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

6 03, 2021

Orlah and Kilayim outside of Israel

March 6th, 2021|Agricultural Mitzvot, Yoreh De'ah|

QUESTION

California, USA

We are looking at planting some new trees in our backyard and I found some fruit trees that I am interested in.

There are some trees that are grafted with multiple varieties of the same fruit (e.g fuji, gravenstein, red delicious, etc) so all are apples and similarly there are some with a variety of plums.

Additionally, I also found a tree, in a different nursery, that is called “the fruit salad”, as it is grafted with multiple types of fruit (e.g. 1 tree with a branch for each fruit; peach, nectarine, plum, and apricot).

Can you please clarify any halakhic issues

27 02, 2021

Mourner’s Kaddish Connecting to a Minyan over Zoom

February 27th, 2021|Aveilut, Kaddish, Orach Chayim|

QUESTION

Canada

What is the Rosh Yeshiva’s position on saying Kaddish Yatom over Zoom where there is a minyan on the other end?

ANSWER

The short answer is that it is fine if there are ten men gathered in one place. If there are ten men Zooming in from different places, it is more questionable, but there is a reasonable argument to say that this works as well. Let us consider the various issues:

  1. For a minyan, Gemara (Pesachim 85b) requires both a core ten, plus the shaliach tzibbur to be in the same physical room. This is ruled in Shulchan