Utensils that are used during the year for chometz may not be used to prepare food for Pesach unless they have been properly kashered. Cloth (not plastic) tablecloths, towels,
Author Archives: Harav Baruch Rubanowitz
Keeping Kosher When Traveling and in a Non-Kosher Environment
Rav Baruch Rubanwitz a Dayan in the Beis Hahora’ah Travel Fruits, vegetables, fish and treif knives Fresh fruits and vegetables grown in chutz la’aretz are kosher whether bought whole or cut. Therefore, you may purchase a fresh fruit salad in any restaurant (if there is no dressing on it). If the restaurant serves kosher and […]
The Benefits of Donating to a Money-Lending Gemach
Rav Baruch Rubanwitz a Dayan in the Beis Hahora’ah The Chofetz Chaim recommends setting aside one-third of one’s maaser money to be used for loans. One fulfills the mitzvoh of tzedokoh when lending money to Jews or giving it to a lending gemach. Not only is it permissible to use maaser money […]
Beis Din, Secular Court and Arbitration
Rav Baruch Rubanwitz a Dayan in the Beis Hahora’ah A common sentiment among people who have a financial grievance or believe someone violated a right of theirs is to feel indignant and pursue repossession with umbrage. They can be incensed at the thought of some thief prevailing. After surveying their options, it is […]
Claimant and Respondent from Different Cities
Rav Baruch Rubanwitz a Rav in the Beis Hahora’ah It is often easy to determine who the claimant and the respondent in a case are. Sometimes both parties are claimants and both are respondents. Sometimes it is not straightforward and certain halachos need to be applied in order to determine which is which. […]
A woman Davening before work
Rav Baruch Rubanwitz a Rav in the Beis Hahora’ah Q I take a 5 a.m.bus to get to work each morning. In order to be able to daven at all, I have to do so before I arrive at work. During the summer, as a woman, I can daven on the bus after honeitz […]
Crockpot 2
Question: The issue with the crockpot has me concerned, not from a halachic perspective (I had the pleasure of learning hotmanah) but from a social one. Thousands upon thousands of upright, frum and yirei shomayim Jews have been using crockpots since they were invented. Year after year the family waited as the cholent was served from the now-defined […]
Crockpot – Shabbos
Question: If we use a crockpot on Shabbat, what do we need to do to it so that it is not “problematic”? Answer: In answering this question I will assume that the reader has a basic understanding of הלכות שהיה, חזרה והטמנה. First, you have to examine your crockpot and answer some questions. Does your […]
Light Right
Question: I light my Shabbos candles with another candle. When I’ve lit the last one, I’m left with a lit candle that I’d like to extinguish, but I remember learning that once that last candle is lit, it is already Shabbos for me. So what I’ve been doing is lighting the candles with this candle, […]
“Free” Physical Exams
Question: In order to get a driving license in Israel, you have to have a doctor fill out a form saying you are healthy. I made an appointment with my doctor for this purpose, and she filled out the form. She said that I was really supposed to pay NIS 70 for it but she […]
Nosy Neighbor
Question: Is it forbidden to look into someone else’s garden just as it is forbidden to look into someone’s house? Answer: It is forbidden to look into another Jew’s yard and watch the people there (Ramo, C.M. 154:3, 154:7). If your Jewish neighbor will minimize his activities as a result, it is as if you […]
Washing the Car With Communal Water
Question: May I wash my car using the water from the fire hose found in the parking lot? There is a main water meter for the building, and then the water passes through separate meters for each apartment. The water company adds the water usage of all the apartments and subtracts the total from the […]
The Left Ladder
Question: Someone – one of the neighbors or a worker of theirs – left a ladder in my backyard some months ago. I didn’t give permission, wasn’t told about it, and am not too happy that it is here. I want to either get rid of it or own it. What is its status? I […]
The Case of the Mixed Up Tallis, Umbrella and Towel
Question: The Shabbos after I (Reuven) picked up my tallis from the dry cleaner I wore it in shul and realized that it wasn’t mine. Can I continue using it? I (Reuven) took an umbrella from the coatroom at work, thinking it was mine, and realized two weeks later that it was somebody else’s. What […]
Found Books
Question: My friends were in a store at the Malcha mall in Jerusalem and the clerk in a certain store told them that a customer left two brand new books in their store and they weren’t able to return them to this anonymous customer since they didn’t know who it was. They put up a […]
Mechiloh
Question: A friend borrowed some money and I have a signed document to prove it. I have decided to forgo the debt and let my friend keep it as a monetary gift. I have drafted a letter and wish to deliver it: Dear Friend, I have decided to waive my right to collect the loan […]
An Interest in Late Fees
Question: I am preparing a lease contract to rent out our car. I would like to include a clause stipulating that whenever a payment is late the renter will have to pay interest on the late fees. Does this involve a problem of ribbis or asmachta? Answer: Both issues you mentioned, ribbis and asmachta, are real concerns. I […]
Finders Keepers
Question: A friend of ours borrowed some books and then lost them. She replaced the books at her own expense and a week later found the original ones. She would (naturally) prefer to return the new books to the shop where she bought them, but in the meantime we have written our name into the […]
The Mixed-up Machson & the Sukkah Walls
Question: Just over a year ago, we were told that the machsan we were using did not belong to us, so we switched to a different machsan, which the vaad habayit “thinks” is ours (there are no numbers on the machsanim and nobody is actually sure which one belongs to whom). We were told that whatever was left in […]
The Unpaid Agent
Question: I recently bought an apartment. A real estate agent made the initial contact between the contractor and myself but she was never available to help with subsequent issues when I needed her. Months after the sale went through, she contacted me and said she had heard that I had eventually bought the apartment and […]
Cats (hopefully with a plot)
Question: A woman on our block is quite a nuisance to all the neighbors. She owns about 20 cats and about five dogs. The dogs are not such a problem, aside from the occasional noise – which doesn’t disturb us much, although it does bother her next-door neighbors – and they are locked in her […]
Damage Due To An Unfulfilled Commitment
Question: About a year ago, someone who works at city hall said he could help us get a permit to do some work in our new house. Shortly thereafter, our contractor’s assistant called us and said that he could get us the permit, and that if we went through the other guy rather than through […]
Payment For Damage to A Used Item
Question: My wife gave her used sheitel to a sheitel macher to service. We hadn’t heard anything for a while, and now she has finally admitted that she lost it. How much does she owe us? Will everyone agree with your analysis? Is the same method used for valuing damaged items as for assessing lost items? […]
Ma’aser Kesafim – Obligation Or Custom?
Question: When my wife and I took on the ol mitzvos, we naturally accepted, as part of that, the practice of maaser kesofim, which we believed was at least a mitzva derabbonon. Recently, however, I read in the Artscroll guide to tzedokoh and maaser that maaser kesofim is merely a minhog—and that someone who took on the practice believing that it was […]
Building Funds and Maaser
Question: Can the money I contribute to the building fund by standing order be considered part of my ma’aser? Answer: Technically, the money designated for the building fund cannot be subtracted frommaos ma’aser. Ma’aser kesafim is a halachic concept with its own set of rules. The mitzvoh oftzedokoh does not require giving a tenth of one’s assets […]
Maaser & KSY
Question: Can I donate money set aside for ma’aser kesafim to Kehillas Shivtei Yeshurun? Answer: Anyone (whether a member or not) can donate money towards the building of the KSY library and deduct it – like any other donation for a devar mitzvoh – from his or her ma’aser kesofim. The restriction on a devar mitzvoh is that if […]
Tithing with the Bulls and the Bears
Question: A few halachic questions on investments, specifically with regard to maaser: Is the interest on money (post-maaser) invested in the stock market subject to maaser as well? I believe that it is. If so, if I leave the money in the investment fund and reinvest the dividends, can I defer paying maaser on it until it becomes […]
Hidden Tzedokoh
Question: My company has the custom of giving staff members a gift before holidays—usually money. I usually put some extra money in the envelope for my personal assistant, and she does not know what is from the company and what is from me. This year I will not be able to give her as much […]
Buy Low, Tithe High
Question: 1. If someone buys a house for $200,000, puts down $50,000 in equity, takes out a mortgage for $150,000, and then receives rent on the house for several years, how should he calculate his maaser? (Note: The mortgage payment includes tax, interest, and some repayment of the principal.) 2. If the person subsequently sells the […]
What is Hachnosas Kallah Actually?
A Visitor asked: What is the actual mitzvoh of hachnosas kalloh? I’ve heard many issues discussed on this topic, such as, “If they don’t have money, they shouldn’t have such a wedding” or “Let the guy go out and get a job.” What is considered hachnosas kalloh? Rabbi Baruch Rubanowitz answered: Both the Beis Yosef and the […]
Serving a Secret Subpoena
Question: My co-worker and I are embroiled in a business dispute. We have split up but have not found common ground to resolve many issues concerning the division of assets, profits on past accounts, and salaries. Part of the dispute revolves around whether or not I am a partner in the company or a salaried […]
In Case of Emergency: Who pays the Bill?
Abby Sunderland, the 16-year-old yachtswoman who has a passion to be the youngest person to circumnavigate the world, must be relieved that The International Co
Calculating Chatzos in Yerushalayim
Question: What are the last times one may eat matzo and afikomen the seder night for the year 5770 in Yerusholayim? Can you please explain your calculations and let me know the final times lechatchilo and bedeieved? Answer: Chatzos Seder Night 5770 – Yerusholayim All times adjusted for Daylight Savings Times Chatzos on Seder night […]
Tevilas Kelim – Saltshaker
Question: Does a glass saltshaker require tevilloh? Answer: A saltshaker that has a glass container to hold the salt and a glass cover with holes in it needs tevilloh with a berochoh. Salt is considered a food item, and since it comes in direct contact with the glass, it requires tevilloh. A glass container that […]
Tevilas Kelim – Pickle Jar
Q We bought some pickles in a glass jar. I do not know if the jar was immersed in a mikve or not, but I somehow doubt the hechsher includes tevilloh. Do we have to remove the pickles and immerse the jar (and lid) before using it? If not, once this lot of pickles is […]
Ma’ase Uman – Tevilas Kelim
Q I just got a new toaster, and when I was going to open it, I discovered that the screw head is not a standard one; I’ll need a Torx key to open it. In case you don’t know, a Torx key is exactly like a screwdriver, except that instead of a flat head or […]
The Industrial Leather Couch
Question: Last week I purchased a sofa set, second-hand, from people who were about to leave the country. They told me that the sofas were leather and we agreed on a price of NIS 1200. I paid an additional NIS 240 to transport the sofas to my home. I just had an expert repairman over to give […]
Sale of Chometz: What to Sell and What to Keep
We would like to sell our chometz directly to a gentile and are packing up our chometz in boxes. Can you offer us some guidelines as to which items we can keep over Pesach and which items should be sold?
Pesach Information 5776 (kitniyos, pet foods, medicines, and more)
What is Kitniyot, which types of food are included under this category, which medicines are permitted on Pesach, and which general foods require a Hechsher for Pesach
Is Touring Eretz Yisroel a Mitzvoh?
Question: We decided to make aliya primarily because we believe that Eretz Yisroel is a better place to raise our children than our country of birth. Whenever we can, we travel with our children around the country, hoping they will learn to appreciate and love Eretz Yisroel as much as we do. I know that […]
Davar Charif
Question: I have a pot and a Kitchen-Aid bowl and beater that I’d like to keep parve. I realized today that I hadn’t designated a parve knife, and last Sunday I used milchig knives to cut the onions I fried in the pot and poured hot into the bowl. Nothing else was milchig, and truthfully, […]
Law and Order
An inherent aspect of the human condition is the need for a system that defines appropriate behavior so that civil society can be maintained. Written law meets that need: it defines as crimes certain actions that are inimical to a healthy society and is used to keep society stable. In order for the lawmakers to […]
The Legitimacy of Attorneys in the Beis Din
People often entertain themselves by poking fun at the ruthlessness and opportunism of lawyers, but when it is their turn to stand before a judge they invariably want the most aggressive, polished attorney at their side. For a defendant in a secular court of law this is acceptable; however, the legitimacy of an advocate for […]
May an mourner send Mishloach Manos?
Question May an ovel (mourner) send mishloach manos? May the family of an ovel receive mishloach manos? Answer An ovel is responsible to fulfill all mitzvos, including sending mishloach manos on Purim.[1] Although one should refrain from directing mishloach manos to an ovel, when a person has a relationship with any other member of the […]