Ask The Rabbi
Halachic questions answered by Hagaon Rav Shlomo Miller Shlit'a
5,520 questions and answers
#340 Washing cleaning rags or shmattes during the nine days
Our basement flooded from the rainstorm this week and we used old towels and shmates to dry it up. Can we machine wash and dry them before Tisha Beav so they don’t become moldy?...
#339 Yoga in mixed groups
Hi Rabbi, I am ba’’al thuva for 5 years. I just got back from Israel to Toronto. I have been teaching yoga about 4 years and practicing for 9. I really want to get back into classes. ...
#338 Preparing instant soup on Shabbos
We get ready made soups. Can we do the same thing on Shabbos with the soup like we do with coffee and tea? Do we put the water in first and then put in the pre-cooked noodles?...
#337 Washing your car during the nine days
Can you take your car to a carwash (during the Nine Days) if it is very dirty?...
#336 Buying small appliances at a sale
If there is a significant sale of small kitchen appliances, can I buy stuff now and used after the nine days?...
#335 Can a house helper launder during the nine days
The day care helper as part of her normal work duties launders clothing without me having to tell her, can I let her if it is done in the basement where no one else notices (no one is at home) and it ...
#334 Ironing during the nine days
Am I allowed to iron clothing during the nine days that was washed before the nine days? What if I don’t plan on using it but just want to get it out of the way?...
#333 Making Havdolo without a flame
How do we make havdala (in hospital or prison) if we have no flame or a flame is forbidden?...
#332 Ovulating during the 7 clean days
A woman ovulates during her 7 clean days and therefore cannot get pregnant. Is it permissible to use a method whereby the husband would produce his seed into a syringe and the woman would then insert...
#331 Torah learning for Noachides
Let me respectfully inform you that (I’m a Noachide and) I have been really engaged in studying the Torah, at least with the resources I can get on my own. Nonetheless a Sephardic Rabbi, who is ...
#330 Differences in gambling with and without control of the outcome
If gambling is sometimes permitted, (as when raffles and lotteries are founded by Gentiles or when most of the monies go Tzdaka or the support of Torah institutions) does it make a difference whether ...
#329 Reciting Kidush Levanah indoors by a window.
What about Kiddush Levana (in prison)? Last night was the first time I saw the moon in 21 months. I made the Kiddush Levana through the window. Was that proper? Do I have to be outside to say the pra...
#328 Teshuva after commiting a sever sin that effects marriage
(RE – Answer 308) -This is a great well-written and informative answer. What should a person who did fall and commit such sever sins do if he wants to do teshuva? Thanks for the guidance....
#327 Shopping at the Salvation Army
I would like to know if it is permissible to shop at thrift stores such as the Salvation Army. Stores such as these were established to provide funding for their churches, programs and charities. Sinc...
#326 Cutting an old Shaitel during the 3 weeks
Are you allowed to cut an old shaitel during the 3 weeks?...
#325 Remembering what Balaak and Bilaam planned to do to us.
We are supposed to remember every day six occurrences that are printed at the end of shacharis in most sidurim. Why is not the story of Bilaam included, as it says in the haftarah this week that ...
#324 Eating Kosher in prison
My friend is 6’4, 220 lbs. the problem is the food (in prison) is very meager. For me, I have a small frame so I am okay but he is always hungry. Can he eat treif (non kosher) for survival?...
#323 Using community hot water machines on Shabbos
Can I use the (prison’s) hot water machine for Shabbos and add milk into the coffee?...
#322 Using a not kashered microwave oven.
Can one use (in prison) a microwave that all the non-Jews are using for their cooking and warming up? The problem is that the staff just does not cater to just Orthodox Jewish people. How do I...
#321 Completing home repairs during the nine days.
I have workmen coming to repair my basement from a water leakage. While they should finish before the Nine Days, we have heard stories of work taking much longer. As I need the basement finished befor...