Panorama of Halacha

1)     Siyum on Rambam Sefer Nezikin. 2)    In error I sent £1000 to a Tzedoko account. Is the Tzedoko ’s manager permitted to reimburse the money to my account? [1] 3)    I’ve heard of a Segula : to recite Chapter 20 of Tehilim during pregnancy. Please enlighten me: [2] 4)    Some Sefardim are lenient re. chazarah and permit placing food from the fridge onto the hotplate on Shabbos. May an Ashken...

1)    In this week’s Rambam we learned about the obligation [or not] to return an object that was knowingly cast away by it’s owner. At the end of our day-camp we have lots of good stuff, left by the kids. May we use them for another purpose? [1] 2)    Someone poured מים אחרונים on his fingers from a bottle of water. May we drink the remaining water? [2] 3)    Is an L-shaped doorway required to ha...

1)     I have a non-Jewish lodger in my home. Does the door to his room need a mezuzah? [1] 2)    We had six men reciting the Amidah together. May one of those who lagged behind take over for the Repetition of the Amidah ? [2] 3)    I mixed up the wires and plugged in the crock-pot with the cholent to the time-switch and the hotplate remained on. May I lift the cholent while still hot and place it...

1)    Why in Nusach Chabad do we add Borchu at the end of Maariv on Friday evening, but not during the weekday and never after Shachris ? [1] 2)    I was recently invited to farbreng on Shabbos in another Shul. The Gabbai wishes to pay me something. May I accept payment for Shabbos? [2] 3)    The congregation are saying the 13 Midos ; I’m saying Pesukei deZimra . Do I join in? [3] 4)    May a Kohe...

​1)     Feedback on shape of Tallis-Koton : details of the TK of the Previous Rebbe זי"ע: 2)    I’m visiting Tromso (69° N) next month. There will be no daylight. How do I work out times for Shabbos & Tefilos? [1] 3)    One who said he will give a specific amount of money to a Shul. He has since fallen out with that community. Is he still obliged to donate the amount he said he would give? Cou...

1)    Customs relating to Milah – in newly-published letter of the Rebbe. [1] 2)    Is there a source that a Bris should be held before midday? [2] 3)    I bought a dwelling in a resort area. Mostly it will be rented out – to Jews or non-Jews, but I intend to use it personally for a few weeks annually. Are mezuzos required? [3] 4)    When spending money in certain shops I receive Nectar points, wh...

1)     At Birkas Kohanim , does the Chazan answer Omein to the blessings of the Kohanim ? [1] 2)    I wish to dismantle my Sukkah towards the end of Sukkos (because the weather forecast predicts strong winds). Is that permitted? [2] 3)    My front door opens to a porch that has walls on either side but is totally open to the street. May I carry there on Shabbos? [3] 4)    On Shabbos we don’t take...

1)     Why do we say ומנחתם twice, once after each of the verses of the korbanos in Musaf of Chol haMoed Succos , yet we don’t say ומנחתם for the korbanos of Shabbos ? [1] 2)    Use of a pickup van for a mobile Succah : the exterior walls measure 10 tefochim , the interior walls are only 5 tefochim . Are those walls adequate for our Succah ? [2] 3)    Reuven suffered a stroke ר"ל and is therefore...

1)    Why do we say שהחיינו for Shofar on the 2nd day of Rosh HaShono , but we don’t say שהחיינו when bentshing Lulav on the 2nd day of Succos ? [1] 2)    I have no option to do Kapporos locally with a chicken, so I’ve been doing it with money. I’ve now read that it is preferable to delegate and to request someone to do it on my behalf with a chicken. Would you recommend that I do so? [2] 3)    On...

1)     For one who needs to drink on Yom Kippur , how does one measure כמלא לוגמיו? [1] 2)    If there’s no Eiruv Tavshilin at all, may one light (a) candle[s] for Shabbos ? [2] 3)    One eating out over Shabbos but is lighting Shabbos -candles at home, should make an Eiruv Tavshilin – with a brocho ? [3] 4)    May I use a masher to mash eggs on Yomtov ? [4] 5)    Please explain why a glass roof o...

1)     Following on from discussions about whether blankets require Tzitzis ; may one wrap himself in a large bath towel?[1] 2)     Halocho says to have a haircut in honour of Rosh haShono . Also, to visit the cemetery. What if I have time on the day for only one, which should I bring forward? [2] 3)    We wish to distribute sachets of honey for Rosh haShono . The line to tear open the sachets goe...

1)     Some further feedback re. wearing a wristwatch on Yomtov:[1] 2)    At an event I drank some wine. Later soup is served. Do I say a brocho for the soup? [2] 3)    Many of us are accustomed to light a special candle (or: 3 candles) for Shabbos Shuva . This year, Erev Shabbos Shuva is Rosh haShono . May one light the Shuva candle? [3] 4)    Is Sushi acceptable for Eruv Tavshilin? [4] 5)    May...

1)     I travelled from London to spend Shabbos in Yerusholayim. A friend asked me to take a package for someone in Yerusholayim. The recipient lives near the Shul where I will be davening on Shabbos morning. May I bring the package for the recipient at the same time? Would it make a difference if the package contains food? [1] 2)    Will the Eruv Tavshilin permit me to transport clothes on Friday...

1)       Did the Kohanim guarding the Beis haMikdosh sleep on the floor? [1] 2)      How should one measure chocolate wafers for Brocho Acharona ? [2] 3)      I have a Hoodie that has “Fear G-d” emblazoned on the sleeve. Is it okay for me to wear it? [3] 4)      One of our regulars has begun bringing her dog with her to Shabbos morning services. Other congregants are bothered by this. Any advice?...

1) When saying a Brocho Acharona after fruit of the Seven Kinds that are actually produce of Eretz Yisroel, instead of על בארץ ועל הפירות we say: על הארץ ועל פירותיה.[1] If one had also drunk wine – that isn’t from EY, we have a misleading text: על הארץ ועל פרי הגפן ועל פירותיה – implying that these fruit are the produce of the vine! 2) There is a dispute as to the spelling of word Dakoh in the To...

1)  In Eichah , from ch.2 onwards, the letter פ precedes the letter ע. Why? [1] 2) Does one who has to eat on Tisha b’Av keep to a regime of ‘shiurim’? [2] 3) Why do we – on Shabbos mornings - invoke “intense Divine mercy” for the communities that were massacred by the Crusades? [3] 4) In Russian culture it is common to attach a photo of the deceased to a gravestone. When realizing that this isn’t...

1) Explanation of a challenging passage in Yechezkel[1] about the third Beis HaMikdosh. 2) May I feed my baby in the presence of Seforim?[2] 3) Revisiting laying Tefilin with a man who’s not wearing a shirt:[3] 4) Revisiting whether one ought to stand for Krias HaTorah:[4] 5) Revisiting Brocho Acharona without remembering what one had eaten:[5] 6) Are ‘Section Challos’ sub-units acceptable for Lec...

1)  In the beginning of Parshas Pinchas, the וא"ו in the word שלום is split. In some ST it is split in the middle, in others it is towards the bottom. What’s the Chabad mesorah ? Also: Is there any significance in the potential rendition of the word as שלים? [1] 2) I have a swing suspended from a tall tree. How can I make it usable on Shabbos? [2] 3) I sometimes wake up at night and struggle...

A weekly shiur by Dayan Levi Yitzchok Raskin, Rov of Anash in London, explores interesting Torah questions and halachic dilemmas. The following issues are discussed by Dayan Raskin in this week’s episode: 1) Some sources depict a gap in the ramp (כבש) as it reaches the Mizbeiach:[1] 2) I have recently visited several gravesites and I now realise that I didn’t recite the appropriate brocho. If I vi...

1) In Tehilim 115:6 it says ולא ישמעו; in ch.135:17 it says ולא יאזינו. Why the difference? 2) A cruise-ship is moored in the harbour. Due to space-constraints several ships are moored alongside one another and passengers will traverse the neighbouring ship in order to get to the harbour. May they do so on Shabbos?[1] 3) A private yacht is moored away from the shore. The owner has invited some boc...

1) In last week’s Sedra (18:23) there are two notes on some words. Explain: 2) Which brocho is said over Papaya fruit?[1] 3) Is a Blackberry bush viewed as a tree re. felling a fruit-tree?[2] 4) On Motzei Shabbos the Chazen recited the full Kaddish right after Shmoine Esrei. Does he repeat that Kaddish before Oleinu?[3] 5) Regarding the custom for women not to sew on Rosh Chodesh: My daughter is t...

A weekly shiur by Dayan Levi Yitzchok Raskin, Rov of Anash in London, explores interesting Torah questions and halachic dilemmas. The following issues are discussed by Dayan Raskin in this week’s episode: 1) In Tanya the Alter Rebbe addresses eating early morning before a personal-fast “some three hours before sunrise”. Does the same apply to communal fasts?[1] 2) When the angels visit Avrohom Ovi...

A weekly shiur by Dayan Levi Yitzchok Raskin, Rov of Anash in London, explores interesting Torah questions and halachic dilemmas. The following issues are discussed by Dayan Raskin in this week’s episode: 1) In Tanya the Alter Rebbe addresses eating early morning before a personal-fast “some three hours before sunrise”. Does the same apply to communal fasts?[1] 2) When the angels visit Avrohom Ovi...

1)    May one who is allergic to wheat rely on rice for קידוש במקום סעודה? [1] 2)    I often hear the question (on your shiur and elsewhere): "Am I obligated to give maaser on..." and many similar. But isn't maaser today just an optional minhag ? [2] 3)    One weekday morning in our Shul , a Kohen visiting from EY went forward to say Birkas Kohanim . Should we go along with it or sho...

1)      In bentshing on Motzei Shabbos I included Retzei . Do I have to repeat? [1] 2)     A woman who is expecting sometimes feels exceptionally thirsty. In such an event, is she permitted to drink water: a) before Kiddush/Havdolo ; b) in the bathroom? [2] 3)     What is the reason why we aren’t allowed to count Jewish people? [3] 4)     May I bake bread or cake in a meaty oven? [4] 5)     What i...