Rosh Yeshiva Responds
Rabbi Linzer answers halakhic questions from rabbis and community members

27 09, 2020

A Woman Holding the Sefer Torah During Kol Nidrei

September 27th, 2020|Orach Chayim, Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, Sefer Torah, Tefillah, Women|

QUESTION

Brooklyn, NY

May a women hold one of the two sifrei Torah during Kol Nidrei? Neither person is on the bimah and they will be 8 or so feet away from the bimah, for Covid-19 reasons.

ANSWER

Should be fine, but I would make sure that there is a third man standing in front or whatever, and it’s clear that the three men are the beit din.

27 09, 2020

Splitting into Two Minyanim for Chazarat HaShatz

September 27th, 2020|Orach Chayim, Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, Shema and Shemoneh Esrei|

QUESTION

Maryland, USA

We have two outside minyanim starting at 7:30 Yom Kippur morning. I’m worried about having a minyan at both right away. The two tent areas are only about 50 feet apart. If people stand in the middle, can they count for both minyanim?

ANSWER

What an interesting question. I don’t know if it’s ever been dealt with. Why not just count it as one minyan and have one Shaliach Tzibur until more arrive? (Which is probably why it’s never been dealt with before.)

27 09, 2020

Use of Asthma Inhaler on Yom Kippur

September 27th, 2020|Orach Chayim, Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur|

QUESTION

Riverdale, NY

As a halakhic matter, do you have any thoughts on using an aerosol asthma inhaler on Yom Kippur? Not life threatening requirement. Also, for what it’s worth, taste is disgusting.

ANSWER

It should be totally fine. It’s just medication. And it tastes bad. Not אכילה or שתיה.

Just for clarity – “It’s just medication” does not mean one can chew good tasting vitamins or the like. This is just directly putting the medicine into the lungs and can in no way be

27 09, 2020

Kol Nidrei on Zoom

September 27th, 2020|Orach Chayim, Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, Tefillah|

QUESTION

Chicago, IL

Can we recite Kol Nidrei on Zoom without a beit din in one place?

ANSWER

Not ideally. But if you need to it really doesn’t do anything halakhic. If you do it, I would say the nusach that is future oriented – עד יום כיפורים הבא. Then it’s clearly not a heter nedarim, just a מסירת מודעה – making an announcement.

26 07, 2016

May a Woman Lead Selichot?

July 26th, 2016|Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, Tefillah, Women|

Question:

לגרסה העברית לחצו כאן /Read this teshuva in Hebrew This teshuva is part of a series. To read Rabbi Ysoscher Katz’s response to this teshuva in Hebrew, click here. To read Rabbi Katz’s response in English, click here. To read Rabbi Linzer’s response to Rabbi Katz, click here. To read Rabbi Katz’s response to Rabbi Linzer’s response, click here.

May a woman lead selichot if she does so with a minyan of men present, and from her side of the mechitza?

 

Answer:

For the purposes of this teshuva, I will bracket the larger discussion of partnership minyanim. I will also bracket any discussion of kol isha, as there is