Panorama of Halacha

A weekly shiur by Dayan Levi Yitzchok Raskin, Rov of Anash in London, explores interesting Torah questions and halachic dilemmas.

A weekly shiur by Dayan Levi Yitzchok Raskin, Rov of Anash in London, explores interesting Torah questions and halachic dilemmas.

1)    May one who is allergic to wheat rely on rice for קידוש במקום סעודה?[1]

2)    I often hear the question (on your shiur and elsewhere): "Am I obligated to give maaser on..." and many similar. But isn't maaser today just an optional minhag?[2]

3)    One weekday morning in our Shul, a Kohen visiting from EY went forward to say Birkas Kohanim. Should we go along with it or should we tell him that it’s not done in Chu”l?[3]

4)     Is there flexibility to allow a Bar Mitzva to have his Aliya one day early?[4]

5)     Feedback on not being Yoitze the full bentsching

6)     Why is it Chabad custom not to wear a watch on Yomtov?[6]

7)     Feedback on attaching a key to a belt on Shabbos:

8)     Re. Kol Isha: The Alter Rebbe continues the Kol

9)     What was presented on the screen (week 30) appears to discuss the issue of a father hearing his daughter singing, not about a sister. The same re. the

10)  I laid Tefilin with a man. He later tells me that he’s a leftie. So, I put on the Hand-Tefilin on his right arm. Does he repeat the brocho?[8]

[1]  ראה שו"ע או"ח סי' רעג ס"ה ובנו"כ; שוע"

[2] ראה שו"ע יו"ד סי' רמט ס"א; ס' צדקה ומשפט פ"ה

[3] ראה שוע"ר סי' קכט ס"ב.

[4] ראה שו"ע קמג ס"א; סימן רפב ס"ג; כף החיים שם אות כב.

[5] שאלה זו הובאה באגרות קודש (ח"ד

[6] ראה זכרונות של סבי ע"ה משנת תרפ"ח;

[7] השואל הבין

[8] ראה פסקי תשובות

1)     In bentshing on Motzei Shabbos I included Retzei. Do I have to repeat? [1]

2)     A woman who is expecting sometimes feels exceptionally thirsty. In such an event, is she permitted to drink water: a) before Kiddush/Havdolo; b) in the bathroom? [2]

3)     What is the reason why we aren’t allowed to count Jewish people? [3]

4)     May I bake bread or cake in a meaty oven?[4]

5)     What is the source to allow the use of a kli shlishi where a kli sheni isn’t okay? [5]

6)     According to the Rambam, wine flavoured with sugar

7)     My Shlichus is with young professionals, and

8)     A T-shirt with a Posuk printed on it; must it be removed before entering a bathroom?[8]

9)     Feedback re. Hagbeh: How recent is the minhag of Chabad to replace the Sefer Torah on the Bima after displaying the script to the congregation? [9]

10)  Feedback re. singing: The Divrei Yatziv addressed a daughter, not a sister.

1) When I lift the Sefer Torah (AKA Hagbeh), should I: a) rotate to my right or to my left;

b) turn to the degree that those in the front of the Bima are able to see the script?

2) May a brother listen to his sister singing?

3) Thinking of helping to form Minyonim for Krias haTorah later in the day of Shovuos:

Does it work for someone to decide that “I’m not going to be yoitze with my hearing

the reading in Shul in the morning”?

4) Feedback on the Dikduk discussions: Two comments from the Rebbe:

5) At supper I ate bread. In error, I said the After-Brocho על המחי'. Do I still have to say

the full bentsching?

6) On Monday night I forgot to count Sefiro. On Tuesday I was present at an early

Maariv, and after I answered Borchu I remembered to count last night’s Sefiro. May I continue counting Sefiro with a brocho?

7) Feedback (from R’ Dovid Wakser) re. Shabbos-belt:

Yehuda Clapman (the sofer) once told me that he had fashioned a “belt” by drilling holes in the two ends of his glasses and used a string or elastic to wear them on Shabbos. Once, Rav Zalman Shimon Dvorkin saw that, and told him, “In this matter, you should be able to carry a pot of cholent”!

1) Exploring a הערה of the Rebbe to a Maamar:

2) If there’s a Bris on Shabbos Mevorchim Sivan, is אב הרחמים omitted?

3) I run a Shabbos group for children. We give them tokens as incentives, and they redeem these tokens for items of nosh. Is that permitted?

4) To enter our Shul we need an electronic-chip card. May we hand the card to a Goy?

5) One the 2 nd night of Shovuos, if we eat early evening, when should the candles be lit?

1)     We avoid the use of medication on Shabbos, unless one would

2)    Isthere a concern for Shabbos to wear a luminous watch?[2]

3)    I awoke on Motzei Shabbos at 2:15 AM - after alos hashachar. I davened maariv (was that correct?[3]). At Havdolo, do I say the brocho over the spices and over the flame?[4]

4)    I purchased a small Blueberry bush and planted it in my garden. Do I have to now count three years for Orloh?[5]

5)    I am repairing a used Tallis. May I remove the silk lining from where it is and put a new lining at the other end of the Tallis, effectively turning the Tallis upside down?[6]

6)    In our Sidur in Modim, we sometimes have the word המרחם and sometimes we have והמרחם. Please clarify:[7]

7)    I bought some groceries at Sainsbury and used the self-service check-out. Once home I realized that I hadn’t paid for a few items. Do I have to return and pay for them?[8]

8)    Feedback re. does answering Borchu at a weekday Maariv make it night for me?

9)    Feedback on Kli Shlishi:[9]

10)  Feedback re. Mezonos / HaMoitzi: Waffles for breakfast: HaMoitzi?[10]

A weekly shiur by Dayan Levi Yitzchok Raskin, Rov of Anash in London, explores interesting Torah questions and halachic dilemmas.