresh on Yom Tov as if the package was opened on Yom Tov. Rav Moshe Feinstein (Igros Moshe O.C. 1:122) writes that in such a case one can open the package on Yom Tov in the normal way, assuming that one is not tearing any wording or pictures. However, Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, quoted in Shemiras Shabbas Kehilchassah chapter 9 footnote 4, questions this and says that one should open the package in a manner which destroys the packaging, as on Shabbos. [Comments or questions regarding this answer can be emailed to [email protected]. Only generic questions and answers are posted here. All sensitive questions and answers are kept strictly private.]

I think that a person could turn a palette expander on Shabbos, if it does not cause pain or discomfort. However, a person should not do things on Shabbos which cause pain or discomfort, as this will negatively impact his Oneg Shabbos (see Mishna Berurah 328:140). [Comments or questions regarding this answer can be emailed to [email protected]. Only generic questions and answers are posted here. All sensitive questions and answers are kept strictly private.]

If candles fall on Shabbos and there is any immediate concern of pikuach nefesh then one should put out the fire. If there is no concern of pikuach nefesh, one can pick up the tablecloth and walk to the sink and gently let the candles roll into the sink, in such a way that it is not definite that the candles will go out. If necessary, one can pick up the candles directly and move them (Shemiras Shabbos Kehilchassah 41:17). If the tablecloth has caught fire, one can pick up the tablecloth and put it in the sink. Alternatively, one can put silver foil or bottles of water around the fire, even if it is a certainty that the fire will break the bottles and release the water. If necessary, one can pour a liquid other than water directly on the tablecloth around the fire, so as to prevent the fire from spreading (see Shulchan Aruch 334:22,24) [Comments or questions regarding this answer can be emailed to [email protected]. Only generic questions and answers are posted here. All sensitive questions and answers are kept strictly private.]

One cannot prepare from the first day of Yom Tov for the second day. The Mishna Berurah (503 Biur Halacha ‘BeYom’) writes that this is even a problem during bein hashmoshos. Therefore, one cannot carry something during bein hashmoshos in order to use it on the second day. It is debatable whether one can prepare during bein hashmoshos for use during bein hashmoshos, and one should be stringent concerning activities which have the potential to be a Torah transgression. For the majority of streets (excluding highways) this would not be the case, and one can therefore be lenient (see R. Shlomo Zalman Auerbach quoted in Yom Tov Sheni Kehilchoso page 221). [Comments or questions regarding this answer can be emailed to [email protected]. Only generic questions and answers are poted here. All sensitive questions and answers are kept strictly private.]

The reason that we keep two days of Yom Tov is not because we are unsure which one is Yom Tov and which one is chol. We keep two days of Yom Tov because of minhag avoseinu be’yadainu, and they are both definitely Yom Tov. The first day is Yom Tov mideoraissa, and the second day is Yom Tov miderabbanan. Therefore, one should only give the car to the non-Jewish mechanic if the car will in the shop for sufficient time either before or after Yom Tov that the non-Jew could have done the work then had he wished to. [Comments or questions regarding this answer can be emailed to [email protected]. Only generic questions and answers are posted here. All sensitive questions and answers are kept strictly private.]

When a person wears clothing with four corners, he is obligated to have tzitzis on those corners. A person is not obliged to wear clothing with four corners. Nevertheless, whenever a person does wear clothing with four corners which have tzitzis on them then he is deserving of reward, and it is a commendable thing to do so (Shulchan Aruch O.C. 24:1). Rav Moshe Feinstein writes (Igros Moshe O.C. 4:4) that, since it has become an established minhag, everyone nowadays is obligated to wear tzitzis. I would assume that this means that one is obligated to wear tzitzis in general every day, but does not mean that one is obligated to wear tzitzis every waking minute of the day. Having said that, the Mishna Berura (8:1) instruct us not to walk four cubits without wearing tzitzis. Contemporary Poskim encourage wearing tzitzis even when it is hot (Tzitz Eliezer 14:49) and when one is exercising or playing sports (Az Nidberu 2:55). [Comments or questions regarding this answer can be emailed to [email protected]. Only generic questions and answers are posted here. All sensitive questions and answers are kept strictly private.]

It is fine to sleep on the bottom of a bunk bed (Responsa Az Nidberu 7:73). However, I have heard from Rabbi Heinemann that there is an ‘inyan’ for an adult not to sleep on the bottom of a bunk bed. [Comments or questions regarding this answer can be emailed to [email protected]. Only generic questions and answers are posted here. All sensitive questions and answers are kept strictly private.]

One should not buy an item from a non-Jewish store, planning to use it and then return it. [Comments or questions regarding this answer can be emailed to [email protected]. Only generic questions and answers are posted here. All sensitive questions and answers are kept strictly private.]

A person can only make a bracha on his tallis after the time known as ‘misheyakir’ (Mishna Berurah 18:10). There is some debate when this is. Some are of the opinion that this is 60 minutes before sunrise (Kaf Hachayim 18:18). However, Rav Moshe Feinstein is of the opinion that it is 35-40 minutes before sunrise (Igros Moshe O.C. 4:6). Rabbi Heinemann follows the opinion of Rav Moshe Feinstein. A person can put on his tallis before this time and then when the time comes touch the tzitzis and make the bracha. [Comments or questions regarding this answer can be emailed to [email protected]. Only generic questions and answers are posted here. All sensitive questions and answers are kept strictly private.]

A person can use sponge earplugs on Shabbos but not wax earplugs, since it is forbidden to mold the wax to the shape of the ear (see Mishna Berurah 314:45-46). [Comments or questions regarding this answer can be emailed to [email protected]. Only generic questions and answers are posted here. All sensitive questions and answers are kept strictly private.]

A temporary bookmark does not need genizah and can be thrown away. It is fine to put a bookmark in a Siddur, but one should not use the Siddur as a place to store tissues which are going to be used for one’s nose or eyes. [Comments or questions regarding this answer can be emailed to [email protected]. Only generic questions and answers are posted here. All sensitive questions and answers are kept strictly private.]

Separating silverware from leftover food would not be borer, since silverware and leftover food are easily distinguishable items which would not be considered mixed together. Although one cannot do hachana, in general there are a number of reasons why it is permissible to clean up. (1) If the leftovers are not disposed of then the house will start to smell on Shabbos (2) If the leftovers are not disposed of then ants might come to the house on Shabbos (3) If the plates are not put into the sink then the house will look messy on Shabbos (4) If the leftovers are not disposed of they will stick onto the plate and be harder to remove after Shabbos, so that removing them is necessary to prevent the situation from getting worse on Shabbos. For all these reasons there is no problem of hachana. In general, the situation where none of these reasons apply could be after shalosh seudos, since Shabbos will anyway be over in a short while. If that is so, then one should not clean up after shalosh seudos due to the problem of hachana. [Comments or questions regarding this answer can be emailed to [email protected]. Only generic questions and answers are posted here. All sensitive questions and answers are kept strictly private.]

In Rabbi Eider's book, you will notice that the last line on page 335 states that this allowance only applies to meat. Also the second paragraph on page 336 says that some Poskim feel that nowadays this allowance does not apply. This was the viewpoint of Rav Henkin. Therefore, it is preferable not to rely on this if it can be avoided. Rather, the food should be cooked or half cooked before the onset of Shabbos. [Comments or questions regarding this answer can be emailed to [email protected]. Only generic questions and answers are posted here. All sensitive questions and answers are kept strictly private.]

There are two issues which have to be taken into account when a non-Jew does something for a Jew on Shabbos or Yom Tov: One issue is amirah le’akum, telling a non-Jew to do something for you on Shabbos or Yom Tov. If the non-Jew could do the action in a way which does not violate Shabbos or Yom Tov, and the non-Jew then decides to do it in a way which does violate it, then his doing this is his own decision and would not constitute a problem of amirah le’akum. In your example, if you ask him to make coffee, and he could take water from the urn but instead decides to use the coffee machine, there would not be a problem of amirah le’akum. A second issue is benefitting directly from something that a non-Jew does on behalf of a Jew on Shabbos or Yom Tov. For example, if on Shabbos a non-Jew, on his own volition without being asked to, turns on a light for a Jew, then there are limitations to the benefit that the Jew can get from that light. For this reason, if you see that a non-Jew is about to turn on your light for you on Shabbos, you should stop him and tell him not to do it (Mishna Berurah 176:11). Therefore, if you saw that a non-Jew was about to make coffee in your coffee maker for you on Yom Tov, you should stop him from doing so. [Comments or questions regarding this answer can be emailed to [email protected]. Only generic questions and answers are posted here. All sensitive questions and answers are kept strictly private.]

An aveil cannot cut his hair during the first thirty days of aveilus. After that, he can cut his hair when it is clear to people that it is very necessary for him to get a haircut. Once his hair is that long then he can get a haircut even if nobody actually comments on it. Rav Moshe Feinstein says that the aveil should wait twice as long between haircuts as he normally does. For example, if he normally gets a haircut every month then the aveil could cut his hair after two months. Once the aveil has waited twice as long as he would normally wait, we assume that it would look to people that he is clearly in need of a haircut. [Comments or questions regarding this answer can be emailed to [email protected]. Only generic questions and answers are posted here. All sensitive questions and answers are kept strictly private.]

There are people who have the minhag to say a posuk at the end of shemoneh esrei which starts and ends with the same letters as their name. Apparently this is not considered a hefsek. This is because they have already said yiheyu le’ratzon before they started elokei netzor (they also say yiheyu le’ratzon a second time before taking three steps back). Saying shir lamaalos should be no different, and one could do this. However I am skeptical that there is such a segulah. The end of elokei netzor is considered a place to say private bakoshos, and repeating pesukei Tehillim would not fulfill this. I think that you would be better off saying a bakasha in your own words from your own heart at the end of shemoneh esrei, and then saying a kapittel of Tehillim later if you have time. Please contact me if you have any more questions, and may Hashem answer all our tefillos. [Comments or questions regarding this answer can be emailed to [email protected]. Only generic questions and answers are posted here. All sensitive questions and answers are kept strictly private.]

Separating silverware from leftover food would not be borer, since silverware and leftover food are easily distinguishable items which would not be considered mixed together. Although one cannot do hachana, in general there are a number of reasons why it is permissible to clean up. (1) If the leftovers are not disposed of then the house will start to smell on Shabbos (2) If the leftovers are not disposed of then ants may come into the house on Shabbos (3) If the plates are not put into the sink then the house will look messy on Shabbos (4) If the leftovers are not disposed of they will stick onto the plate and be harder to remove after Shabbos, so that removing them is necessary to prevent the situation from getting worse on Shabbos. For all these reasons there is no problem of hachana. There may be situations where none of these reasons apply, for example after Shalosh Seudos where Shabbos will be over in shortly. If that is so one should not clean up then due to the problem of hachana. [Comments or questions regarding this answer can be emailed to [email protected]. Only generic questions and answers are posted here. All sensitive questions and answers are kept strictly private.]

For Ashkenazim, no commercially made food needs to be Pas Yisroel.  Pas Yisroel nowadays for commercial products is a chumrah which some people keep.  If a person decides that he is going to accept upon himself all the halachos of Pas Yisroel, then pretzels would be included.  The minhag is to eat only Pas Yiroel during the Aseres Yemai Teshuva. There are different opinions as to whether this includes pretzels or not, and one should be stringent. [Comments or questions regarding this answer can be emailed to [email protected]. Only generic questions and answers are posted here. All sensitive questions and answers are kept strictly private.]

One can use non-kosher fertilizer and the vegetable which grows from it would be considered kosher. [Comments or questions regarding this answer can be emailed to [email protected]. Only generic questions and answers are posted here. All sensitive questions and answers are kept strictly private.]

You can clean the cookie sheet well and then tovel it. [Comments or questions regarding this answer can be emailed to [email protected]. Only generic questions and answers are posted here. All sensitive questions and answers are kept strictly private.]

As you probably know, it is not right for a person to give a psak without hearing both sides of the argument, so I can’t fully answer your question. Also, it is possible that the contract which you signed at the time that you rented the apartment makes you to responsible for this type of damage.  You should look the contract that you signed to see if this is the case. If the renter is a frum Jew and you cannot come to an agreement with him, then I would suggest that you and him go to a Rabbi that you are both comfortable with, and agree to do whatever he paskens. Although I cannot give a psak, I can offer you points to bring up with the renter: (1) You can argue that putting a hot pot down in a kitchen sink is a normal use of the sink.  If you did nothing out of the ordinary and the sink was damaged, then clearly the sink was defective or old.  You should not need to pay the renter if he rented you a defective sink or a sink which was too old to be used in the normal way. (2) If there is just a small mark in the sink, then it may not affect his ability to rent the apartment out again.  If the average person would not care and would be just as likely to rent the apartment whether the sink had a mark or not, then you can argue that you have not caused him any financial damage and do not have to pay. (3) If the sink can be repaired so that this mark would no longer bother people, then you should be entitled to pay for the repairs rather than pay for a new sink. (4) Even if the sink was irreparably damaged, you can argue that you do not need to pay the full cost of a brand new sink, and only owe the value of an old sink. For example, if a new shirt cost me $20 and you ruined it, you would owe me $20.  However, if the shirt was two years old when you ruined it, the halacha is that you only owe me the value of a two year old used shirt, and not the $20 value of a new shirt. [Comments or questions regarding this answer can be emailed to [email protected]. Only generic questions and answers are posted here. All sensitive questions and answers are kept strictly private.]

Every adult male should wear tefillin when saying shema (Mishna Berura 44:33) and also when saying shemonah esrei (see first Biur Halacha in Siman 80).  The davening leader should be wearing a tallis (Mishna Berura 18:5). [Comments or questions regarding this answer can be emailed to [email protected]. Only generic questions and answers are posted here. All sensitive questions and answers are kept strictly private.]

Companies that are owned by Jews and certified by the Star-K cannot be open on Friday evening after Shabbos starts. Companies that are owned by Jews and certified by the Star-K must sell their chametz before Pesach and are not allowed to work with chametz on Pesach. [Comments or questions regarding this answer can be emailed to [email protected]. Only generic questions and answers are posted here. All sensitive questions and answers are kept strictly private.]

The pot is probably fine, however to be on the safe side it would be best to kasher the pot.  This can be done by putting the pot into the oven and turning it on to 550 degrees for 45 minutes.  However this should only be done if the pot has metal handles, and not if it has rubber handles which will melt.  [Comments or questions regarding this answer can be emailed to [email protected]. Only generic questions and answers are posted here. All sensitive questions and answers are kept strictly private.]

One can pull out the pin so that the timer will go out later, according to R. Shlomo Zalman Auerbach zt”l (as quoted in Shemiras Shabbos Kehillchossa chapter 13 footnote 88. See however there for possible divergent opinions). [Comments or questions regarding this answer can be emailed to [email protected]. Only generic questions and answers are posted here. All sensitive questions and answers are kept strictly private.]

One is not allowed to spread clothing out to dry on Shabbos (Shulchan Aruch O.C. 301:45).  However, when a person hangs up a coat over a bath tub, it is clear that he is doing so in order to avoid the floor getting wet. He knows that if he hangs the coat in a closet it will drip onto the floor.  Anyone who sees the coat hanging on top of the bathtub will understand that the point of hanging it in that location is to catch the drips.  Therefore, it is not part of the gezerah and one can do this on Shabbos. (See Shemiros Shabbos Kehilchossa chapter 15 footnote 119 quoting Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach zt”l) [Comments or questions regarding this answer can be emailed to [email protected]. Only generic questions and answers are posted here. All sensitive questions and answers are kept strictly private.]

It is permissible to open a pac n’ play on Shabbos, where the pieces all come attached to the unit and just need to be snapped together. This would not be considered ‘building’ on Shabbos.

There is debate about this issue, and a number of sources write that there is no concern with reusing the graves. However there is an opinion that one cannot reuse the graves. It would seem to me that it is fair for the funeral home to say that they do not want to do anything which is debatable according to Jewish law and that they would not resell a grave which has any questions about it. It is for this reason that they do not want to reimburse you.

Heating the warming drawer to yad soledes would not be enough to kasher the warming drawer. Kashering would need libun, and the warming drawer will not reach this temperature. Technically, you could blowtorch the warming drawer, but there is a risk of ruining and breaking the oven or warming drawer with the blowtorch. It would be enough to kasher the insert if that insert completely surrounds the food, but I do not think that this is the case. For these reasons, there is no easy method to kasher a warming drawer.

As you said, glatt meat is meat without any sirchos. However, Ashkenazim have a tradition that Adhesions that are strong called sirchos may be removed and the animal is considered kosher. This is known as "Stam Kosher" and is not certified by major kashrus agencies in North America. On the other hand, according to the Bet Yosef certain sirchos need not be removed at all. According to the Rama Ashkenazim may accept small and easily removed adhesions (ririm) and qualify the animal as glatt. While there are some differences between the Bet Yosef standard and the Rama's standard commonly available Bet Yosef meat should be meat without any sirchos or ririn at all to meet both the chumros of Ashkenazim and Sefardim. This is true halachically. However we should differentiate between halacha and marketing, as sometimes the terms glatt and Bet Yosef meat are used imprecisely. In fact, the term glatt has become corrupted and is sometimes used to refer to chicken and even non-meat products, for which the word glatt is misapplied and is used in a manner similar to the word mehadrin. [Comments or questions regarding this answer can be emailed to [email protected]. Only generic questions and answers are posted here for others to see. All sensitive questions and answers are kept strictly private.]

If there is more than one part grape juice to six parts fruit juice then the mixture will certainly be categorized as ‘stam yaynom’, which one is not allowed to drink. As far as having financial benefit from stam yaynom, the Rema writes that it is good to be stringent (although he adds that a person does not have to incur a financial loss because of this). Can you find out how much grape juice is in the product? Let’s try to verify the facts before proceeding. [Comments or questions regarding this answer can be emailed to [email protected]. Only generic questions and answers are posted here for others to see. All sensitive questions and answers are kept strictly private.]

Ideally, a person should avoid buying and wearing new clothing during the year after one’s parent has died. If it is necessary to get new clothing then one should ask someone else to wear them first for a day. Any other person who has gone through aveilus and is familiar with the halachos will not be surprised by this request. This does not apply to articles of clothing which are not a significant purchase such as undergarments and socks, and they can be bought and worn during aveilus. [Comments or questions regarding this answer can be emailed to [email protected]. Only generic questions and answers are posted here for others to see. All sensitive questions and answers are kept strictly private.]

If there are no other issues with opening the door, Rabbi Heinemann holds that she can open the door if she closes it within the minute and no noise is produced. However she should be very careful, because if the fridge is left open and the noise does go off, then she could not close the door if it will make the noise stop. If this happens and she knows that the noise will stop by itself after some time, then she could wait until it has stopped and then close the door. The representative that she spoke to is not necessarily correct. There are a few mechanisms by which a refrigerator may sense that the door has been opened. Some fridges have a plunger on the side of the fridge where the door is hinged, so that opening the door releases the plunger, and this can be disabled by taping down the plunger. Some fridges use magnets to sense that the door has been opened. There are ways to disable this too. She should try to find out which mechanism her refrigerator uses. [Comments or questions regarding this answer can be emailed to [email protected]. Only generic questions and answers are posted here for others to see. All sensitive questions and answers are kept strictly private.]

In general, if a person does a good deed which goes beyond the minimal halachic requirement, but does not want to obligate himself to repeat this good deed in the future, then he can verbalize this fact and say that he is not accepting the act upon himself as binding for the future. This is commonly done by saying that the act is “b’lee neder” (without any vow). One could do this when putting on tzitzis for the first time if one is not intending to wear them all the time. However this will not be all that effective in absolving oneself of the obligation, because the wearing of tzitzis is a custom that all Orthodox Jewish men have accepted upon themselves, and everyone should follow this custom and wear tzitzis irrespective of whether they have worn tzitzis in the past or not. [Comments or questions regarding this answer can be emailed to [email protected]]

There is a procedure by which a person who is given a Hebrew name at birth by his parents can change or modify his name. This is commonly done for a person with a serious illness. If this person recovers they will then be known by that new name. We can deduce from this that people have the ability to change their name, and they will from then on be known by their new name. [Comments or questions regarding this answer can be emailed to [email protected]]

This is a response to the person who had questions concerning the halachos of Ribbis: There are a number of misconceptions that you appear to have concerning Ribbis. 1. You write the following - "There is no rational reason to twist the Torah's chok to apply to that example so that if the Cheerios goes down in value, it is okay and the lender takes the loss but if Cheerios goes up, then the borrower cannot take the loss and the lender is stuck. The Torah simply does not say that". Nobody is doing any twisting and nobody is claiming that this is something that the Torah says. The Torah does not prohibit this activity. Rather the Talmud tells us that this is a Rabbinic prohibition. The Rabbonon forbade any activities which they saw as modes of behavior which might lead to the transgression of a Torah prohibition. The Rabbonon of the Talmud have the sole right to make these decisions, and our personal philosophic take on the issue has no bearing whatsoever. 2. You write the following - "To "borrow" is the same as to "rent" - you are using someone else's asset. The difference is that when you borrow, you are renting for free". The difference between borrowing and renting is, in fact, that the renter is expected to return the very same object that he rented whereas the borrower is expected to return a replacement of the object that he borrowed. This distinction is not clear in the English language. I may "borrow" a pen from you and you are expecting to get the same pen back, or I may "borrow" Cheerios and you are not expecting to get the same Cheerios back. However in Jewish law these are two separate concepts with two separate names. The first is called שאלה and the second is called הלואה. The laws of Ribbis apply specifically to הלואה and not to שאלה. 3. You write the following - "All things have a floating value, including money. The value of money in relation to houses now is higher. The value of money in relation to wheat now is lower. The value of dollars in relation to shekels now is lower. Just as we can demand that a loan in shekels be repaid in shekels - even if shekels rose in value in relation to dollars - we can also demand (in a commercial case) that a loan in Cheerios be repaid in Cheerios - even if Cheerios rose in value in relation to dollars". The Rabbinic viewpoint is that money does not float but is considered fixed. All other commodities float in relation to money. Therefore one can repay a loan of Shekels in Shekels because Shekels do not change in value. However to demand in a commercial case that a loan in Cheerios be repaid in Cheerios would involve issues of Ribbis since Cheerios do change in value. I hope that this clarifies the issue. [Comments or questions regarding this answer can be emailed to [email protected]]

There would be an issue of Ribbis to do this kind of transaction on a commercial basis, however between neighbors or friends this is allowed. Therefore, in your case, where a friend gave you two boxes of Cheerios you would be able to return two boxes of Cheerios after Pesach even though the Cheerios will be worth more (see Mishna Berurah 450:2). [Comments or questions regarding this answer can be emailed to [email protected]]

When an egg is boiled, any blood spots in the yolk will transfer to the white part of the egg, and will turn from red to brown. The egg should not be eaten if a brown spot is readily visible on the white of the egg. Often there is a purplish spot in the yolk, but this is not blood and the egg can be eaten. Blood spots found in raw eggs are a problem whether they are found in the yolk or in the white part of the egg. [Comments or questions regarding this answer can be emailed to [email protected]]

(i) It seems to me that one can use the Purim cards next year. The tzedaka which was given out this year on Purim day was given in the zechus of the recipient of the card. This will still remain true next year, even though time has passed. (ii) It is hard to know how closely affiliated the different institutions are, and therefore I do not think that you should send money from the pushka of the first institution to the second one.

A person is obligated to keep the terms of a contract. If the agreement that he made with his insurance company states that he is obliged to inform the company when the claimed item is found, then he should do so. (He does not need to offer the money and can wait to see how the company responds to the information). Perhaps he should first get the watch appraised in order to know how much it is currently worth. I would suggest that he investigate exactly what his contractual obligations are

If there is some way to inform the wider frum population in your city, then you should do so. In Baltimore, you can put a free message in one of the local frum magazines. If you then wait some time and nobody claims the watch, you can do the following: (1) If this type of watch is not readily available, or there is some specific reason to believe that the owner would want this particular watch back and would not be satisfied with an identical copy, then you would need to keep the watch till Eliyohu Hanavi comes. (2) If this type of watch is readily available and there is no reason to believe that the owner would be unhappy with an identical copy, then if you want to you can buy the watch from the owner. You should then write down any identifying factors on the watch (simanim) and the approximate worth of the watch (how much it would cost to buy a second-hand watch like this in a thrift store), and store this document with your records. You can then keep the watch yourself, but in the unlikely event that the owner claims his watch you would then have to pay him.

I am happy to hear that your relative has recovered. It would seem to me that if the person is well enough that he or she is not in bed and any remaining ailments do not present any particular danger, then it would be appropriate for your friend to stop saying Tehillim for that person. Obviously, when saying Tehillim it is not possible to name all the cholim in the world. Rather, whenever we mention a sick person’s name after saying Tehillim we add that he or she should have a recovery among all the cholei ysroel, and by saying this we cover all sick people. I think that one should only feel obliged to mention by name one’s own relatives and friends if they are not well, and perhaps the names of sick relatives or friends of our own relatives or friends if they ask us to do so.

The implication of the Igros Moshe O.C. 3:87 is that one should not take music lessons during sefirah. [The sefer Mitzvas Sefiras Haomer (by Rabbi Pinchas Wittman) part 2 page 72 quotes Rav Nissim Karelitz as saying that if a person is a beginner and cannot play a tune then he can take lessons, whereas someone whose playing will actually produce music should not take lessons. However, the sefer also quotes Rav Wosner zt”l as saying that one should not take music lessons during the sefirah.]

Grape plants that are two years old are considered ‘orlah’ and one cannot have any benefit from the grapes. Blueberry bushes are also subject to the laws of ‘orlah’. Regarding the count of orlah for saplings that are replanted, outside Eretz Yisroel the halacha is as follows: If a sapling which is less than three years old was uprooted along with some soil, and there is enough soil that if the sapling was potted in that soil and taken care of it could last for a few days, you do not restart the count of years of Orlah. See Shulchan Aruch Yoreh Deah 294:19 and Pischei Teshuvah 294:13. The calculation of three years is as follows. If the seed or sapling was first planted before the sixteenth of the month of Av, so that 44 days will pass before Rosh Hashana, then when Rosh Hashana comes we will consider this the end of year 1. If you are not sure, but it is possible that it was first planted before the sixteenth of Av, then too when Rosh Hashana comes we will consider it the end of year 1. The next Rosh Hashana after that will be the end of year 2, and the Rosh Hashana after that will be the end of year 3. After that, any fruit which starts to bud after the fifteenth of the month of Shevat will no longer be considered Orlah. In general you can assume that nothing buds between Rosh Hashana and the fifteenth of Shevat. (See Yoreh Deah 294:4, Taz 294:9, and Piskei Teshuvah 294:3).

I asked Rabbi Heinemann your question, and he felt that you would not be able to trust that the doughnuts were purchased in that particular kosher Dunkin Donuts. I asked him if he had any suggestions for you, and he said that if there was a receipt then you would know where they were purchased. Perhaps you could explain to your boss that Orthodox Judaism requires proof of purchase, and ask him to leave the receipt in the bag.

Since the tefillin were encased it would not be necessary to fast. It would be appropriate to give a small amount of money to tzedaka, but there is no need to fast (see Mishna Berura 40:3).

There is some discussion concerning the use of photo sensitive objects on Shabbos. The consensus seems to be that one should not use objects where the change of color is the intended goal of the user. Therefore one should not use this kind of spoon on Shabbos. See Shemiras Shabbos Kehilchassa chapter 40 footnote 8* and chapter 18 footnote 70, with tikkunim u’millluim there.

A holly tree is not considered a fruit tree and can be cut down.

Unless you have a clear family minhag, rapeseed oil (canola or liftit in Hebrew) is not permissible.

There is some discussion as to whether canola oil is kitniyos. Here is a quote from an article by Rabbi Zushe Yosef Blech, which appeared in the April 2002 edition of Kashrus magazine (Rabbi Blech is a talmid of Rabbi Heinemann, the Posek of the Star-K). Rabbi Blech writes – “Some authorities also are of the opinion that rapeseed oil (also known as Canola oil) can similarly be permitted, since rapeseeds are far removed from conventional Kitniyos in that they are not eaten and were not generally available in previous generations. On the other hand, others contend that since rapeseed is a member of the mustard family, it should be subject to the custom cited earlier concerning mustard. In addition, it has been determined that rapeseeds are commonly contaminated with wheat kernels, thus meeting one of the classic definitions of Kitniyos”. Therefore, although there are those who are lenient, it is quite possible to make the argument that Canola oil is kitniyos, and the Star-K, the OU, and other kashrus organizations in America are stringent. There are a number of other readily available oils which do not have any halachic problems which we use instead.

One could purchase the products if the Weight Watchers center was owned by a non-Jew, but one could not purchase the products if the Weight Watchers center was owned by a Jew who did not sell his chometz before Pesach. Unfortunately I have no more information than you do about the ownership of any particular Weight Watchers center. Perhaps you could try to find out.

If you give in your keys and give up your renting rights (so that the owners would be allowed to rent it out to someone else), then you certainly have no need to clean it for Pesach. You would have an obligation to clean the new apartment for Pesach. (If you are not planning to be there for Pesach then you could sell the whole thing).

You would not be obliged to kasher your house unless you were planning to allow your guests to cook in your house. However you would need to clean the rooms that the guests are using. Other rooms could be closed off and sold.

Alfalfa seeds and sprouts are not kitniyos. Mung bean sprouts should not be eaten.

A person is not required to sell chometz absorbed in a keli, and there is no need to include this in the Shtar Mechirah (see Chazon Ish Orach Chaim 117:15). Some Rabbonim do include it in their Shtar Mechirah, but this is just a chumrah. Chametz which is not absorbed and is stuck onto the keli should be sold.

A: All the points that you raise are issues to be concerned about. For that reason, I would not recommend doing this. If for some reason you have a pressing need to do this, here are the answers to your questions: 1. Before it is cooked you should look for fish scales, or marks on the surface from the scales. 2. You should check that the knife is clean before they cut it, and make sure that they cut it on a clean surface. 3. You should turn on the fire. [Ashkenazim only] 4. This may be a problem, depending on where it is located. 5. You should look at it before they cook it. 6. It depends where the salmon came from. There are no worms in farm-raised salmon.

It is fine to simply clean the machine and buy new bottles for Pesach. It is also fine to use on Shabbos, but one should not put in a new canister on Shabbos.

There are differing opinions about this: The Teshuvos Shevet Halevi 8:167 writes that • If the soap will color the water in the toilet bowl one then one should not use it on Shabbos. • If the soap will not color the water then one may use it on Shabbos and one does not need to be concerned about smoothing it. However he adds that if possible it is kedai to be machmir. The Teshuvos Minchas Shlomo 2:14 also writes that one should not use soap which will color the water on Shabbos. However, the Teshuvos Tzitz Elezer 14:47 disagrees, and says that it is fine to use the soap on Shabbos even if it will color the water. Rabbi Heinemann paskens that meikar hadin it is fine to use soap even if will color the water, but it is preferable to use soap which will not color the water.

The Shach (Y.D. 179:11) says that there is no issur of mechikas hashem when it is not written in Hebrew. However, the achronim say that there is still an issuer of bizui hashem, so the name G-d spelled in full should not be put directly in the garbage (see Mishna Berura 85:10). It is fine to delete an email message which contains the word G-d spelled out fully. I am not aware of any difference between the shem yud kei vov kei and the other names listed in Shulchan Aruch Y.D. 276:9-10. Contemporary seforim write that Reb Shlomo Zalman Auerbach was mattir erasing a shem Hashem from a computer screen, whereas Rav Elyashiv was machmir (See Meor HaShabbos vol. 4 pg. 200). It seems that most Poskim are meikel (see Teshuvos Vehanhagos 3:326 and Avnei Yoshfe 4: 105).

One may walk on snow on Shabbos (Shulchan Aruch O.C. 320:13). There is some debate whether or not snow is muktza on Shabbos. Reb Moshe Feinstein, as quoted in the psokim of Rav Moshe at the end of Rabbi Bodners English sefer Halachos of Muktza, says that snow is muktza as it is not the derech to eat it. However, the Shemiras Shabbos Kehilchassa 16:44 says that snow is not muktza. There is some discussion about shovelling snow on Shabbos. From the simple reading of Mishna Berura 120:36 it would seem that it is muttar letzorech Shabbos. However, see the שו"ת הר צבי קונטרס ט"ל הרים מלאכת סותר ס"ק א who differentiates between hard and soft snow, and see Rav Falk שו"ת מחזה אברהם סי' סח who (if I remember correctly) says that even if it is muttar meikar hadin it is a zilzul kovod Shabbos, and see Rabbi Harfenes נשמת שבת ח"ד סי' רמז who paskens that it is muttar but then says אבל היות שיש בזה קצת זלזול לשבת וגם הוא מילתא דתמוה לרבים לעשות כן בשבת על כן אין לעשות כן אם לא לצרוך גדול ... ואם אפשר יעשנו ע"י עכו"ם דייקא, ובכל אופן ישתדל לעשות זאת באמצע הלילה או באשמורת הבוקר בזמן שאין רואים. Lichora a person can spread salt on steps or over a walkway if needed in order to prevent any possibility of injury from the snow on Shabbos. The שו"ת באר משה ח"א סי' כח says that one should not do this if it can be avoided because of maaris ayin and because other people dont know the halacha. This is a chiddush to me, as we generally do not make up our own maaris ayin gezeiros. Rabbi Harfenes שם סי' רמו brings meikilim, but he himself is not so sure and is only mattir לצורך גדול. However, the Shemiras Shabbos Kehilchassa 25:9 is mattir bepshitus to spread sand on snow on Shabbos in order to prevent people from slipping, even though sand is muktza. According to him, for sure one could spread salt. I personally would tell people not to shovel, but if people feel that it is necessary to salt and want to do so then I would tell them that they can. I feel that sledding in public is a zilzul of Shabbos.

According to Rav Moshe Feinstein (Igros Moshe Y.D. 4:61 #19), the day to stop saying kaddish is counted from the day of the burial, not the day of passing away. For example, if the day of burial was 21 Nissan 5775, the last day to say kaddish would be 20 Adar Rishon 5776, which is 29 February 2016. As this year is a leap year, the end of the twelve months of aveilus will not be on the same day as the yahrzeit. The last day of aveilus will be 12 months after the day of the burial (according to Rav Moshe). For example, if the day of the burial was 21 Nissan 5775, the last day of aveilus will be 20 Adar Sheini 5776, which is 30 March 2016. According to Rav Moshe Feinstein (Igros Moshe Y.D. 3:160), in a leap year according to all opinions the yahrzeit is counted from the day of passing away. Therefore, the yahrzeit will be on 20 Nissan 5776, which is 28 April 2016.

The anti-caking agent is not considered a food, and therefore not subject to the regular rules of bishul (it is akin to heating a stone).

The Star-K position is that quartz slabs can be kashered, but quartz composites (ed. note which are blended, molded and pressed with added materials)cannot be kashered. Caeserstone is a composite (93% natural quartz - but not 100%), and cannot be kashered. Instead, it could be resurfaced before Pesach.