Panorama of Halacha

1) A doorway that has straight posts, but then has an arched lintel – where should the Mezuzah be placed?[1] 2) A young man had his circumcision done by a female Jewish doctor. Is there need for הטפת דם ברית?[2] 3) Should a visitor to Eretz Yisroel at this time of the year say ותן טל ומטר?[3] 4) I prepared a Kesubah , spelling out the location where the Chupa was to be held. It turns out that by t...

1) In Selichos and in Hoshanos , in alphabetical list of requests, one request has two words: למען גדלך ותפארתך. Why?[1] 2) We offered our apartment for rent over Succos (whilst we would be abroad). A couple booked our premises, but cancelled the day before Succos, due to illness. Are we entitled to payment of the agreed amount?[2] 3) Could the meal on the 2ndnight of Succos begin before nightfall...

1) After lighting Shabbos candles during Chol HaMoed Succos , I realised that I hadn’t bentshed Lulav that morning. May I do so now?[1] 2) One day of Succos I rushed out of the house. After Hallel and Hoshanos I realised that I hadn’t bentshed Lulav earlier. Do I say the brocho now?[2] 3) One making Kiddush on a beverage other than wine, should the brocho לישב בסוכה be said at Kiddush or after the...

1) May one prepare food on Yom Kipur to be ready as soon as the fast is over?[1] 2) On Day One of Yomtov , may one remove food from the freezer so that it should defrost in time for the evening meal?[2] 3) Unfortunately, at Kol Nidrei one of the Sifrei Torah slipped to the floor. The usual procedure in such a case is that the community fasts. Does the fast of Yom Kipur cover for this?[3] 4) Schach...

1) The term שנת הקהל appears in the writings of the  חיד"א:[1] 2) One who is ill is exempt from eating in the Sukkah . Does that exemption include the 1st night (when one should eat in the Succah even if it’s raining)?[2] 3) I have previously understood that black Arovois aren’t kosher. I now see that discolouration is an issue only for an Esrog:[3] 4) When binding the Lulav, would I be allow...

1) Hakhel is held on Succos ; why then is the entire year called a “ Hakhel Year”?[1] 2) New-model hearing-aids no longer have batteries. Instead, they are charged daily via a USB socket. However, a full charge lasts 18 hours. This means that the user will be without the device for the end of Shabbos. The problem intensifies with two-day Yomim Tovim . How about fitting the charger to a timer, and...

1) In Selichos and in Hoshanos , in the alphabetical poem למען אמתך, למען בריתך, why does the third stanza have two concepts: למען גדלך ותפארתך? 2) How do I measure for the placement of a Mezuza in a doorway that has straight doorposts but a curved arch for the lintel: a) the top 3rd of the straight doorposts; b) the top 3rd including the upper arch?[1] 3) When a Jewish boy was circumcised by a no...

1) In the 8th brocho of Shmone Esrei we ask for healing, ending with praising HaShem as healer of the Jewish people. But HaShem heals all flesh, as expressed in the end of the brocho of Asher Yotzar : רופא כל בשר. So why the specification in this blessing?[1] 2) We made a Pruzbul last Erev Rosh haShono ; this year again?[2] 3) We have a non-Jewish helper come each Friday night. I have been leaving...

1) May we have the Yomtov meals early on the 1st night of Succos and of Shmini Atzeres ?[1] 2) The Esroigim that grow without a pitem , sometimes have a cavity at their peak. Does this impact the kashrus of the Esrog ?[2] 3) When reciting Pesukei deZimra and one hears Kaddish , does one answer every Omein or only some of them?[3] 4) May one prepare Porridge-oats on Shabbos using hot water in a Kli...

1) The Musaf of Shabbos-Rosh Chodesh includes a plea for forgiveness for sin. Isn’t this type of request usually avoided on Shabbos?[1] 2) I work night-shift. When going to sleep in the day, do I say HaMapil ?[2] 3) What is the brocho for lettuce that grows on water?[3] 4) One who can only hear with a hearing-aid, can he be Yoitzei Havdoloh by listening to someone else?[4] 5) One who hasn’t made a...

1) Wheat-bread doesn’t treat me well. So, for Lechem Mishneh , is it essential that I partake of a kazayis thereof?[1] 2) At our refugee-hotel, we have repurposed an ottoman bench as an Oron Kodesh . A) Is that not disgraceful? B) Once we leave, does the bench retain Kedusha status?[2] 3) We are moving IYH into a new Chabad House. The safe which we used as an Aron Kodesh - if we can't find another...

1) May one add water to a humidifier/cooler on Shabbos? 2) Is there a specific minimum size for a Yarmulke? 3) Is microblading eyebrows permitted? 4) On Shabbos, after the use of a towel, may it be spread out to dry? 5) What is a permissible correct way to open cartons of drink on Shabbos? 6) When naming a child after a grandparent who died young, should another name be added? 7) On Friday evening...

1) Newly-released answer of the Rebbe זי"ע: Is Birkas Kohanim omitted at Shacharis of Tisha b’Av ?[1] 2) Also: Should the wine at Havdolo of Motzei Tisha b’Av be given to a child?[2] 3) Our family will spend Shabbos on a campsite where there will be many non-Jewish families. Are we allowed to carry within the site?[3] 4) Our Shul has space for ladies in the west and in the east. At duchenen , the...

1) Further feedback on the use of Goral to decide a course of action:[1] 2) At Havdolo last Motzei Shabbos I gave the cup of wine to my child, to drink. She, however, sipped only a little bit, much less than her cheek-full. Was I Yoitze ?[2] 3) An oven was used for meat and I now wish to bake vegetables. May those veggies be served with fish? Is there any benefit to cool down the oven in between?[...

1) After making our cholent we realized that the potatoes are from Eretz Yisroel:[1] 2) When measuring for Tchum Shabbos , may one utilize the diagonal of a 2,000 amah square?[2] 3) One who makes Havdoloh on Tisha b’Av , should he say a brocho on Besomim ?[3] 4) At an Ovel’s home (ר"ל), Tehilim #49 is recited after Davening . What about a day when Tachanun isn’t said?[4] 5) A Jewish lad is off to...

1) Is one permitted to make a decision based upon a Goral ?[1] 2) Unfortunately, my parents are divorced. My wife and I are marrying off our daughter shortly אי"ה. My mother is telling me not to invite my father’s sisters to the wedding. Am I bound to heed her instruction?[2] 3) When making Kiddush on a large cup of wine, is there a preference to drink the majority of the cup’s contents, or is the...

1)     A positive outcome to Moshe Rabbenu’s striking of the rock:[1] 2)     Our Chabad House is desperate for additional space for activities. Next door to us is a disused hall that was used by a Christian group for worship and for social activities. May this space be rented for the expansion of the Chabad House’s activities?[2] 3)     T...

1) A story about Kli Sheiny :[1] 2) Visiting Eretz Yisroel from the Diaspora whilst there’s a difference of Sedra , may I have an Aliya in their reading?[2] 3) Some years ago, I donated a substantial sum to a building campaign for a specific institution. It is now evident that the building isn’t happening. May I request that my donation be reimbursed, and I will redirect those funds to people who...

1) It is often said that Bnei Noach have no Bechiro . Please explain:[1] 2) I now realise that last Friday I lit the Shabbos candles before Plag haMincha . Do I now have to add an additional candle each Friday?[2] 3) When travelling out in the morning and returning that night, need one say Tefilas haDerech twice?[3] 4) A minor swarm of ants has gathered on the window-sill. May I brush them away? M...

1) Following on the discussion re. the word כל pronounced ‘coal’ or ‘call’. Would that explain the difference in כל מעייני בך, between in Tehillim and in Bentsching?[1] 2) May one wear sunglasses in the street on Shabbos?[2] 3) What are the parameters of the respect a Ger should have towards his biological parents?[3] 4) I was given a pendant that has the letters ש-ד-י clustered in disorder. May I...

Video link here. 1) In the 9th brocho of Shmone Esrei , in the phrase ואת כל מיני תבואתה, do we say ‘ kol’ or ‘ koil’ ?[1] 2) What is the difference between Nachash and Siman ?[2] We are commanded not to identify certain times or happenings as auspicious or ominous, yet we have numerous practices to prefer or to avoid certain dates or times. 3) I met an old acquaintance on Shabbos Erev Shovuos and...

1) On the day of Matan Torah , did our forefathers have Cholov Yisroel ?[1] 2) The order of Mishnayos in Tikun Leil Shovuos is quite different to the conventional order of the Mishna . Why is it so?[2] 3) Feedback on brother and sister acting as Kvater & Kvaterin :[3] 4) Having eaten dairy foods and now wishing to eat meaty foods, I need to create an interruption. Does Birkas haMozon effect th...

1) Why is the first verse of Shema recited (on Shabbos & Yomtov) when taking the Torah to be read?[1] 2) A campus-shliach was planning to have a late meal this Shabbos afternoon, to lead into Yomtov. He asked whether both Retzei and Yaal’eh veYovoi would be said?[2] 3) Is Poreis Mapoh an opt0ion when Shabbos flows into Yomtov?[3] 4) In the evening at the end of Rosh Chodesh I davened Maariv ea...

1)     The 3rd Aliya of this week’s Sedra includes the Toichocho. Usually, the Baal Korei has this aliya without being called by name. But our Baal Korei is a Leivi. What do you advise?[1] 2)     Besides the Baal Korei, no one else present is capable of reading the Hatorah. Should the Baal Korei be called for Maftir too, or should someone else be called for...

1) May one call someone by name in the presence of a parent who has the same name? What if the parent is moichel ? [1] 2) May I lay Tefillin with a man before the funeral of his relative? [2] 3) Artificial Intelligent robots are become increasingly available. What’s the position re. using their services on Shabbos? [3] 4) An E-Pram is an electrically-assisted baby buggy (like an E-Scooter). If one...