Ask The Rabbi
Halachic questions answered by Hagaon Rav Shlomo Miller Shlit'a
5,924 questions and answers
# 905 Dog-Gone?
I was attending a neighbourhood Simchas Bais Hashoeva and a neighbor walked in in the sukkah with his friendly, well behaved but rather large family dog, that did not seem to bother anyone and trilled...
# 903 No Mitzva, But Someone Has To Take It Down
Is removing, taking care and storing the suka properly, so it will in good condition and ready for the next year, considered already as the mitzva of building a suka? (For the purpose of osek bemitzva...
# 902 Step On It?
How small do the pieces of remaining pine schach or hoshanos leafs that fell on the floor have to be to be considered batel or not important, so it is permitted to step on them? (Pine schach especiall...
# 901 In the Beginning Questions Were Created
BS"D, Hello Rabbi Bartfeld, my question is why didn’t Adam punish and chastise Cain for slaying Abel? Usually it’s the parents that mete out punishment. And also, why did Adam and Eve wait...
# 900 Best Version of Windows?
My sukka is indoors and it is covered by a number of horizontal windows that open each individually. The size of the opening of each window is 55cm. by 2 meters (the beam structure separating the wi...
# 899 Deliver us From Deliveries
I ordered last week from Amazon.com an item and they emailed me that the delivery will be on Monday. I forgot then that this is the first day of Yom Tov. Taking in account that the item by now on motz...
# 898 Raising the Roof?
If a Goy builds my suka and also puts the schach as instructed by me. Do I have to lift the schach a tefach or 3 to make it kosher lechatchila?...
# 897 Global Working
Our Currency Exchange company employs an Israeli resident living in Israel. Can he on the second day Yom Tov contact our non-Jewish clients in Canada? If yes, is he also allowed to contact them when Y...
# 896 Fast Decorating Tips
If I already have some schach on top of the suka, but not all of it has been placed, can I already start hanging decorations that are not kosher for schach (plastic flowers and paper chains)...
# 895 Pop-Up Shaileh
If you travel Chol-Hamoed and take with you a pop-up suka, that has a floor area of about one square meter, can two or more people stand there or sit on stools at the same time and eat?...
# 894 Sukos Meshulash?
Can you make a triangular suka? (using two standing house porch walls at 90°, you place a third closing both, creating a right triangle)...
# 893 Location, Location Location
Do I have to be careful each year to place the same wooden planks in my suka, in the same original position, so that the plank that was in the mizrach last year will remain there, as it was done in th...
# 892 All On Your Knees?
Do women also kneel on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kipur?...
# 891 Women's Rites
Do women answer Baruch Shem Kevod on Yom Kipur loud as men do? Do they also have to stand during the repetition of Shmone Ezreh?...
# 890 Freedom Waters?
Can a parolee who wears a waterproof ankle monitor immerse in a mikva Erev Yom Kipur or is it a chatzitza? If permitted, would the same apply to a woman’s tevlila?...
# 889 Fell Fast But No Fast
Dear Rabbi Bartfeld, Q. After davening I put my tefillin into its bag and into a larger bag. While walking out of shul - my tefillin bag fell out of the larger bag and onto the floor. Do I nee...
# 888 When Life Gives You Lemons, Does It Make You Fleishig?
If I use a fleishig spoon to juice a lemon is the lemon fleshig?...
#887 A Toast To Muffins
English muffins are typically eaten after toasting them, does toasting make them pas Yisroel?...
# 886 Away in the Milky Way
According to the OU web site the heter for baking bread which contains milk is that the milk is nullified. May one eat them with meat? English muffins are typically eaten after toasting them, does to...
# 885 All Wrapped Up and Somewhere To Go
If after putting on tallis and teffilin, I realize that there won’t be enough men for a minyan, if I remove my tallis and teffilin, drive to another shul, and put them on again, am I required to ...