There are myriad potential issurim (prohibitions) associated with brushing teeth on Shabbos, even with a manual toothbrush. Different poskim propose one or more of the following restrictions: Memarai’ach (smearing): toothpaste is spread on the…
There are myriad potential issurim (prohibitions) associated with brushing teeth on Shabbos, even with a manual toothbrush. Different poskim propose one or more of the following restrictions: Memarai’ach (smearing): toothpaste is spread on the…
Is there a problem to go on a bike ride before Davening (if you have a set Minyan)? The halachah is that one may not get involved bitzrachav (in their personal affairs)…
Q. Is a basketball or ping pong ball Muktza? A. There is a machlokes about this. While there is room to be lenient especially for kids, adults should be…
Question: I have a specific pocket in my pants for Maaser, I generally give it to people on the streets who are hungry, but the money somehow fell out…
The pasuk (verse) in Tehillim says, “Imru ve’levavchem al mishkavchem v’domu selah” (reflect in your hearts upon your beds and be silent forever)—from which stems the halachic restriction of speaking after completing…
When to Make a Brachah on Remaining Secondary Food? When eating a mixture of two or more foods, the brachah is usually made on the ikar (primary food) and not on the tafel (secondary…
When two or more types of solid foods are mixed, the halacha is to make the Bracha only on the ikar, the food of primary importance, and that Bracha…
There is a particular appeal to round numbers, usually associated with birthdays and anniversaries, when a big deal is made of the celebrant and their milestone. There is not…
While there is much brouhaha surrounding the purported health advantages of the popular "Ezekiel Bread," there is also much discussion in the halachic realm as to the brachah we…
Article: Cleaning Help on Shabbos: On a previous occasion we learned that it is forbidden to have a non-Jew do work for us on Shabbos. However, there are things that…
There is a debate among poskim whether the brachah of Shehecheyanu, which is said before eating a new fruit, may be said if the fruit is a murkav, grown on a tree that is kilayim (one…
Sushi consists of rice and fish; there are many types of sushi, but for this discussion we will address only one type, nigiri, which consists of fish and vinegared…
Question: I am moving from a building that has a Jewish landlord, but it hasn't been rented out to the next tenant as of yet (so I don't know…
Poskim address the concept of exercising on Shabbos, and they cite a number of concerns, most of which apply equally on Yom Tov. First, there is the concept of “Shelo yehei…
A person should not walk in a completely upright position, as that is considered haughty. Arrogance distances the presence of the Shechinah, because arrogant people act as though no one…
It can happen quite frequently in large shuls (and less often in mid-size ones): You come to daven on Shabbos to find that a small but significant group of…
Canned sardines are a very basic staple all over the world. However, in many places canned sardines that are bishul Yisroel (cooked by a Jew) are not available. There is a machlokes…
There is a mitzvah of “Ve’asu Li mikdash” (to build a Beis Hamikdash for Hashem). When Am Yisroel (the Jewish nation) was in the midbar (desert), they fulfilled this mitzvah by constructing the Mishkan, and years…
The most stringent of all fast days is Yom Kippur, since fasting is min haTorah (a Biblical law), as the passuk in Parashas Acharei Mos says: “Ta’anu es nafshoseichem” (afflict your souls)—and the…
One of the prominent poskim of the past generation, R. Dov Berish Weidenfeld, who was the Tshebiner Rav and author of Dovev Meisharim, ruled that freezing water to make ice cubes on…
