Is insurance permitted?

Hi,

Purchasing insurance is considered part of normal commerce and investment, and is not considered a sign of deficient faith. Just as we are instructed to engage in business in order to survive economically, so we may purchase insurance - life insurance, disability insurance, and so on.

(Rav Moshe Feinstein, Igrot Moshe Orach Chaim 2:111)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Netilat Yadayim with dirty hands

Hi,

Washing one's hands ritually for bread is ineffective if one's hands are dirty. However, "dirty" means that there is a physical substance interfering between one's skin and the water. If one's hands are stained, as with ink, but the skin is smooth and exposed entirely to the water, then one may wash ritually.

(Rav Moshe Feinstein, Igrot Moshe Orach Chaim 2:110)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Answering Kaddish between the Arm and Head Tefillin

Hi,

One may not respond to Kaddish between donning his arm and head tefillin; rather, he should be silent and listen, and respond only mentally.

One who normally recites separate blessings on the arm and head tefillin, and who forgets and responds to Kaddish between his arm and head tefillin, should only recite the normal blessing for the head tefillin.

(Rav Moshe Feinstein, Igrot Moshe Orach Chaim 2:10)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Al haGefen in Al haMichyah

Hi,

One who eats an amount of cookies or cake requiring a berachah acharonah (blessing afterward) may also include the "al hagefen" ending for wine even if he only consumed a small amount of wine.

(Rav Moshe Feinstein, Igrot Moshe Orach Chaim 2:109)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Using someone else's lulav, Part II

Hi,

We have said that one may use someone else's lulav without asking, albeit only gently, since we believe that people are happy to have others use their property for a mitzvah.

One may only do this with a minor's lulav, though, if there would be absolutely no damage to the lulav. This is because children are incapable of forgiving harm done to them, in the eyes of the law.

(Rav Moshe Feinstein, Igrot Moshe Orach Chaim 2:107)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Using someone else's lulav

Hi,

[This is too late for this Succos, but it still teaches an important lesson.]

A man may use someone else's lulav without asking, albeit only gently, since we believe that people are happy to have others use their property for a mitzvah.

A woman may similarly use someone else's lulav without asking. Even though she is not obligated in the mitzvah, it is still meritorious for her to fulfill the mitzvah.

(Rav Moshe Feinstein, Igrot Moshe Orach Chaim 2:106)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Unnecessary Transport on Yom Tov

Hi,

One may transport needed items on Yom Tov even without an Eruv. Further, one who has a bag or box containing needed and unneeded items may transport the entire bag or box, and need not remove the unneeded items.

However, one may not add unneeded items to the bag or box one is about to transport [ie items one will need after Yom Tov].

(Rav Moshe Feinstein, Igrot Moshe Orach Chaim 2:103)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

v'Ten Tal uMatar for Israelis who are outside of Israel

Hi,

Normally, Israelis begin to include the "v'ten tal umatar" request for rain in the daily Amidah on the 7th of Cheshvan, while non-Israelis wait until the beginning of December. [For more on this, please click here.]

What should an Israeli do if he is temporarily outside of Israel during the period between the 7th of Cheshvan and the start of December?

If he is in a land like the US, which normally benefits from rain during that intervening period, and he has any need for rain in Israel such as for close family who live there, then he should say v'ten tal umatar even though he is outside of Israel.

(Rav Moshe Feinstein, Igrot Moshe Orach Chaim 2:102)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Status of students living in Israel, for Yom Tov Sheni

Hi,

Students from abroad who are learning in Israel, but who maintain significant connections outside of Israel, are not considered Israelis as far as observance of Yom Tov Sheni. Such connections include parents who are supporting the student and do not intend to continue to support the student in Israel.

(Rav Moshe Feinstein, Igrot Moshe Orach Chaim 2:101)

מועדים לשמחה,
Mordechai

Eruv Tavshilin

Hi,

I should have posted this a few weeks ago, but I only noticed this morning that I had written on the topic: For information on the Eruv Tavshilin, which we will need to use (outside of Israel) this Wednesday, click here.

Good moed,
Mordechai

Moving furniture from the Succah into the house on Shmini Atzeret

Hi,

One may not prepare on one day of Yom Tov for the following day of Yom Tov. However, since waiting until Simchas Torah would greatly delay the Simchas Torah meal, one may move furniture from the succah into the house on Shmini Atzeres. One may even stand up folding tables, if leaving them folded up would make the house uncomfortably messy.

(Rama Orach Chaim 667:1; Mishneh Berurah 667:6; Aruch haShulchan Orach Chaim 667:2; Piskei Teshuvos 667 footnote 4)

Good moed,
Mordechai

An Israeli outside Israel on Yom Tov Sheni

Hi,

[Yes, there are many views on this topic.]

An Israeli who is outside of Israel temporarily may not perform melachah on Yom Tov Sheni, and on the eighth day of Pesach may not eat chametz, even in private. On the other hand, he must put on tefillin in private. This is because one who travels to another location for a visit is obligated to observe the customs of his home location and his present location.

(Rav Moshe Feinstein, Igrot Moshe Orach Chaim 2:101)

Good moed,
Mordechai

An Israeli's melachah on Yom Tov Sheni

Hi,

A Jew living outside of Israel, who owns a business in Israel, may benefit from work done by Israelis in Israel on behalf of the business on Yom Tov Sheni (the second day of holidays, observed only outside of Israel).

(Rav Moshe Feinstein, Igrot Moshe Orach Chaim 2:99)

Have a great Yom Tov,
Mordechai

Baruch Hu uVaruch Shmo

Hi,

Answering 'Amen' is obligatory, but answering 'Baruch Hu uVaruch Shmo' is not obligatory. Therefore, one may not use the 'Baruch Hu uVaruch Shmo' response during Psukei d'Zimra.

(Rav Moshe Feinstein, Igrot Moshe Orach Chaim 2:98)

Have a great day,
Mordechai

Removing a yarmulka at the movies

Hi,

[Yes, I know this is not everyone's view. But I am citing Rav Moshe Feinstein's view here.]

One may not go to the theater or movies. One who chooses to go should not be advised to remove his yarmulka in the interest of avoiding chillul HaShem [desecration of the Divine Name]; this would only compound the sin, because his true interest would not be in preserving Divine honor.

(Rav Moshe Feinstein, Igrot Moshe Orach Chaim 2:95)

Pitka tava,
Mordechai

Attending a wedding during the Omer

Hi,

One who observes one period of mourning during Sefirat haOmer, and who is invited to attending a wedding during that time because the families involved are observing a different period of mourning during the Omer, is permitted to attend the wedding and dance and celebrate.

(Rav Moshe Feinstein, Igrot Moshe Orach Chaim 2:95)

Pitka tava,
Mordechai

Kiddush for Shabbat and Yom Kippur

Hi,

It is appropriate to keep in mind, when reciting the middle blessing of the Yom Kippur nighttime amidah (מקדש השבת וישראל ויום הכיפורים), that this recitation fulfills the mitzvah of Kiddush for Shabbat and for Yom Kippur.

However, because the obligation to recite Kiddush is unclear, and because we do not have an established text, one who is ill and needs to eat on Yom Kippur does not recite Kiddush before eating.

(R' Akiva Eiger to Orach Chaim 271:1 and the end of Orach Chaim 618; Chatam Sofer to Orach Chaim 271; Avnei Nezer Orach Chaim 2:38; Mishneh Berurah 618:29; Har Tzvi 1:155; Moadim uZmanim 6:25; Igrot Moshe Choshen Mishpat 1:39)

Gmar tov,
Mordechai

Taking pills to ease fasting for Yom Kippur

Hi,

There is a view that one should not do anything before Yom Kippur to ease the Yom Kippur fast. (Sdei Chemed, Maarechet Yom Kippur 1)

However, the great majority of authorities support taking medication in advance of Yom Kippur to ease the fast. They base themselves in part on Rashi's statement that the reason for the mitzvah of eating on Erev Yom Kippur is to make the fast itself more manageable. Also, some suggest that because Yom Kippur is a Yom Tov, we are not to make it more difficult than the Torah did.

(Rashi Rosh haShanah 9a כל האוכל, Rashi Yoma 81b כל האוכל, Chelkat Yaakov 2:58 (aka Orach Chaim 216), Tzitz Eliezer 7:32:4, Piskei Teshuvos 611 footnote 2)

Gmar tov,
Mordechai

Breaking from shul practice

Hi,

One who davens in a shul where they say Hallel on Pesach night may not leave, lest his departure be taken as a sign of disagreement with the community. He should recite Hallel, but he should avoid reciting a berachah unless that would be obvious to the community.

(Rav Moshe Feinstein, Igrot Moshe Orach Chaim 2:94)

Gmar tov,
Mordechai

Kashering rubber

Hi,

One may kasher wood-based rubber with "hagalah", just as one may kasher [smooth] wood with that method. However, this will not necessarily apply to synthetic rubber.

(Rav Moshe Feinstein, Igrot Moshe Orach Chaim 2:92)

Gmar tov,
Mordechai

Taking medicine on Shabbat

Hi,

Medicine is prohibited on Shabbat, unless:
a) It is to save a life, or
b) Taking it involves only the rabbinic prohibition against medicine on Shabbat (as opposed to biblical prohibitions), and it is necessary to alleviate great pain.

However: One who needs a medicine which is only taken when mixed into food or drink may mix it into food or drink before Shabbat and take it, assuming that on-lookers will not know it is medicine, and assuming that the patient himself will do the mixing [as opposed to purchasing a pre-mixed product]. This ensures that the patient will remember and not mix and take it on Shabbat itself, and it ensures that no one will be mis-led regarding the general issue of taking medicine on Sahbbat."

(Rav Moshe Feinstein, Igrot Moshe Orach Chaim 2:86)

גמר חתימה טובה,
Mordechai

Tea on Shabbat

Hi,

The laws of Shabbat permit boiling solids which were already boiled before Shabbat.

Tea leaves are dried over a fire, but this process is qualitatively different from a boiling process in the eyes of Jewish law. Therefore, one may not consider tea leaves "pre-boiled", and one may not boil them over a flame on Shabbat.

(Rav Moshe Feinstein, Igrot Moshe Orach Chaim 2:85)

Have a great day,
Mordechai