Man Down November 3, 2022 Q My Mincha and Ma’ariv minyanim typically have exactly ten participants. Sometimes one man leaves early. May we say chazaras hashatz or kaddish with nine? A While most parts of davening may be recited by…
Boiler Plate October 27, 2022 Q I have kitchen utensils in need of kashering, but I need to know whether some of them can be kashered at all. They include metal, glass, china, plastic, and rubber. A Metal can certainly…
Creature Comfort October 20, 2022 Q With lantern flies now proliferating in central Jersey, my six-year-old and his band of friends have been catching them and dissecting them alive. Am I obligated to stop them? A One is not obligated…
Export License October 7, 2022 Q Given the prohibition to remove Shmitah produce from Eretz Yisrael and the prohibition to move it from place to place within chutz la’aretz after a transfer, may Shmitah esrogim be exported? A The Bais…
On the Origin of Species September 29, 2022 Q I cultivate aravos and other shrubs indoors in planters. Are the aravos kosher for arba’ah minim, and are the branches of those shrubs usable as schach in a sukkah? A The…
Seamus O’Braille Q May I discard an old siddur written in Braille, or must it be put in sheimos? A The Torah warns (Devarim 12:4), “Lo sa’asun kein lashem elokeichem” (Do not do so to Hashem your G-d). This…
Family Court September 15, 2022 Q May the bais din for pruzbul include dayanim who are related one to another, or related to the lender or borrowers? A We noted recently in this forum that Sephardim follow the Shulchan Aruch…
Leave Me a Loan September 9, 2022 Q Does my wife have to write a pruzbul? Do I need to write one if no one owes me money? Does a pruzbul work if the borrower doesn’t own land? A Women…
Pruzbul Presiders September 2, 2022 Q I’m concerned that I might be asked to join an ad hoc bais din for a pruzbul, a role for which I fear I am unsuited. What are the qualifications to serve on such…
Precocious Pruzbul August 18, 2022 Q There are people that owe me money, so I want to write a pruzbul to prevent the cancelation of the loans at the end of Shmitah. May I do so earlier than Erev Rosh…