Our electricity was restored on Shabbat. The lights in the house went back on. Are we permitted to benefit from these lights even though they were restored on Shabbat? One is not permitted to benefit on Shabbat from a Melacha that was done by a non-Jew for the sake of a Jew. This is true even if the Jew did not request the favor. The Mishna Berura (276:2) explains that this … [Read more...]
Halachot of Daily Living: Weekly Questions
The Gerald & Karin Feldhamer OU Kosher Halacha Yomis This Column is dedicated in memory of: Rav Chaim Yisroel ben Reb Dov HaLevi Belsky, zt’l Senior OU Kosher Halachic Consultant from 1987-2016 Laws related to Yashan nowadays What do the terms Hadash flour or Yashan flour mean? The Torah (VaYikra 23:14) states that it is forbidden to eat the new year’s grains until … [Read more...]
Halachot of Daily Living: Weekly Questions
Hanukkah FAQ’s Answered by Rabbi Moshe Pinchasi Q: Where should I light if I get married on Hanukkah? A: If the Huppa will take place after star-break, one would fulfill the obligation with the lighting of his parents. One should also light in one’s new home after the wedding, without a Beracha, to satisfy the opinions that the place where one sleeps and lives in the … [Read more...]
Halachot of Daily Living: Weekly Questions
Why do we wash Netilat Yadayim before we eat bread? The requirement to wash one’s hands is rabbinical. The Kohanim were required to wash their hands to purify them before eating or handling Terumah (produce separated for the Kohanim). To ensure that Kohanim not overlook this practice, Hachamim required them, as well as all of Klal Yisrael, to wash their hands before eating … [Read more...]
Double-Loaf The Mitzvah of Lehem Mishne at the Shabbat Meal
What is the Mitzvah of Lehem Mishne (having two loaves of bread at the Shabbat meals)? The Gemara (Shabbat 117b) teaches that on Shabbat one is obligated to recite HaMotzi on two loaves of bread. This serves as a remembrance to the double portion of Man (manna) that fell every Friday during the forty years that the Children of Israel traveled through the desert. Although the … [Read more...]