Halachic Guide - Shavuos | לוח יומי - חג השבועות

May one use Astroglide water-based liquid on Shabbos?

Question: May one use Astroglide water-based liquid (personal lubricant) on Shabbos - not only to pour it on but also to smear it around? It is not a gel,…

Can we still Toivel Keilim in such a Mikvah?

Question: The Mikva Bor in yeshiva over 4 years ago had rainwater. The regular Bor is higher than the Otzar and it overflows very often so over the 4…

Can one ask the cleaning lady on Shabbos to fill up the hot water samovar?

And if it is not permissible, are there any leniencies to still use it for baby formula? Answer: One may not ask a non-Jew to heat up water…

Can a two year old be directed to turn off the (LED) light in the children’s bedroom?

Question: If the light is on in a child's room and its a LED light, and it late (so it would be a challenge to find a goy), can…

If someone told a cleaning lady on Shabbos morning that the Cholent Crock-Pot is too hot, she then went and turned the Crock-Pot off. When he saw what she did, he told her that is not what he meant, so she turned it back on to the lowest setting. Is this okay? Is it okay to eat from the Cholent?

If the cleaning lady made a mistake and you did not tell her anything, for example she mistakenly switched off the light and then she re-lit it, or she…

Should women and girls also cover their foreheads with their sleeves when saying Nefilas Apayim?

Women are not obligated to recite Tachanun, yet they may do so if they wish, and many have the custom to do so. There are, however, many women who…

If I am visiting a community that has an Eiruv, and I do not want to (shouldn’t?) use it, can I ask someone to carry an object for me (to/from Shul for example)?

Firstly without knowing the Halachic status of the Eiruv it is difficult to answer. If you are referring to a metropolitan city Eiruv those issues are even more questionable,…

Simcha in the final moments of Golus

Question: A Chabad guy sends me a daily inspiring message about Moshiach. Today, this is what he sent: ''Since the leader of the generation, who is Moshiach, has been…

Bread was baked in a Fleishig oven and toasted in a Milchig toaster…

Question: Bread was baked in a Fleishig oven (meat had been roasted uncovered in the oven within 24 hours previously). Someone, ignoring the warning sign on the bread package,…

Flowers and Plants on Shabbos and Yom Tov

Question: What are the Halachos I should be aware of regarding flowers and plants (vases) on Shabbos and Yom Tov - in terms of moving, removing, adding/changing the water,…

Can one bring a שיר למעלות card into the labor room?

Question: Can one bring a Shir Lamaalos card into the labor room to be visible during labor (for the woman to feel safer)? Can it be see through? Would…

At what point can one consider a woman a Yoledes and can start calling a taxi and do Melachos with a Shinui?

See here and here.

How is the name Nesha spelled on a Ksuba?

נעשא. מ''מ פשוט. וכ״כ במלואת אבן יד, א. מנחת אהרן גורדון ע׳ 12.

Do butterflies go into the category of non kosher animals, regarding children’s clothing and toys etc.?

Yes. Reason: A butterfly is a שרץ העוף and therefore it is included in the Rebbe’s directive to use only pictures and drawing of kosher animals. Sources: …

Can/does one need to kasher a glass table?

Glass cannot be Kashered. If the table was used to put hot food directly on the table (or hot pots with liquid under it) the table is Treif. Make…

Do you think that I should grow a beard? How important is it in Judaism to have a beard. Do you think that growing a beard will give me good luck?

Most certainly. A beard evokes the thirteen attributes of mercy, and brings down blessings for success. These attributes draw forth from Hashem’s unlimited, infinite mercy and has the ability…

If there is only a Cohen on Rosh Chosesh, is it a issue to give him Rishon and Sheini, since you are repeating the same verse twice for the same person?

A Kohen still receives the second Aliya on Rosh Chodesh when there is no Levi, even though the reading repeats itself. Sources: ראה לדוד אמת להחיד"א סי' ו…

Is it permissible to make a Chabad house/Jewish event in a hall that is run by the town called De La Salle Chapel? It looks like that in the early 1900 it was owned by a Catholic school. but no one really connects it to that.

The word "chapel" by definition is a place of christian worship, albeit sometimes in a more private setting that belongs to a parish in a town. Occasionally, it may…

How may one clean up Seforim from a table on Shabbos and put them back on the shelf?

If your intention is to clear the table, but not to organize the Seforim, then you are allowed to take the Seforim off the table and put them back…

ילד שפך חלב לתוך סיר של מרק עוף, ואיני יודע כמה חלב הוא שפך, אם שפך רבע כוס חלב, יש שישים, אם זה הי’ חצי, אין שישים. אני לא רואה שינוי במראה של המרק, מה הדין?

יש להקל אם מדובר על הפסד מרובה. מקורות: נעשה ע׳י קטן דינו כנשפך. ולכן בנדו״ז, בבשר עוף בחלב שהוא דרבנן, אפשר להקל בהפסד מרובה. וגם אם יש…

Sharp Milchig Sauce Poured Over Food Hot Cooked in Fleshig Pot

Question: I made a sauce which had onion and garlic cut with a Milchig knife and made in a Milchig frying pan. I then poured the sauce onto beans…

Should I wait untill Motzei Shabbos (Shabbos being Yud Alef) to say Kiddush Levana?

You should say before Motzai Shabbos. Sources: בנוגע המתנה למוצאי שבת, הנה ברמ"א או"ח סתכ"ו - והובא בשיחת ש"פ נח תשנ"ב (סה"ש תשנ"ב ח"א ע' 68) - שאין…

If I’m almost certain that I’ll miss Zman Tefilla and a Safek that I will miss Chatzos is it preferable to Daven before Netz B’kvius?

Davening before Netz is only allowed in a Sha’as Hadchak (for example an early morning flight – not something that happens on a daily basis), or if already done…

If after a long night Farbrengen, I wake up just after Chatzos, what is the Halacha with Shacharis?

One may not Daven Shacharis after midday. If this happens as a result of a late night Farbrengen, you should reconsider your participation in late Farbrengens, or come up…

We bought a van for the purpose of getting to and from school; that is what it is used for 95% of the time. I drive myself and another teacher, so the van and related expenses would be considered a job expense (ie. deducted from income when calculating for Maaser). However I also drive my child to school, which makes it a personal expense. Can I record the van and related expenses as a job expense?

Question: We bought a van for the purpose of getting to and from school; that is what it is used for 95% of the time. I drive myself and…

Halachic Guide – Shavuos | לוח יומי – חג השבועות