Orach Chayim Archives | Page 2 of 19

14 07, 2026

Counting Visitors for Minyan Without Investigating Jewish Status

July 14th, 2026|Minyan, Non-Jews and Other Religions, Orach Chayim, Status, Tefillah|

QUESTION

In a tourist town with only one synagogue, many visitors — both Jewish and non-Jewish — may attend services. Is there an obligation to ascertain the Jewish status of visitors before counting them toward a minyan? Or does the general principle apply that, absent specific grounds for doubt, one may rely on a person’s statement that he is Jewish without investigating further?

ANSWER

The general principle applies. The fact that non-Jewish visitors also attend services does not change this. If a person says that he is Jewish, he may be counted for a minyan. Without specific grounds for doubt (leidat ha-safek) regarding

14 07, 2026

Questions Regarding Tzitzit for Young Boys

July 14th, 2026|Chinukh - Education, Clothing and Appearance, Orach Chayim, Shulchan Arukh, Tallit and Tefillin|

Question

I’d love to hear your perspective on tzitzit for young children.

I have three boys, two of whom already wear tzitzit daily. I constantly notice that their tzitzit are not kosher by normative halakhic standards. The boys are active, their tzitzit get dirty quickly, and I need to wash them very frequently, which I am sure contributes to the wear and tear.

So here are my questions:

Many have the custom to begin putting a boy in tzitzit around age three. Is that also the age at which

21 06, 2026

Uber or Bicycle on Shabbat: Visiting Baby and Wife in the NICU

June 21st, 2026|Amirah LeGoy, Choleh, Eiruv, Orach Chayim, Prohibitions, Shabbat, Uvda D'Chol|

QUESTION

A family has a premature baby in the NICU. Barukh Hashem (thank God), the baby is doing okay, but he needs to remain there until he gets bigger and stronger.

The parents have two other very young children at home, and they want to be with their children while also being present for their baby in the hospital. The mother is planning to go back and forth over Shavuot and Shabbat using pre-ordered Ubers. The father can either bike or take an Uber.

Is there a preference between biking and taking an Uber?

ANSWER

10 05, 2026

Can a Child or Woman Blow the Shofar in Elul

May 10th, 2026|Minhag, Moadim, Orach Chayim, Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur, Shacharit, Mincha and Ma'ariv, Synagogue, Tefillah, Women|

QUESTION

Can a woman or child blow the shofar at the end of Shacharit during Elul?

ANSWER

I have not found much discussion of this question in the poskim. For some background, there is a widespread Ashkenazi minhag (custom) to blow the shofar at the end of Shacharit during the month of Elul (Rema, Orach Chayim 581:1). The purpose of this practice is not to fulfill the Torah mitzvah of shofar, which applies on Rosh Hashanah, but rather to awaken us spiritually as we prepare for the Yamim Nora’im (Tur OH 581). The sound of the shofar reminds us that Rosh Hashanah is

26 04, 2026

Counting the Omer Early

April 26th, 2026|Moadim, Orach Chayim, Sefirah, Tefillah|

QUESTION

Do you have any guidance on counting sefirat ha’omer at shul on erev Shabbat or erev yom tov when we daven early?

ANSWER

It depends on how early you are planning to count.

If you will be counting after shekiyah, then I think that, given how easy and common it is for people to forget and miss counting, one should definitely count with a berakhah, and say: “If you remember, please count again after X:XX.” This is not to suggest that there is any problem if they do not count again.

This is

19 04, 2026

When the Rabbi Forgets to Count the Omer

April 19th, 2026|Orach Chayim, Pesach, Sefirah, Tefillah|

QUESTION

If a rabbi forgets to count Sefirat HaOmer for an entire day, may he continue counting with a berakhah?

ANSWER

This question arises more often than one might expect. At times, even rabbis forget and miss a day. The standard halakhah is that one who misses a full day of counting the Omer continues counting without a berakhah (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim 489:8;

7 04, 2026

Bedikat Chametz When Home on the 14th but Away for Pesach

April 7th, 2026|Orach Chayim, Pesach|

QUESTION

Someone will be home on the night of the 14th, but will then travel the next morning to the place where he will be staying for Pesach.

For his own home — since he will be there at the time of bedikat chametz — should he perform a full bedikat chametz with a berakhah?

And what about the next day, when he arrives at his Pesach location — does he make a berakhah on the bedikah there? Does it make a difference whether he arrives before or after the time of biur chametz?

ANSWER

If he will be returning to his home during Pesach,

6 04, 2026

Counting the Omer with a Berakhah During the Day with Students

April 6th, 2026|Berakhot, Chinukh - Education, Moadim, Orach Chayim, Sefirah|

QUESTION

Can I have my students count the Omer with a berakhah during the daytime, each day of class during the Omer?

One potentially complicating factor is that they will have already heard the count earlier in the day during loudspeaker morning announcements without a berakhah. However, most students talk over those loudspeaker announcements or are otherwise not paying attention then.

My thought is that this is a valuable chinukh moment because the students, by and large, don’t even know yet what Sefirat HaOmer is, nor what it looks like to do it, and/or have

6 04, 2026

Donating Chametz to a Food Pantry Before Pesach With Pickup on Chol HaMoed

April 6th, 2026|Moadim, Orach Chayim, Pesach|

QUESTION

A member of my shul wants to donate food to a food pantry that will be picking up during Chol HaMoed. Can they be mafkir (declare ownerless) the food and leave it on their porch for pick up before Pesach? My concern is that no one will know about the hefker (ownerless) status of the food—so does that really count as hefker?

ANSWER

I think that’s fine.

It is true that hefker cannot be done ba’lev (without any outward expression) (see Ran, Pesachim 1a, ד״ה ומהו), since devarim she’ba’lev einam devarim (unexpressed intentions are not legally significant). Nevertheless, taking

6 04, 2026

Donating Chametz to a Food Pantry before Pesach and Volunteering There on Pesach

April 6th, 2026|Non-Jews and Other Religions, Orach Chayim, Pesach|

QUESTION

One of the local Reform shuls here runs a wonderful food pantry. They partner with a local organization and mainly serve non-Jews.

Our communities are very connected, and people from our shul volunteer there and donate food items. Can people donate chametz there before Pesach? I reached out to their Rabbi, but I’m not even sure what we would require, if anything. (Meaning does the shul own the chametz?)

Also, no one has asked me this, but I was curious: Can one volunteer there over Pesach?

ANSWER

The question is, as you note, who really owns the food in the food pantry.

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