In Hot Water II: Deeper Dayan Yehoshua Grunwald November 26, 2020 Q: You wrote in last week’s Q&A that all foods subject to the prohibition of cooking on Shabbos—with the exception of water, oil, and certain spices—should not be placed…
In Hot Water Dayan Yehoshua Grennwald November 19, 2020 Q: To add baked croutons or raw foods to soup on Shabbos, must the soup be in a kli shlishi, or does a kli sheini suffice? A: There are three reasons not to…
Bracha Breakdown Dayan Yosef Greenwald November 12, 2020 Q: I mistakenly said v’sein tal umatar l’vracha in the bracha of Bareich aleinu, although it isn’t supposed to be said for another month. How can this be rectified? A: If…
Deal Breaker Dayan Daniel Dombroff November 5, 2020 Q: Reuven agreed verbally with Shimon to establish a joint learning seder. Five minutes later, Reuven was approached by Levi—with whom he had studied previously—who asked that Reuven partner with him…
Forbidden Fruit Dayan Daniel Dombroff October 29, 2020 Q: Before Sukkos, I am a seller of arba’ah minim. This year, a customer selected a shiny yellow esrog, brought it over to me, and took out his wallet. I examined the…
You Can Say That Again Q: Can I make havdalah for my wife if I have already fulfilled the mitzvah myself? A: It is questionable whether women are obligated to recite havdalah, which is why it is generally recommended for…
Crash Course Harav Chaim Weg October 15, 2020 Q: On Rosh Hashanah, I borrowed a sefer on hilchos tekias shofar and a shofar to blow in shul, and I left them on the bimah during Musaf. The chandelier above the…
Cloud Cover Q: Is there something specific to have in mind when fulfilling the mitzvah of sukkah, apart from intent to fulfill the mitzvah? A: The Torah commands us (Vayikra 23), “You shall dwell in sukkos for seven days.” According…
Off Guard Dayan Daniel Dombroff September 24, 2020 Q: I was employed during the summer as a lifeguard to supervise a camp’s swimming pool. One of my fellow lifeguards was instructed to close the pool at the end of the…
Shoe Away HaRav Chaim Weg September 17, 2020 Q: I borrowed a car from a neighbor to do some errands. As I was pulling out of his driveway, I noticed that he had left a laptop computer on the passenger…