Ask The Rabbi
Halachic questions answered by Hagaon Rav Shlomo Miller Shlit'a
5,520 questions and answers
#380 Asking a Gentile to Get You a Cold Drink on Shabbos
In our institutional dining hall, there is an electric drink machine, which dispenses flavored drinks. How do I get a drink on Shabbos from that machine? Can I ask a non-Jew to push the button?...
#379 Making Frozen Slush on Shabbos
Is one allowed to make coke slush on shabbos, by putting coke (or any beverage) in the freezer until it becomes partially frozen (slush)? is this considered litzorech and מותר...
#378 Using Back Yard Wood for a Yom Tov BBQ
It may be K’day to clarify if in our society wood left in the yard is Muchan for Yom Tov fire use....
#377 Microwave a Pre-cooked Meal on Shabbos
The bop (Federal Bureau of Prisons) does not give any hot meals on Shabbos. We sometimes buy meals from meal mart that have to be microwaved to be eaten hot. Is there a way we can ask a non-Jew to war...
#376 When Did Yovel Begin?
I have a question, when did Yovel begin or for that matter, when did the Yidden start counting Shemita? I heard that this year or coming year is a Shemita, Is that true? A) Yovel began ...
#375 Reeds Glued to Wood Spars for Schach Usage
Is it OK to take out the plastic coated wire that holds together a reed mat and glue the reeds to a 2x4 so that the reeds stay in place and don’t blow away? Horav Shlomo Miller’s Shlit...
#374 Geniza for Particles or Dust when Drilling S''forim
When bookbinding a sefer, sometimes you must drill holes in the pages to repair it. Is the paper dust that comes off the drill bit considered shaymos?...
#373 A Table for a Pop Up Suka
On a pop up suka that you use for traveling, the area inside is only about a square meter and people eat in it usually standing do you have to have a chair and table too?...
#372 Avoiding Wasps in Suka
To avoid having the wasps in the suka, can you put outside food or honey that attracts them on Shabos and Yom Tov or is it feeding animals that don’t belong to you?...
#371 Protecting a Suka with a Screen
This year we had a tremendous plague of wasps in the suka, is it permitted to put a screen on top of the schach since it lets trough rain and light?...
#370 Birchas Hagomel for a Minor
Our son, who is not bar mitzvah yet was hit by a car, while on his scooter on way to school. B"H he was only bruised lightly and needed no medical attention. Does he have to say Hagomel? Who recites t...
#369 Buying Stock In Companies That Work On Shabbos
Is it a problem to own stock in Canadian Tire, Walmart or Sears etc.? The stores are open on Shabbos and Yom Tov - not exactly sure how that affects the stock itself....
#368 Proper Stove Kashering
Can I kasher a treif oven that does not have self clean by turning it to 550 fahrenheit for an extended period of time? How about the electric stove burners? Thank you A…Horav Shlomo Miller...
#367 Bracha on sushi
What is the bracha on sushi?...
#366 Repeating a Posuk Multiple Times
I would like to clarify if it is permissible to recite a posuk with Hashem’s name as often as one wishes (repeating the posuk with Hashem’s name multiple times) not as a tefillah necessarily...
#365 Briya, Birya or Berya?
What is the correct pronunciation of "briya" as in "it does not become annulled even in a thousand". Artscroll spells it as "briya", conversely the Mesivta and Veshinantam editions write the phonetics...
#364 Esther Hamalko''s Siblings
Did Esther have any brothers or sisters? (You are asking why it matters) It matters because I found an interesting Gematria. In Ki Seitzei, where it says, Mishpat habechorah, equals exactly Esther o...
#363 Is Intention Essential in Social Mitzvos?
Since the Halacha is that you need kavanah or intention to comply with a Torah mitzvah and according to some even on a rabbinical mitzvah and since we do perform many mitzvoth during the day without e...
#362 Inducing Birth Close to Rosh Hashanah
A woman that is due to deliver her newborn son (as seen in ultrasound) this week Thursday. If she is late about a week (normal in her case), the doctor recommended inducing the birth. That would resul...
#361 Making a hefsek between kidush and the seudah
If someone drinks grape juice for kiddush or eats challah instead of wine, what is the halacha about eating the se’udah or meal? Do we have to eat the meal within 72 minutes of making the b...