Q: My husband accepts Shabbat early every week, but I still have to get some things done in the house before Shabbat starts. Am I bound by his Kabbalat Shabbat? A: Although the P’ri Megadim[1] is in doubt whether when a father prays Arvit of Shabbat early, his family is automatically included in that acceptance of Shabbat. The late Aharonim debate about the final Halacha. … [Read more...]
The Cost of Homesickness
By Dayan Baruch M. Levine, Dayan at Bet HaVa’ad, Lakewood and noted author There is no more fundamental summer institution than summer camp – where a child creates valuable memories, experiences and friends that last a lifetime. Finding a suitable camp for your child can be quite an undertaking, and often times, whether for unforeseeable reasons or a sudden change of heart, a … [Read more...]
Catch of the Day
Buying kosher fish in a non-kosher store and other fish Kashrut issues By Rabbi Yitzchak Benjio, Kollel Etz Haim and Kashrut Supervisor for the KCL, Lakewood Fish have been a staple in Jewish cuisine throughout the world for many generations, and are currently experiencing a tremendous wave of popularity in the kosher kitchen and the modern food scene. The infinite ways to … [Read more...]
Corrupting the Court
Bribery inside and outside the Bet Din By Dayan Yosef Greenwald, Bet HaVa’ad, Yerushalayim Bribery in its most obvious form is when a person offers a judge money so that he will decide the case in his favor. However, there are many other – more subtle – ways in which bribes can be offered, and in many cases these bribes are also included in the prohibition of Shohad … [Read more...]
Mind Your Olives
By Rabbi Tzvi Frank, Halachic writer at the BHHC Recently, eating olives at our Shabbat table became quite a subject of debate. One of my sons, back from Yeshiva, cited the Gemara that counts olives as a food that is "Kashe L'Shikha" – may cause memory loss. I distinctly recalled that there was some way out of this but for the life of me I couldn't remember what it was! Was my … [Read more...]