Ask The Rabbi
Halachic questions answered by Hagaon Rav Shlomo Miller Shlit'a
5,520 questions and answers
# 1497 E - Shailah
My rabbi/teacher took away my friend’s E- cigarette which I was using. I was together with my friend at the time. Am I responsible to reimburse my friend for his loss?...
# 1496 Saving A Life
Re- the recent case of saving the life of a brain dead patient. Taking into account that once the patient was entubed into a respirator, he can’t be disconnected, would it not have been better, if he ...
# 1495 Revisiting The Visits
Is there a mitzvah to visit (bikur cholim) a patient that is on coma or brain dead and is unaware of the visit, and all his needs are also cared for?...
# 1494 Make No Mistake
If one is hearing Kiddush from his rabbi, and the rabbi makes a mistake in Kiddush by saying the yom tov Kiddush instead of Shabbos, and the talmid realizes this during Kiddush, what is the appropriat...
# 1493 Better Fish To Fry?
Shalom Aleichem Harav Q. What is the bracha for french fries that contain flour for taste? I know we say that as long as its not for binding its mezonos but when your dealing with 95% potato and 5...
# 1492 Sitting In Judgment Or Standing On Trial
Is it true that Cohanim have to stand up when saying Korbanot?...
# 1491 An Unplacenta Question
There is an ancient (non-Jewish) tradition which has become popular among new moms, placenta ingestion. Moms report that they have less post postpartum depression, increased energy and milk production...
# 1490 Table Talk
I attended a bris where the sandek was sitting on one of the tables of the shul, since they couldn’t find anything better for this particular sandek. Is that allowed? Are you permitted to sit on a tab...
# 1489 What Are You Driving At?
In order to get a break for driver license insurance from the insurance company and to be allowed to take the test 8 months after taking the permit test instead of a year later they require new driver...
# 1488 ID Or No ID
Is a father of a newborn baby allowed to wear the hospital ID on the bracelet in a place where there is no eiruv? Is it similiar to the case of a prisoner wearing chains in 301:19 or similiar to the c...
# 1487 Don’t Be In Such A Rosh!
A Yeshiva Bochur accidentally dropped his Tefilah Shel Rosh (out of the plastic box etc.). What is the proper Hanhaga nowadays, as he presumably would not be able to fast whilst adhering to his regula...
# 1486 Safer Sefer
If one sees a sefer lying on the ground, but one’s hands are unclean (whether from food or for some other reason), what should one do? On the one hand, one cannot pick up the sefer with dirty han...
# 1485 Shick Or Treat?
We have some Modern Orthodox neighbors that let their kids join the others in the block (many Jewish) and go around collecting candies on Halloween, is that permitted? Should we advise them not to do ...
# 1484 Mind Your Own Busyness?
I have seen my very busy neighbor arrive home by car past candle lighting time is it permitted to drive at this time, if so until when may one drive after candle lighting time? Similar question: Do...
# 1483 Flip The Cohen?
(This Shailah was supposedly already asked to the Rosh Kollel, but I would love to actually read his answer). In our small Minyan, there was only 1 Kohen on Shabbos morning & he had Yahrtzeit the upco...
# 1482 Learn To Daven Or Daven To Learn
A person has a choice: to daven in a normal minyan and then learn Torah, or to daven in a minyan where the chazzan is a tzaddik yesod olam mamish from a different dor and probably one of the lamed-vav...
# 1481 Can I Help You?
If a person who finished davening is learning Torah, and there are people who need him to help with a minyan, is he obligated to go and help them, even though he will lose time from his learning (beca...
# 1480 Vote Of Confidence
Is there a source in our literature for elections of schul officers, gabbai, etc., or is it a concept entirely borrowed from the gentiles?...
# 1479 Don’t Get All Exercised
The local women’s only gym has been adding fitness classes run by male instructors to its roster, although initially only women were allowed into the gym. Additionally, instructors have been obse...
# 1478 A Modest Answer
When learning about tznious and their halachos sometimes I come across the category Das Yehudis. Can you kindly explain if this is derrobonim, doreisa? What is its status and how can I understand wh...