Ask The Rabbi
Halachic questions answered by Hagaon Rav Shlomo Miller Shlit'a
5,520 questions and answers
# 1457 Not Feeling Yourself?
On question 1450 the Rav mentioned that you can’t use the image of a live chicken on a cell phone for kapparot. Can you instead, just name the fellow doing the kappara as your shaliach and agent for t...
# 1456 Chickening Out Of Kapores
Someone bought a live chicken from a farmer, after doing kapores for his family he was to take the chicken to a friend who is a shoichet, but he had to make a stop on the way. He got busy with somethi...
# 1455 Yom Kipur Kidush Invitation
On this year when Yom Kipur is on Shabbos, should we announce that people should have in mind to be yoitze with the mitzva of Kidush when saying Vaychulu during maariv davening?...
# 1454 Thirst For Knowledge
Kvod Harav. Right before the beginning of the taanis, people often take a last drink of water. They are not thirsty then and it is only for preventing thirst later. Do they make a brocho on the water...
# 1453 Leather Never
is it permissible to wear leather insoles or leather heel lifts in one’s sneakers on Yom Kipper?...
# 1452 No Pay, No Pray
People who have a private minyan on Shabbos and yom tov come to a shul to pick up a sefer Torah before Shabbos, and the gabbai gives it to them. One day, they came close to Shabbos, and the gabbai did...
# 1451 The Beginning of the End
In the case of a person who learned a masechta but skipped certain parts of it (although the vast majority was done), or failed to understand certain parts, the Rav told me (see question 1435) that th...
# 1450 Don’t Count Your Chickens
My family was always very medakdek to shlog kappores with a chicken and so does my brother, but I find it impossible to have the time for it. Can I share with him the price, and he will capture the i...
# 1449 It’s Good For Kappores
Shalom Aleichem Harav When doing kaporos with money, can one use a credit card instead of cash and have in mind to donate a specific amount of money to tzedaka? Bevirkas kesiva vachasima tova...
# 1448 The Meat of the Yom Tov
Regarding eating meat on Yom Tov, is chicken/turkey considered meat for the purpose of simchas Yom Tov? Is one required to have meat for both the night and day meal or is meat at one of those meals su...
# 1447 The First or The Many?
I heard that there are those who maintain that it is a greater sin the first time one does it (the sin), but when one becomes used to it, the sin is less (naase loi keheter) and others disagree and sa...
# 1446 A Teshuva to a Baal Teshuva
One who is considering becoming a baal teshuva from scratch, he doesn’t yet keep Shabbos, kashrus, taharas hamishpocho etc. etc. should he now put on tefilin, tzitzis, daven and do other mitzvos, sinc...
# 1445 Strike A Match
Can a Cohen, who is a widower and middle aged and has grown children marry a Jewish middle aged, never married baalas tsuvah woman (frum over 20 years),(never had children), (both parents were jewish)...
# 1444 A Warm Shailah
What is Rabbi Miller’s position on doing chazara on Warming Drawers....
# 1443 Cover story
Individual in his advanced age and was never married. At what point should he start to be m’kayem Mitzvah of Tzitzis with Tallis Godol, being that (due to his age) it is not likely that he will get ma...
# 1442 A Square Meal
Hi. I will be spending Sukkot and simchat Torah with my daughter and son in law. My custom is not not eat in the sukkah on shmini atzeret, but my son in law does. When I’m by his home should I...
# 1441 Lose Sleep Over This
The Mishna says that the Kohen Gadol was made to stay awake leil Yom Kippur and was prevented from sleeping, lest he come to have an emission and become disqualified from doing the avoda. But what is...
# 1440 So What Happened To My Deal?
A local orthodox shul had an annual membership special for new members, 1st year half price off regular fees, 2nd year, 25% off regular fees and 3rd year full fees. Can a new board of directors cance...
# 1439 From One’s Mouth To Hashem
The halacha is that one may not eat before davening, I am diabetic. A normal morning sugar reading is between 70-100. If my sugar reading is, let’’s say, at 300, I am to inject a certain am...
# 1438 Gut Yom Tov or Gut Yohr?
Is one supposed to be happy on Rosh Hashana or worried because it is the Yom Hadin? Does one greet his friend with Gut Yom Tov on Rosh Hashana?...
