Rosh Yeshiva Responds
Rabbi Linzer answers halakhic questions from rabbis and community members
I conducted a wedding ceremony for a converted bride, and the wine was not mevushal (this is rare, but it happens). I forgot that her mother is a non-Jew and continued as usual, so after the birkat eirusin, I gave the groom to drink, took back the cup, and gave it to the mother of the bride and said, “Mother, please give the dear bride to drink”.
Then, after I had already handed the cup to the mother of the
This is a halakhic, but I will admit, also midat chasidut question. I understand the Rosh Yeshiva has often pointed out leniencies about the halakhic status about today’s bathrooms. I listen to shiurim on headphone around my home. If I’m walking into a clean bathroom for a moment, must I pause the shiur? Would it actually be wrong to specifically pause a shiur in that moment? Same for walking in for a few minutes, say to find something in a cabinet or to quickly tidy the space.
You are correct that today’s bathrooms do not have a status of a
Thank you for your answer regarding saying Mourner’s Kaddish when connecting to a minyan via Zoom. What would be the halakha if the minyan itself was created via Zoom? That is, if all 10 men are in different places, but they are Zooming into the same Zoom room. Will this work for saying normal Kaddish, Barekhu, repeating Shemoneh Esrei? Will it work for saying Kaddish?
As we discussed in that earlier teshuvah, to create a core minyan they all must be in the same geographic space. Thus, a minyan that is formed over Zoom would not be good
Any reason not to do Kiddush Levanah before night falls? Shekiah was 15 minutes ago, but the moon is pretty bright (see photo). I see the Shulchan Arukh and Rema are against.
In this situation, you may do so.
You are correct that Beit Yosef OC 426, quoting Agur (no. 591) states that one should not make this berakhah until it is nightfall, because “what good
Zoom questions: Counting in a minyan for Sheva Berakhot? Either way, leading a berakhah?
What a good question. I have dealt with it several times already. It depends on whether you think that the 10 of Sheva Berakhot has a din of a minyan, or of rabim. If the latter, I think Zoom could work. But if the latter, then women should definitely count, so I think you need to be consistent (you can decide which way).
This teshuva is part of a series. To read Rabbi Linzer’s original teshuva on this subject, click here. To read Rabbi Katz’s original teshuva in Hebrew, click here. To read Rabbi Katz’s original teshuva in English, click here. To read Rabbi Katz’s response to this response, click here.
I was pleased to read the teshuva by Rabbi Ysoscher Katz, shlita, on the issue of women leading selichot, a topic that I addressed in a teshuva last year. Rabbi Katz’s halakhic argument appears in the third and final section of his teshuva. The first section of his teshuva is devoted to laying out a methodological approach to halakhic rulings on this and similar
This essay was written in the context of this op ed in the New York Times. This accompanying source sheet provides a closer look at the sources.
Tova Hartman, in her chapter “Modesty and the Religious Male Gaze,” in Feminism Encounters Traditional Judaism, discusses the topic of the male gaze, and how the culture around tzniut reinforces this – accepts it as a given – and the status of women as sex objects. The only difference between this approach and that of Western culture is whether the response
לגרסה העברית לחצו כאן /Read this teshuva in Hebrew
I am a kallah teacher and was asked if I have any halakhic or rabbinic sources about public displays of affection—from simply holding hands to hugging and kissing in public. The woman also considered that the guidelines might be different in front of intimate family rather than in a large public space, such as at a wedding, etc. The husband is leaning towards a more stringent approach, but she wants “to do the right thing, not just the stricter thing.” She wants real answers rooted in sources that
לגרסה העברית לחצו כאן /Read this teshuva in Hebrew
I am currently sitting shiva for my mother a”h. I am also currently in niddah and my mikveh night would be tomorrow night. I know that during shiva I’m not allowed to have sex with my husband but I wanted to know if I could go to the mikveh so that we can hug and touch, at least in a non-sexual way. I could really use a hug from my husband and his reassuring touch during this time. Would we also be allowed to sleep in
Rosh Yeshiva Responds
Rabbi Dov Linzer will be answering shailas from YCT rabbis and community members on video each week.