Living the halachic process

Set seat in shul

The gemara says: “Whoever sets a place for his prayers, the God of Avraham will help him, and...

Reading parasha sheets during tefilla

Reading divrei Torah (to which we will limit this answer) during davening raises several issues: 1) hefsek –...

How long to wait for a minyan

This is a hard call to make since much of the question is psychological. What will make this...

Davening by heart

Halacha is based on certain set rules, beyond which it, at times, realistically takes into account different personal...

Taking off from work to daven with a minyan

There are various important questions that have to do with occasions of conflicting responsibilities to our fellow man...

Kaddish D’Rabbanan when parents are alive

There is nothing intrinsic about Kaddish that makes it appropriate only for mourners. Chazanim regularly say the Kaddeishim...

Going to a place where a group will miss Torah reading

We will deal with both halachic and educational issues, starting with the former. The institution to read the...

Walking in front of someone who is davening

We must distinguish between the desirable and the prevalent practice. Under normal circumstances, it is at least desirable...

Latest time to daven Shacharit

In order to daven Shacharit “at its time,” one should finish Shemoneh Esrei before the end of four...

Number of people needed to begin the repetition of Shemoneh Esrei

It is proper that there be nine men who will listen and respond to the entire repetition.‎{&&}‎1 How...

Hosafot on Yom Tov that falls on Shabbat

On Shabbat, one is allowed to make hosafot, but even then, it is preferable to avoid hosafot for...

Covering the Torah during the aliya’s concluding beracha

Let us explain a few concepts that we often take for granted in order to clarify this issue....

Tefilla while babysitting

Mazal tov. Of course, the best idea is to daven (if possible, with a minyan) before starting to...

When the wrong sefer Torah is opened

Remember this rule: among the trickiest halachot to decide are those where there is a conflict between competing...

Remembering the Exodus: Is it from the Torah? Are women commanded?

One of your questions is at the center of much rabbinic discussion, whereas the other is apparently not....

Teaching berachot over non-kosher food

[We do not refer, in this response, to the educational challenges that exist in such a sensitive situation,...

Shehecheyanu the first time one puts on tefillin

That is a very astute question for a bar mitzva, one which shows that, already at your age,...

Berachot on fruit salad

You imply that you know the beracha rishona for the fruit salad, and this actually will affect the...

Birkat haTorah for one who wakes up during the night

It is hard to avoid uncertainties in the various related scenarios of this general case, but we will...

Does Birkat HaMazon cover cake that was eaten before the meal?

If one knows that he is about to eat bread (which constitutes a meal), he should, in most...

Does a mistaken beracha exempt other foods?

In order to answer your question, we will have to investigate some of the concepts that you correctly...

Berachot made by a katan on behalf of a gadol

We will start with the explicit Talmudic sources concerning what a katan can and cannot do in this...

Rules of lighting Shabbat candles

There are two elements included in candle lighting. The main element is a general mandate to have enough...

Swimming on Shabbat

The mishna in Beitza says that one is not allowed to swim across a body of water on...

Use of hearing aid on Shabbat

While there are several issues concerning hearing aids on Shabbat from a halachic perspective, all of the major...

Kashrut of milk that was milked on Shabbat

This response deals with the kashrut element of the issue and not with the policy of going out...

Making Havdala on Sunday

There are a few questions to deal with here, starting with the question of whether you were correct...

Grape juice for Kiddush

The gemara has a rule that states that any type of wine which is valid b’di’eved (after the...

Giving a baby a rattle on Shabbat

We will begin by confirming your apparent assumption that it is forbidden for an adult to use an...

Killing mosquitoes on Shabbat

Ridding oneself of living creatures could involve the melachot of tzad (trapping) and/or shochet (killing). If one does...