Author Rabbi Yaakov Goldstein

Question: [Wednesday, 13th Kisleiv, 5782] I originally baked a potato Kugel in a fleishig oven, and would like to know if I am allowed to reheat it in a Pareve oven, and what is the law if I ready did so, does my oven remain Pareve. Answer: If your meat […]

Traveling restrictions-Returning home after already leaving the house, if one forgot something: Example: I left my house to go to work and realized I left something at home. May I return home to get it? What if I left my house in order to catch a flight, and realized I […]

Question: [Tuesday, 12th Kisleiv 5782] I often visit nonreligious families in their homes as part of my Shlichus work and it quite often occurs that I am offered a drink [of tea or coffee or water or soda] in one of their cups, either Glass or porcelain [i.e. China]. Is […]

Making sure that the Kesher of the Yud of your Tefillin Shel Yad remains Kosher:[1] It is a Halacha from Moshe on Sinai that a knot in the shape of the letter Yud be formed by the Tefillin Shel Yad after the straps have been entered into its Mabarta. This […]

Question: [Monday 11th Kisleiv 5782] We were sitting on the lawn in a city in Israel playing with the grass and plucking it out when someone told us that you can’t do that during shemita. Is this correct?   Answer: It is definitely proper to avoid plucking grass during Shemita. […]

The Segula of reciting the Mizmor of “Lamnatzeiach Ye’ancha” during pregnancy prior to retiring to sleep:[1] Throughout all the days of a woman’s pregnancy, the husband[2] is to say the Psalm of Lamnatzei’ach Ya’ancha [Kappitle 20, printed between Ashreiy and Uva Letziyon] prior to sleep. Repeating the last verse: At […]

Question: [Sunday, 10th Kisleiv, 5782] During Chazaras Hashatz, is it permitted for one to learn Torah in his mind without verbalizing the words, for example to review something by heart, or to look into a sefer without actually reading from it? Answer: Although there exists a Limud Zechus for those […]

Holding onto the handles of the Sefer Torah during the Aliyah-Why and how:[1] One holds on to the [handles[2], known as the Eitz Chaim, of the] Sefer Torah while saying the blessing [and during the reading[3]].[4] While saying the blessing he is to hold onto both handles, holding onto the […]

Question: [Thursday 7th Kisleiv 5782] The maintenance of our website is performed by a non-Jewish web technician. I would like to know if it’s permitted for him to do work on Shabbos on my website or if I have to tell him not to do any work on my website […]

Comforting a mourner on Shabbos:[1] It is permitted to comfort an Avel on Shabbos.[2] [However, one is not to publicly announce for people to go be Menachem Avel, due to the prohibition against showing public Aveilus on Shabbos.[3]] The Nussach:[4] It is even permitted to comfort the Avel in the […]

Believing in superstitions: A. Introduction:[1] The prohibition of Nichush:[2] It is Biblically forbidden due to the prohibition of “Lo Sinacheish” for one to practice superstitions such as to say that if a black cat crosses his path then he will not leave his house that day due to belief that […]

Question: [Wednesday, 6th Kisleiv, 5782] Many families have a tradition that a child should not look in the mirror prior to him growing teeth, and that you should not step over a child lest he not grow, and if you do step over him that you should step over him […]

Question: [Tuesday, 4th Kisleiv 5782] I have heard a number of times that you can be more lenient with Rabbeinu Tam Tefillin, to put them on past sunset or even past nightfall prior to the time of Rabbeinu Tam? Is this correct?   Answer: This is incorrect. Initially one must […]

May a child below Bar Mitzvah eat before Davening Shacharis [i.e. Hamotzi breakfast]: A. Background-The general prohibition of eating before prayer:[1] The sages prohibited one from eating or drinking starting from the time of Alos Hashachar until after one Davens Shemoneh Esrei [of Shacharis].[2] This is in addition to the […]

Question: [Monday 4th Kisleiv 5782] I would like to perform a Hatavas Chalom for bad dreams that I have been suffering from. My question is if I need to personally do it before three men, or if I can send my husband to do so for me?   Answer: Seemingly, […]

Can a person sit Shiva for a missing relative-Mourning if there is no identified body of the deceased:[1] Deceased was a married male: In all cases that the body is missing or unidentifiable, and death cannot be determined to the point that the wife of the deceased can remarry [as […]

When to correct a Baal Korei for making mistakes in the reading:[1] *This Halacha only discusses mispronunciations and mistakes in the Taamim. For missed words or letters-See Halacha 2! Mistake in vowelization or tune; Mistakes that change the meaning of the word:[2] If the Baal Korei mispronounced a letter or […]

Question: [Sunday, 3rd Kisleiv, 5782] I am the Gabaiy of my Shul and called an individual to the Torah unknowingly that he was on his last day of Shiva. [He gets up from Shiva that Shabbos.]  Should he nonetheless take the Aliyah? Answer: Yes, on Shabbos once a person is […]

This article is an excerpt from our Sefer    Buy now on Amazon.com Parshas Toldos Pesukim: 106 [Siman:עלו ] Haftorah: Malachi 1 1:1-2:7 Number of Mitzvos: There are no Positive or Negative commands mentioned in Parshas Toldos. Rishon The birth of Yaakov and Eisav: Avraham fathered Yitzchak. Yitzchak was 40 […]

Parshas Toldos Dealing with wayward children and the heretic Jew (Likkutei Sichos Vol. 15 1st Sicha) In this week’s Parsha, Parshas Toldos, the birth of Yaakov and Esav is discussed. While most people who read Scripture side with the righteous Yaakov as opposed to his evil brother Esav, most ironically, […]

Question: [Thursday 29th Marcheshvan 5782] I work as a nurse in Shaareiy Tzedek hospital, and my Friday shift ends after sunset in the winter. Can I tell my daughters to light candles for me at home and then when I come home, I will say the blessing over them?   […]

Melting a frozen, or partially frozen, bottle of water or juice on Shabbos: A. Background:[1] While there is no intrinsic biblical prohibition involved in melting ice on Shabbos, so long as one does not heat it to the point of Yad Soledes and transgress the cooking prohibition, nonetheless, the sages […]

Question: [Wednesday, 28th Marcheshvan, 5782] We were only eight people in Shul for Mincha, and being that it was already very late, several minutes after sunset, five of us began Shemoneh Esrei without a minyan, and afterwards two people showed up. My question is regarding what we should do in […]

Bari Vishema-The law when a lender claims he is owed money, while the borrower says he thinks he already paid him back:[1] The case: Reuvein lent Shimon a certain sum of money, and when he approached Shimon to pay him back his debt, Shimon replied to him that he thinks […]

Question: [Tuesday, 27th Marcheshvan 5782] I live in Eretz Yisrael and have a lot of dead leaves on my plants and trees. I would like to know if I can take them off during Shemita?   Answer: It is forbidden to remove dead leaves or branches from a plant or […]

The various institutions of Rabbeinu Gershom:[1] Rabbeinu Gershom was a famous leader of Ashkenazi Jewry throughout the early 11th century, making various institutions on Ashkenazi Jewry that have reverberating effects until this very day. Rabbeinu Gershom was born in the year 960 in France, but he later moved to Maintz, […]

Names of idols-Saying the names of the weekdays, secular months, and planets which are named after idols: A. The Halachic background: The prohibition against mentioning the name of an idol:[1] It is forbidden to mention the name of an idol or foreign deity.[2] This applies whether there is a need […]

Washing one’s hands after scratching one’s head:[1] One who scratches [any area[2] of the hair[3] on] his head [with one’s hands[4]] is required to wash his hands with water[5] one time [immediately] afterwards.[6] [This applies even if one only scratched his head with his pinky.[7]] (However, one who merely placed […]

This article is an excerpt from our Sefer    Buy now on Amazon.com Parshas Chayeh Sarah Pesukim: 105 [Siman:יהוידע ] Haftorah: Melachim 1 1:1-31 Number of Mitzvos: There are no Positive or Negative commands mentioned in Parshas Chayeh Sarah. Rishon Sarah passes away: Sarah was 127 years old upon her […]

Parshas Chayeh Sarah The importance of effort driven accomplishments (Likkutei Sichos Vol. 10 1st Sicha) In this week’s Parsha, Parshas Chayeh Sarah, the purchase of the Mearas Hamachpeila by Avraham for the sake of burying his late wife Sarah is discussed. The negotiations that ensued for the purchase of this […]

Question: [Thursday 22nd Marcheshvan 5782] I bought a few new expensive Mezuzos to replace some of my old ones which are still kosher. My question is whether I need to say a blessing when I replace the old mezuzos with the new ones.   Answer: One who replaces his Mezuzas […]