Halachah

by R. Daniel Mann Question: What are the parameters of the idea that every 4 amot one walks in Eretz Yisrael is a mitzva? Is it only to new places? Does one have to walk on foot? Answer: We have good news and bad news. The bad news is that we were not able to find any classical or semi-classical ...

by R. Gil Student I. Days Without Malei The Mishnah (Mo’ed Katan 27a) discusses when we eulogize someone before burial and when refrain from doing so. On days of communal happiness, a sad eulogy evokes feelings contrary to spirit of the day. Among those days are Rosh Chodesh, Chanukah and Purim. Later customs developed regarding lesser practices, such as the ...

by R. Gil Student Extreme cases demand special treatment. The Sages of the Talmud recognized this and allowed otherwise invalid witnesses to testify on behalf of a classical agunah, a woman whose husband has disappeared (as opposed to today’s colloquial reference to a recalcitrant spouse). Defining the husband as deceased allows the agunah to remarry, freeing her from permanent captivity ...

by R. Daniel Mann Question: I will be moving into a home that already has mezuzot. If I just leave them there, do I fulfill the mitzva of mezuza, or must I remove and/or replace them? In general, when/how does one fulfill the mitzva: by affixing them, by having them in the house, by kissing them, or by thinking about ...

by R. Gil Student We live in times of plenty, in a place where the basic standard of living would have been considered a mere few decades ago to be a life of wealth and luxury. However, not too long ago, individuals often struggled to obtain an esrog (or all four species). When importation was difficult due to technology or ...

by R. Daniel Mann Question: When and how should one accept Yom Kippur? Answer: We wrote (see Living the Halachic Process III, C-4) that there are two or three elements of tosefet Shabbat (adding on to Shabbat). 1) One should cease doing melacha before Shabbat begins; 2) If one accepts Shabbat earlier than required, (at least many elements of) Shabbat ...

by R. Yaakov Hoffman Determining when Shabbat concludes has always been a weekly necessity for observant Jews. Thus, one might assume that everyone ends Shabbat at more or less the same time. In actuality, there is a great deal of variation. Some people commence weekday activities on Saturday night 40 minutes after sunset, while others wait longer—some as long as ...

by R. Gil Student We reach out to God with prayer. But when we say the same thing three times a day, it is hard to mean every word. For some of us, the words are foreign, just a formula we recite. Is this prayer? I. The Problem of Kavanah The Semak (11) sees kavanah (intent) as so important that ...

by R. Daniel Mann Question: I was not brought up going to the mikveh before Rosh Hashana (only before Yom Kippur). Should I start doing so? What are the reasons and rules for this tevilla? Answer: The Tur (Orach Chayim 606) cites the minhag to immerse before Yom Kippur, based on direct sources from the Geonim, and the Shulchan Aruch ...

by R. Daniel Mann Question: I witnessed the following scenario years ago and have wondered about the halacha. During a wedding, a talented entertainer dressed in full costume with remote-controlled dancing puppets burst onto the dance floor.  He gave a performance, which the guests thoroughly enjoyed, for 10 minutes. Each set of parents assumed the other had arranged and paid ...