Halakhic Essay Archives | Rosh Yeshiva Responds

29 01, 2021

When Bacon Falls on the Food: Bitul of Dry Food

January 29th, 2021|Kashrut|

The underlying principle of almost the entire field of practical Kashrut is that of bitul – the ability of a food to be considered “nullified” when it is mixed with other foods, assuming that it does not impart any taste, that it is not noten ta’am. This is intuitively understandable when, say, a drop of milk falls into a large pot of chicken soup, that is, when the two are fully mixed together and become one entity. We can then say: “All we have here is chicken soup. The milk – since it cannot be tasted – no longer exists.” But

29 01, 2021

Meat and Milk Mix-Ups

January 29th, 2021|Kashrut|

Sally added tomato sauce to a milkhig soup, and then discovered that the tomato sauce did not have a hekhsher and contained meat! She called the company and found out that the meat content was approximately 5%. She knows that she has to kasher her pot, but she wants to know if she has to throw out the soup or can she give it to her doorman?

In two places the Torah addresses how we should dispose of meat that is not kosher. In our parashah, the Torah states:

And you shall be a holy people unto Me. You

26 11, 2019

Where Does Ma’aser Kesafim Come From, and What Can it Be Used For?

November 26th, 2019|Tzedakah & Social Justice|

Can I use my ma’aser kesafim, tithes from my income, to contribute to my synagogue’s building campaign, and can I use it to pay my shul’s membership dues?

The idea of tithing is alluded to in this week’s parasha. We are told that Yitzchak, “Sowed in that land and received in that year a hundredfold, and God blessed him” (Gen. 26:12), on which Rashi, quoting Breishit Rabbah, comments: “It produced 100 times what he had estimated; and this estimate was for the sake of ma’asrot, tithes.” Indeed, Rambam (Laws of Kings 1:9) attributes the pre-Sinaitic practice of tithing to Yitzchak based on

Time to Check the Mezuzot?

23 08, 2019

Time to Check the Mezuzot?

August 23rd, 2019|Mezuzah|

The mitzvah of mezuzah appears at the end of this week’s parasha in what we know of as the second paragraph of Shema: “And you shall write them (these words) on the doorposts of your house and of your gates.” (Deut. 11:20). This verse also appears earlier in the first paragraph of Shema (6:9), and it is these two sections of the Torah that are written in the mezuzah.

But what is the purpose of the mezuzah? Is it to remember God, or is to serve as some type of spiritual or even magical protection of the house? The idea of

Why Are We Doing This and Why Does it Matter?

31 01, 2019

Why Are We Doing This and Why Does it Matter?

January 31st, 2019|Uncategorized|

The enterprise of ta’amei ha’mitzvot, trying to identify the values that underlie the mitzvot, is an important although potentially dangerous one. The importance lies in the fact that it helps us actualize those values both in the performance of the mitzvot and in other areas of our lives. So, for example, if we understand that the purpose of blowing the shofar on Rosh HaShanah is to serve as a wake-up call for teshuvah, then being cognizant of this when the shofar is being blown might spur us to reflect and repent. And if we understand that the reason that the

Should a Father Personally Circumcise His Son? – The Mitzvot of Bris and Milah

17 10, 2018

Should a Father Personally Circumcise His Son? – The Mitzvot of Bris and Milah

October 17th, 2018|Marriage and Family, Milah|

QUESTION: I am the father of a newborn beautiful baby boy. The bris is coming up in a few days. Since I have a mitzvah to give my son a bris, and the mohel is just an agent, is it better that I do the bris myself (after the mohel sets everything up, of course)?

ANSWER: Mazal Tov to you, your wife, your new son, and your whole family.

A good way to approach your question is to start by looking at the blessing that the father makes during the bris ceremony, while the mohel is performing the circumcision. “Blessed are you

26 04, 2018

May a Husband Give His Wife Supportive Touch During Childbirth? – Part 2

April 26th, 2018|Marriage and Family, Niddah|

May a husband hold his wife’s hand or give her a massage during childbirth, according to halakhah? We began to answer this question last week and came to the following interim conclusions:

A pregnant woman is not considered to be in niddah until either she experiences uterine bleeding (distinct from mere stains), or until a limb of the baby emerges from the womb. Prior to this time, all forms of touch are permitted.
During childbirth, a woman is in the halakhic category of a person whose life is at risk, and Torah prohibitions, including Shabbat violations,

19 04, 2018

May a Husband Give His Wife Supportive Touch During Childbirth? – Part 1

April 19th, 2018|Marriage and Family, Niddah|

QUESTION:

I am nine months pregnant, and my husband and I have been doing Lamaze classes to prepare for the birth of our baby. Part of the Lamaze method includes pressure massage and massage of the abdomen. I have been told, though, that it is forbidden by halakhah for my husband to do this because I will be in niddah at that time. Some people have even told me that I can’t hold my husband’s hand during childbirth for this reason. Is this true?

ANSWER:

It is wonderful to hear that you are expecting a baby! B’sha’ah tovah u’mutzlachat!

Your question is one that

12 04, 2018

May My Toddler Drink Milk When She is Eating Meat or Is Treif Food Bad For Your Soul?

April 12th, 2018|Kashrut|

QUESTION:

My daughter recently turned one year old. For children of her age, it is recommended that they consume 16 ounces of whole milk a day. It is hard to get my daughter to drink milk when she is not eating. May I still give her milk when we are having meat for dinner?

ANSWER:

As a general rule, a parent need not prevent her very young toddler from doing acts that would be halakhically prohibited as an adult. There is an obligation of hinukh, educating and habituating our children to do mitzvot and observe the prohibitions (but see Tosafot Yeshanim, Yoma 82a,

May Kohanim Become Doctors – Part 2

22 03, 2018

May Kohanim Become Doctors – Part 2

March 22nd, 2018|Kohanim, Science and Medical Ethics|

Two weeks ago we began to explore the question of whether kohanim may become doctors according to halakhah. We noted that three halakhic arguments could be advanced to question the applicability of this prohibition to the case at hand: (1) Kohanim nowadays are only presumed (hazakha) to be kohanim and might only have the status of doubtful (safek) kohanim; (2) If we are all presumed to be tamei nowadays, then, according to Ra’avad, kohanim do not violate a Biblical prohibition by becoming tamei again by a corpse; (3) According to Yereim, it is not a violation for kohanim to

Join our WhatsApp group

Topics