Rosh Yeshiva Responds
Rabbi Linzer answers halakhic questions from rabbis and community members
Rav Linzer, If one is using egg matzah for lechem mishnah for Shabbat/Erev Pesach, can it be eaten after the point that one can no longer eat chameitz? Also, does one need to avoid putting egg matzah in hot soup (keli shelishi) on Shabbat Erev Pesach, if it’s in Pesach keilim?
(NOTE – All discussions of egg matzah here that are a problem only for Ashkenazim are egg matzahs that have
Can a lake that was created by damming up a river be used as a keilim mikveh? The dam is that straight line at the bottom of the lake. The lake in question is called “Henion Pond.” You can see the two rivers/streams that lead into it.
First, there is no difference between the requirements for a keilim mikveh and one for a niddah, other than a keilim mikveh does not need 40 se’ah if we are dealing with מעיין (not rain water). In such a case, a keilim mikveh needs just enough to fully cover the keli.
The OU thinks that if an Ashkenazi person is going to have kitniyot (say, baby formula) in their house on Pesach they need to wash keilim (ex, bottles, etc) in the bathroom sink. Does the Rosh Yeshiva agree?
No, I do not agree. The Taz says as a general rule that we do not say don’t do X, lest it come to Y, in cases where even if it came to Y, everything would be mutar bedieved. Here, if the sink is empty – what’s the concern? Yad soledet bo water puts it into the walls of the sink? Some shirayim are left that gets
Newly purchased water urn – do you hold that it’s patur from tevilah because it’s mechubar lakarkah (and maybe will get ruined by tevilah? not sure the metziut) or that it requires tevilah as per Rav Moshe? See the picture for reference.
I think you don’t need to do tevilah based on the combination of the following 3 reasons (any 2 would really suffice):
A frum family has a non-Jewish young adult (post-college) who lives with them and participates in family life (more than a boarder). How do we think about בישול עכו״ם for them from things he cooks?
That’s a tough one, because there aren’t even the kulot of when it is of a commercial nature, etc. I’m not sure what I could advise other than – in special circumstances – NB: NOT saying this as regular pesak – we could adopt a very broad category of
May one roll sushi on Shabbat? May one chop vegetables for sushi?
Why should chopping vegetables be a problem? Tochein? It’s fine if you plan to eat it right away – see Shulchan Arukh OC 321:12,
המחתך הירק דק דק, חייב משום טוחן… וכל זה לא מיירי אלא בחותך ומניח, אבל אם לאכלו מיד, הכל שרי מידי דהוי אבורר לאכול מיד, דשרי
Regarding the roll, I have to tell you that in the past I had doubts that it
Rosh Yeshiva Responds
Rabbi Dov Linzer will be answering shailas from YCT rabbis and community members on video each week.