Rosh Yeshiva Responds
Rabbi Linzer answers halakhic questions from rabbis and community members
New York, NY
Can one have a Purim Seudah late in the day, and have it enter into the Shabbat meal? What special considerations are there if we want to do this in the shul as a community Purim/Shabbat dinner?
This definitely may be done. It is based on the principle poreis mapah umekadeish
https://pixabay.com/photos/dishes-white-plate-stemware-938747/
A woman from my shul has the following issue with fasting:
Although she is fine while fasting, experiencing only headaches, she becomes extremely nauseous when she eats after the fast, and can’t keep any food down for a few hours. What should I tell her regarding fasting on Tisha BeAv?
This is a tricky one, since it is not the fasting that makes her nauseous, but the eating afterward.
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
What is your pesak on weddings during Corona that don’t have a minyan. Is it ok? If so, do we leave anything out like Sheva Berakhot?
Kiddushin doesn’t need a minyan, but there is a strong minhag to do it with one. In sha’at hadechak (e.g., jail) that can be forgone. For the nisuin, a minyan is required – not for the nisuin per se but for the Sheva Berakhot. If this is really not possible, then you need not postpone the wedding, and you should do Sheva Berakhot at the
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).
I am a woman serving as a member of the clergy in an Orthodox synagogue. I have been asked to officiate at a wedding. I would like to say Birkat Eirusin, the blessing before the giving of the ring. Although I could be the mesaderet and not say this b’rakhah, neither I nor the couple like the message that would be implied, were I to step aside for someone else to recite the b’rakhah. It signals that I am not truly the one officiating at the wedding. Is it permissible for me as a woman to recite the Birkat Eirusin?
Is there a mitzvah to loan money? Many of us would think that the answer is “no” – it’s not real tzedakah, because the person has to give the money back in the end. What is obvious to us is that there is a mitzvah of tzedakah – giving money to a person in need. Surprisingly, however, this mitzvah appears nowhere in the Torah. Look at the following verses that talk about supporting a poor person through financial assistance {source 1-3}.
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 the same bed?
This article was originally published on My Jewish Learning.
In the traditional wedding ceremony, men play a more prominent role than women. This can be troubling for couples who, while wishing to be respectful of tradition and community, are also looking for ways to have a ceremony that reflects their vision of marriage as an equal partnership. In this article, I will discuss some opportunities that exist within halakhah [Jewish law] for creating a more balanced wedding ceremony.
As with any area of halakhah, there is a range of opinions, and these issues need to be discussed with the couple’s officiating rabbi. Beyond
There is a debate in the gemara (Ketuvot 10a) whether the ketuvah is mi’di’orraita, Biblical, or mi’di’rabanan, rabbinic. The position that ketuvah is Biblically-based is an individual one, that of Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel, and he even states this position somewhat tentatively – mikan samkhu li’ktuvat isha min haTorah, from here the Rabbis found support to the institution of the ketuvah from the Torah. It would seem that the position that ketuvah is from the Torah is somewhat tentative, and indeed, most Rishonim conclude, based on this and other sugyot, that the halakha is not like Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel
Rosh Yeshiva Responds
Rabbi Dov Linzer will be answering shailas from YCT rabbis and community members on video each week.
