Set seat in shul
The gemara says: “Whoever sets a place for his prayers, the God of Avraham will help him, and...
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Reading parasha sheets during tefilla
Reading divrei Torah (to which we will limit this answer) during davening raises several issues: 1) hefsek –...
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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...
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Davening by heart
Halacha is based on certain set rules, beyond which it, at times, realistically takes into account different personal...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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Latest time to daven Shacharit
In order to daven Shacharit “at its time,” one should finish Shemoneh Esrei before the end of four...
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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...
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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...
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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....
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Tefilla while babysitting
Mazal tov. Of course, the best idea is to daven (if possible, with a minyan) before starting to...
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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...
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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....
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Teaching berachot over non-kosher food
[We do not refer, in this response, to the educational challenges that exist in such a sensitive situation,...
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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,...
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Berachot on fruit salad
You imply that you know the beracha rishona for the fruit salad, and this actually will affect the...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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Rules of lighting Shabbat candles
There are two elements included in candle lighting. The main element is a general mandate to have enough...
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Swimming on Shabbat
The mishna in Beitza says that one is not allowed to swim across a body of water on...
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Use of hearing aid on Shabbat
While there are several issues concerning hearing aids on Shabbat from a halachic perspective, all of the major...
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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...
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Making Havdala on Sunday
There are a few questions to deal with here, starting with the question of whether you were correct...
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Grape juice for Kiddush
The gemara has a rule that states that any type of wine which is valid b’di’eved (after the...
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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...
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Killing mosquitoes on Shabbat
Ridding oneself of living creatures could involve the melachot of tzad (trapping) and/or shochet (killing). If one does...
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