1) Smoking cigarettes/Cigars is prohibited on Tisha B'Av. Some authorities allow it after Chatzos (Halachic midday) if done privately. (Many contemporary Poskim prohibit smoking altogether, even the rest of the year. See Q&A#542 regarding the Halachic status of smoking)
2) Non leather shoes that are very comfortable (such as cozy slippers, air sneakers, crocs, etc.), although M'Ikar Hadin they may be worn on Tisha B'Av, there is valid Halachic room for stringency to avoid wearing them.
The Chazon Ish and other Gedolei Yisroel would not wear any shoes on Tisha B'Av and spent the day in socks or with very thin footwear so that they would "feel the floor". (See Halichos Shlomo Perek 15:4. Rav Moshe Sternbuch shlita and Rav Nisim Karelitz shlita also rule that a Yerei Shomayim, a G-d fearing person, should avoid shoes that are worn all year round for comfort, even if they aren't leather)
Even those who are more lenient on Yom Kippur and wear comfortable non-leather shoes should be more stringent on Tisha B'Av as we try to minimize comforts on Tisha B'Av as much as possible. (Halichos Shlomo Perek 15 footnote 5 quoting the Sha'arei Teshuva Siman 554:11 and footnotes Orchos Halacha there 19-21)
For Halacha L'Ma'aseh, as always, a Rav must be consulted.
QUESTION & ANSWER CORNER
Reader Submitted Questions of interest on topics related to Halachos we covered, as well as other interesting topic and Answers.
These Q&A are taken from the Q & A pages on the Halacha For Today website.
Although the answers I give to questions are taken directly from the Sifrei HaPoskim, and aren't my own, they are still for study purposes only, NOT for Psak Halacha.
Questions can be emailed to HalachaForToday@Gmail.com
QUESTION:
I have seen men take out their tzitzis during kiddush levana....what is the reason ?
ANSWER:
Yes, there is a minhag to check one's Tzitzis and then kiss them at the end of Kiddush Levana.
This is based on the writings of Rashi, in his Sefer Pardes Hagadol, Hilchos Tzitzis Siman 36, where Rashi rules that one may wear Tzitzis at night if there is light in the room, as the reason we don't usually require Tzitzis at night is due to the Posuk requiring "U'Reesem Oso, and you shall see it" and at night it cannot be seen, but if it can be seen it may be worn. (See also Meiros Einayim (Sm"a) to Choshen Mishpat Siman 5:7 for similar logic)
Based on this logic, since in Kiddush Levana we pray for the Geulah and say "Vi'hi Ohr Halevana K'Or hachama, may the light of the moon once again be bright like the light of the sun" we thus check our Tzitzis as an indication that when the Geulah takes place and it will be light at night, we will once again be obligated to wear Tzitzis at night.
See Shu"t Har Tzvi Orach Chaim Siman 12. See also Sefer Kaf Hachaim from Rav Chaim Fa'lagi Zatzal, Siman 35:22 where he discusses this minhag and its reasons.
CHIZUK CORNER
[1.0579710144927536] Bizback2
This section is dedicated L'Ilui Nishmos the Telzer Rosh Yeshiva, HaRav Chaim Yaakov Stein Zatzal , the Mir Rosh Yeshiva, HaRav Noson Tzvi Finkel Zatzal and the Rosh Yeshiva of Torah Ohr, the great Posek HaRav Chaim Pinchas Scheinberg Zatzal.
May we all strive to follow in their ways and may they be Melitzei Yosher for all of Klal Yisroel.
We will B'Ezras Hashem post here each day a short inspirational thought to help us all improve our lives and grow in our service of our Father in heaven, HaKadosh Baruch Hu.
IF YOU HAVE SOMETHING MEANINGFUL FOR THIS SECTION, PLEASE EMAIL IT TO HalachaForToday@Gmail.com
THANK YOU AND תזכו למצות!
זכר צדיקים וקדושים לברכה
Question:
Should a girl prepare for a date by making herself attractive, or should she think that the one that's destined to her from heaven will take her anyhow?
Answer by HaRav Avigdor Miller Zatzal:
Hakadosh Baruch Hu promised our forefathers to give them Eretz Canaan, He promised them Eretz Yisroel. And He didn't give it to them unless they did their best to get it. What did they have to do? First of all they had to cry out in Mitzrayim; they had to cry out from the bottom of their hearts. Various expressions: tze'oko, ne'oko, shav'uh, ze'oko - they cried out. Finally Hashem heard their outcries, and I'll help them, and also I remembered my covenant with Avrohom. All of a sudden absent-mindedly, He reminded Himself that there was a covenant, too.
The answer is, there could be a covenant, and it was some covenant, the bris bein habsorim! It's a covenant! But you have to activate the covenant.
Hakadosh Baruch Hu wants you to work very hard that the promise should come true. And finally when He took them out of Mitzrayim, now they came to Eretz Canaan, seven years war! Seven years war!!!
Why did they have to fight for, it was a promise? The answer is, Hashem promises you and if you'll win after all that effort, it's His promise, because a lot of people have tried more than seven years of war and they ended up in failure.
And so, here is a basherter, a beautiful and wealthy big lamdan, a young yeshiva man is waiting for you, and his name is written right next to yours on the invitation printed in heaven. It says kol soson v'kol simcha, on the heavenly invitation, and your name is there and his name is there.
But you'd better be energetic about it, otherwise it'll never be delivered to you. The postman will get mixed up on the way! You say he's a frum fellow, he doesn't care about hair! He cares about hair. He's so innocent, he thinks you were born with the curls, he doesn't know that it takes three hours to make the curls. So get busy and spend the three hours.
The same is with everything else, Hakadosh Baruch Hu gives us promises, but we have to work very hard that the promise should come true.
To Subscribe to the weekly "A moment with Rabbi Milelr" email Click HERE
Important Numbers
