Search results for: ""Rabbi""

Owning Business that Violates Torah Law
Owning a business that has any violations of Torah laws is forbidden.
Examples A Jew may NOT:
  • Own a non-kosher restaurant that sells food containing meat and milk that have been cooked together. 
  • Own or operate a business that is open on Shabbat or Jewish festivals.
Note You may sell your business to a non-Jew for Shabbat and Jewish festivals, but consult a rabbi for details.
Introduction to Jewish Festivals and Food Preparation
Food preparation forbidden on Jewish festivals includes these forbidden melachot:
  • Preparing soil for planting (choreish)
  • Causing plants to grow (zorei'a)
  • Harvesting (kotzeir)
  • Gathering (mi'ameir)
  • Threshing (dash; such as milking a cow into clean container or squeezing juice for drinking)
  • Winnowing (zoreh)
  • Selecting (boreir) (for exceptions, see Introduction to Jewish Festivals: Selecting/Boreir)
  • Grinding (tochein) (Grinding may be OK with a shinu'i; ask a rabbi for specific cases)
  • Sifting (merakeid).
However, you may do all food preparation necessary for baking or cooking food for that day--from kneading dough (kneading, or lash) to cooking and baking (ofeh) from an existing flame.
Note You may not use electric appliances to knead dough and you may not turn on an electric oven.
Mezuza: Buildings Regularly Used with a Person's Home
Mezuzot must be placed on any buildings used with a person's home.
Examples
  • A barn with animals that is near a house, if you use their milk or meat for food.
  • A coop with birds that is near a house if you eat their meat or eggs.
  • A shed for firewood.
Note There may be exceptions due to size or other factors--consult a rabbi.
Note A structure that only stores items not used regularly, such as a shed for storing a sukka--even if attached to a house--does not need a mezuza.
NoteDo not put mezuzas on a sukka or any other temporary structure. If you have a pergola or gazebo that is at least 50 sq. ft. of area inside and that you use during much of the year, consult a rabbi.

Sukka: Overhangs: Balconies

A sukka built under a balcony, even if the balcony is many stories above the sukka, is not kosher.

Situation

Only part of a sukka is under the balcony.

Status

To be kosher, the sukka must have a footprint at least 7 by 7 tefachim and must have at least three walls that are not under the balcony.

Note If you have only two walls with the overhanging balcony, consult a rabbi.

Jewish Festivals: Medicines: When To Take: D’Oraita Festival Days
Here are the d'oraita Jewish festivals:
  • First day of Sukkot, Passover, and Shavuot
  • Seventh day of Passover
  • Shmini Atzeret (8th day of Sukkot)
  • Both days of Rosh Hashana.
On these days, you:
  • MUST take medicine whenever there is any question of a life-threatening disease or condition.
  • MAY take medicine for a condition that affects the entire body (fever, weakness, etc.). Consult a rabbi if possible.
    Exception You may not smear substances on skin UNLESS the fever is life-threatening, in which case even smearing is permitted.
  • MAY use some medicines if only part of your body is affected by a non-life-threatening disease--consult a rabbi.
Offspring at Funeral

Attending a funeral is a mitzva--that of honoring the dead person--but in attending a parent's funeral, there is the added mitzva of honoring a parent.

Adult (at least bar mitzva or bat mitzva) offspring should attend their parent's funeral, unless there is a financial, health, or other significant reason not to attend. There is no requirement for minor offspring to attend a funeral for a parent. RMH recommends consulting a rabbi before having a minor go to any funeral, including for the child's parent.

NoteIf both parents are still alive, it is not customary to go to the cemetery for any funeral except for a close relative, but it is a mitzva to attend the eulogies and ceremony beforehand.

Mezuza: Placement: Balcony
Place a balcony door mezuza on the right side of the doorway as you enter the house from the balcony, if the balcony has an outside entrance. If the balcony does not have an outside entrance, put the mezuza on the right side as you exit the house.
Note If the balcony has a roof, you may be able to put it on the right side as you go out. Consult a rabbi.
Kashrut: Dairy/Meat: Hot Spills and Opposite Gender Utensil: Unused
Situation
  • Hot food of one gender spills (falls into or onto) an empty utensil of the opposite gender.
  • The utensil was unused at 120° F (49° C) or more for at least 24 hours.
Status
  • The utensil is usually non-kosher.
  • The food is kosher.
Note If the spill is spicy/charif or if the utensil had been used hot within the 24 hours before the spill, consult a rabbi.

Clerical Errors and Jewish Business Owner
If a business makes a mistake in your favor, you must correct it if the:
  • Business owner is Jewish, and
  • Error is more than 1/6th of the item's value. 
Note It is recommended to correct the error even if the owner is not Jewish.
Note In some situations, you must correct the error to a Jewish owner even if the error is less than 1/6th of the item's value—consult a rabbi.
Note If the owner (Jewish or non-Jewish) forgot to charge you at all, you must return the item or pay for it.
Mikva in Nature: Source of Water
Spring water, whether moving or stationary, is a kosher mikva.
Rain water is only a kosher mikva once it is stationary (just sitting in a pool, not flowing anywhere).
In neither case may the water enter a constructed mikva through a "kli," which includes being carried in a bucket or via pipes with bends and other places for water to collect. In the case of a pipe that may not be a kli,  consult a rabbi.
Lakes or Ponds as Mikva
A lake or pond may be a kosher mikva if it is:
  • Fed from ground water (percolates through the soil); or
  • Primarily fed from a spring; or
  • Primarily fed from rain.
Note The rain must run into the lake or pond directly. If the water enters, or drains out, via pipes, it is not a kosher mikva. However, if the lake or pond gets rain from run-off from streets through pipes, it might be a kosher mikva. Consult a rabbi. 
Note A lake or pond that drains out through a river or stream may not be a kosher mikva. Consult a rabbi.
Note A lake or pond into which a river or stream empties, might be a kosher mikva. Consult a rabbi.
Note A lake or pond with a river running into it and then out of it is considered a river. For immersing in a river, see Rivers as Kosher Mikva.
Shabbat: Well Water
You may use water from a pump-operated well on Shabbat (as on Jewish festivals), as long as the pump operation is not a psik reisha (inevitable and immediate consequence of using any water tap).
Example You may use water from a well if it comes via an automatic pump that operates to fill a reservoir once the water level drops, but you may not:
  • Operate the pump directly.
  • Turn the pump on or off.  
Note If there are variants to this situation, ask a rabbi.
Shaving during Shloshim
If you shave regularly (can be every day or a few times each week), you may shave after 30 days but not within 30 even if for non-parent and certainly not for a parent. If you normally grow a beard, you may not shave until 3 months have passed since the last time you trimmed your beard (and as long as it is more than 30 days from the day shiva began for the parent).
In case of a large financial loss, consult a rabbi.
Note A large loss is subjective to the individual's actual wealth and also to that person's perception of what is a large loss
Prayer Leader of 10 Men Should Wait
A prayer service leader for a group of only 10 men including himself should (but is not required to) wait until all 10 men have finished the private amida before he begins the reader's repetition.
  • Shabbat
  • Jewish Festivals
  • Rosh Chodesh musaf.
Reason To have nine men replying amen to each blessing.
Note A minimum of six men must be finished before the reader begins the repetition. If delaying the repetition at mincha will cause the repetition to be finished after sunset, consult a rabbi.
Note If all nine other men will not (or may not) say amen, the leader should intend that his public amida be a “free-will offering” (nedava); otherwise, his public amida may be a bracha l'vatala. He may not intend to offer a "free-will offering" on days or services that this sacrifice was not offered in the Temple in Jerusalem:
  • Shabbat
  • Jewish Festivals
  • Rosh Chodesh musaf.
Kashrut: Dairy/Meat: Spills: Food onto Opposite Gender Utensil: Flow Chart
WERE BOTH FOOD AND UTENSIL LESS THAN 120° F?
YES
What to Do Wash off with cold water and soap.
Status Everything is kosher and may be used immediately.
 
NO
WAS THE UTENSIL CLEAN AND UNUSED at 120° F or more FOR MORE THAN 24 HOURS?
Note Clean means no residual food, including pareve; this IS essential since the food or utensil or both were hot! If used at 120° F or more for pareve within 24 hours, ask a rabbi.
YES
Status
  • Food is kosher
  • Utensil requires kashering. 
What to Do
  • Wash utensil with cold water and soap.
  • Wait 24 hours after the spill occurred before kashering it.
Note If you wash off the utensil with hot (above 120° F) water, you must wait 24 hours after cleaning the utensil before kashering it.
 
NO
IS THE SPILLED FOOD LESS THAN 1/60th of the volume of the commonly used capacity of the utensil (if the utensil is empty) OR less than 1/60th of the actual volume of food contained within the utensil?
YES
Status
  • Food is kosher.
  • Utensil is kosher after 24 hours.
What to Do Wash utensil with cold water and soap and wait 24 hours before using the utensil.
Note If utensil had food in it and the spilled food was less than 1/60th of the volume of the food in the utensil, you may use the utensil immediately after cleaning it and you do not need to wait 24 hours.
 
NO (Spilled food was 120° F or more, OR the utensil not clean, OR the utensil was used within 24 hours, and spilled food is more than 1/60th of the utensil's volume)
Status
  • Food is non-kosher.
  • Utensil is non-kosher.
What to Do Utensil must be kashered.  See Hag'ala/Boiling or Libun/Direct Heat for instructions on how to kasher each material.