Ineffectual Contracts with Employees When hiring, an employer often requires that the new hire sign a contract to the effect that if there comes a time when they part…
Ineffectual Contracts with Employees When hiring, an employer often requires that the new hire sign a contract to the effect that if there comes a time when they part…
The halacha in Shulchan Aruch is that one may not dance or clap hands to a tune on Shabbos or Yom Tov. However, the common custom, particularly among Chasidim,…
A bechor (a firstborn son) receives pi shnayim (a double portion) of his father’s inheritance. However, he is entitled to a double portion only of assets that were b’muchzak…
What the Gemara says about yerushah (inheritance): Do not withhold it from rightful heirs by distributing assets to others, even if the inheritors are not worthy–dilma nafik mineh zar’ah…
According to most Poskim, with regard to coffee in general there is no Issur of Bishul Akum, of having a goy prepare and brew the coffee, because coffee is primarily water, and one is allowed…
Dealing with Diabetes on Shabbos Those who suffer from diabetes and need to draw blood periodically in order to check their insulin levels, should do everything possible to minimize…
“Lo sakifu pe’as roshchem” (do not round off the corners on your head [hair]), is an issur min HaTorah (a Biblical prohibition) enjoining a male not to shave off…
Shinui hashem (changing a person's [Jewish] name) is not done lightly. A person’s name is a tzinor hachayim (channel of life) for the individual. The pasuk (verse) in Bereishis states, “nefesh chaya hu shemo” (a…
Once upon a time, people would ask sha’alos (halachic queries) to a rav in person. In this age of technology, phoning, text messaging and email are becoming quite prevalent…
A guest who leads Birchas Hamazon (Grace after Meals, colloquially: bentching) bestows a brachah on his ba’al habayis (host) as part of the liturgy. In turn he is granted…
If a person is leaving on Erev Pesach to be somewhere else for Pesach and is selling their entire house to a goy for the duration of Pesach, they should make sure to exclude one room,…
Many poskim maintain that inedibles do not have to be kosher. What is considered inedible halachically, though, is not completely clear. It can range from something not usually served…
Although there is a well-known principle of bittul b’shishim (that a lesser substance is considered halachically nullified when mixed into another substance that is sixty times greater in volume),…
Can I use Ma’aser Money for Other Tzedakah Commitments? There are times when a person may wish to give tzedakah in addition to ma’aser (one tenth of one’s earnings…
The fundraiser for a non-profit organization is permitted to draw a salary from the organization according to halachah, even though he is involved in doing a mitzvah. It is…
There are poskim who argue that seedless grapes are not considered part of the gefen species and we should therefore refrain from saying borei pri hagafen on their wine.…
Altering a Shul Structure’s Layout The space of a shul is sacred, which is why it is forbidden to reduce that area in any way. This includes dismantling any…
In order to recite Sheva Brachos (Seven Blessings) at a special meal that is made for a chosson and kallah during the week following their chasunah (wedding), a minyan…
The Rambam states that a woman whose life is endangered by her pregnancy may abort the fetus. The baby is tantamount to a rodef (pursuer), in which case, the…
The week of the wedding—the shivas yemei hamishteh (seven days of festivity)—is marked by special seudos (feasts) of celebration which culminate (under certain conditions) in Sheva Brachos, the recital…
Sheva brachos (lit., seven benedictions) are recited under the chuppah (marriage canopy) for the new couple, bestowing upon them blessings for a happy and fruitful life, as well as…
With various types of multigrain bread on the market, the question arises which brachah rishonah and brachah acharonah should be said when eating them. Hamotzi is recited on bread…
Pas Yisroel is the requirement that the bread we eat be baked by a Jew, bread being defined as a product of the five grains (identified as wheat, barley,…
If one goes from one room to the next while eating food after which the brachah acharonah (after-blessing) is borei nefashos, the halachah is that a new brachah needs to be made before continuing…
A coin or dollar received from a tzaddik is considered muktzah on Shabbos and Yom Tov, even if the recipient has decided never to use it as currency. Neither…
