Living the halachic process

Doing Dishes on Tisha B’Av

Washing one’s skin is forbidden on Tisha B’Av, including even putting one’s finger in water without justification. When...

Shofar Blowing During Elul

The minhag is an old one, which the Tur cites based on Pirkei D’Rabbi Eliezer. The reason recorded...

Kashrut of an Animal Fed Meat and Milk

We will start with your assumption that the feed is fully forbidden as basar b’chalav, the combination of...

Does Food Stay Pareve in a Cooking Bag?

The answer assumes that the cooking bag prevents noticeable seepage of liquid through the bag. If you cannot...

Roasting Chicken and Fish Together in an Oven

The gemara says that one should not eat fish that was roasted together with meat because of the...

For How Long Should Hagala be Done?

The poskim do not give an exact amount of time for hagala; it seems to be a matter...

What to Do When Tevillat Keilim Is Not Feasible

The Torah speaks in the same context about the often overlapping laws of hechsher keilim of used utensils...

When Can the Beracha on a Tallit Count for Tzitzit

First, it is important to understand the halacha, which you correctly assume, that one who puts on a...

Tzitzit Attached by a Minor

The gemara cites Rav’s statement that a non-Jew may not make tzitzit for a Jew. His source is...

Dealing with Loosened Tzitzit Knots

We will begin with a brief overview of the basic idea of the series of knots and spirals...

Readjusting Tefillin that Has Slipped

You assume correctly that it is fundamentally important to put on the tefillin shel yad before the shel...

Putting Tefillin on an Immobilized Arm

May HaShem grant you successful surgery and recovery. Presumably, after receiving instructions and gaining experience dressing and undressing...

Selling Sifrei Torah that Are Too Heavy for an Aging Community

Generally, it is permitted to sell a holy object and use the proceeds to buy something of higher...

Leaning on the Shulchan

You raise a good point (at least in regard to a serious type of leaning) – albeit one...

Affixing an Unrolled Mezuza

As you seem to be aware, the very long-standing practice has been to roll the mezuza klaf and...

Hosting a Difficult Guest

This is a very difficult question to answer, not simply because it is hard to predict the likely...

Veto Power for Parents on Choice of Spouse?

The basic answer to the question is that he or she need not obey. This is how the...

Thanking HaShem after a “False Alarm”

The gemara lists one who recuperates from illness among the four types of people who must thank HaShem....

A Divorced Woman Reverting to Pre-Marriage Minhagim

Let us investigate the reason that a wife takes on the customs and rulings of her husband’s origin,...

Guidelines on Warning People about Forbidden Actions

It is not possible in this context to give more than “some guidelines” in this complex matter. We...

Calculating Ma’aser Kesafim‎

Few classical sources discuss this type of scenario, which is common these days. This can be attributed to...

Returning a Security Deposit with a Different Currency

A security deposit, classically, is money for safekeeping (pikadon), whose purpose is to protect the landlord’s interests with...

Reframing a Transaction to Avoid Ribbit

We praise you for the halachic sophistication of your question. Indeed, there is an apparent prohibition for your...

Drying Hands after Netilat Yadayim with a Hand Dryer

Your assumption that there is a halachic need for niguv (drying of the hands) is basically correct, but...

Jewish Attitude Toward Veganism

The scientific consensus seems to agree with your basic premises. However, we lack the expertise to confirm or...

Netilat Yadayim on Paint Stained Hands

The general rule is that whatever is considered a chatzitza for various required tevillot is considered a chatzitza...

Terumot and Ma’asrot on Spices

In describing the laws of teruma, the Torah refers only to grains, wine, and olive oil. The Rambam...

Use of Phrase Whose Etymology is from Another Religion

We will omit the specific expression, as we will explain later. In truth, I was unaware of the...

A Mourner Davening at a Minyan in the Same Building

Two issues come into play in this case: the positive element of a minyan taking place in the...

May One Be a Sandek Multiple Times for One Family?

The Rama cites and accepts a minhag found in the Maharil not to have one person be the...