Rosh Yeshiva Responds
Rabbi Linzer answers halakhic questions from rabbis and community members
The tri-state region is expecting a Nor’easter this coming weekend, over the first 2 days of Sukkot. Sustained gusts of 30 to 40 mph are expected to move across the region, increasing Friday night through Shabbat to up to 50 to 60 mph in some places. Rain will be 1-2 inches in some areas, 2-4 inches in others, and even possibly 6 inches in some.
Many people want to know what this means for the mitzvah of eating in a sukkah. We are here to help with the following
What should a congregation do if it does not have a minyan for Yom Kippur services, particularly regarding the Selichot and Vidui normally recited during Chazarat HaShatz?
Without a minyan, you cannot do Chazarat HaShatz. However, each person should recite Vidui as part of the silent Amidah. There is also no problem with reciting an additional Vidui together after the Amidah.
The Selichot may also be recited without a minyan, but the Yud-Gimel Middot HaRachamim (Thirteen Attributes of Mercy) cannot be said in their regular way without a minyan. Rather, they should be read with trope (
A woman who is nursing a seven-week-old baby feels that it will be difficult for her to fast while drinking with shiurim (measured intervals). What is the ruling?
First, I would ask whether it would be manageable to drink at intervals of 30 seconds, within the range of opinions for kedei shetiyat revi’it (the time it takes to drink a revi’it;
If I blow shofar just for my wife later in the day, should she make both berakhot herself and I just blow?
Correct – she should make the berkahot. See the Rema (SA OH 589:6):
If someone blows shofar for another person before the main communal shofar blowing and is already yotzei the mitzvah, can he recite the berakhah again when blowing for the congregation later?
Yes. See the Rema (SA OH 585:2) and MB there (585:5):
קודם שיתקע, יברך “לשמוע קול שופר” ויברך “שהחיינו”.
הגה: ואין חילוק בין אם יברך לעצמו, או שכבר יצא ומברך להוציא אחרים, אפילו הכי מברך התוקע שתי ברכות הנזכרותBefore one blows one makes the blessing “to hear the sound of the shofar” and makes the blessing “shehecheyanu.” Rema: And there is no distinction
Can a ba’al tokea (shofar blower) blow shofar for a children’s activity before the official blowing for the congregation? If so, should he recite a berachah? Does it matter if there are parents or teachers in the room who would also be hearing the shofar?
Yes, he may blow shofar for the children’s activity. If he is blowing kosher tekiot, then he and the others present are yotzei (fulfill their obligation), and he should certainly make the berachah. Even if he is not doing a full set of kosher tekiot, he can still make the berachah
because of chinukh – the mitzvah
What is the earliest time that we can begin saying Selichot? Is there a ma’alah (advantage) to beginning twenty minutes before chatzot so that the final Yud-Gimmel Middot (Thirteen Attributes of Mercy) are recited after chatzot?
The original practice for Selichot is to rise early, before alot ha-shachar (dawn), and recite Selichot during the ashmoret (the final watch of the night;
A congregant booked tickets for their family (six people) from South Africa to Chicago on Tisha B’Av. Due to the time zones, the travel would result in a 36-hour fast: the fast starts around 5:00 pm South Africa time, the flight leaves at 10:00 pm, they land in Chicago a little after noon, and the fast ends in Chicago at about 9:00 pm. This would make an effective 36-hour fast. The family cannot afford to change the flights due to large change fees. Is there a position to rely on that they could end their fast 25 hours after they
Rosh Yeshiva Responds
Rabbi Dov Linzer will be answering shailas from YCT rabbis and community members on video each week.
