Is one allowed to borrow from the Tzeddaka box? By Rav Yaakov Rappaport, Dayan for Bet HaVa’ad, South Bend, Indiana The Cohens, just like the rest of us, have a plethora of Tzeddaka boxes in their house, from Yeshivas to Bikkur Holim and various other Tzeddaka organizations. One of these Tzeddaka boxes comes with a convenient plastic cover, which can be removed and put back … [Read more...]

In the not-so-rare case of food poisoning, who pays who? By Dayan David Grossman Eli walked into Glatt Smart and ordered a large assortment of salads, dips, and mazza for Shabbat. After taking his packages, he began to walk out, when he was stopped by Eddie, the owner of the store. Eddie said to him, "Sir, please excuse me, but you forgot to pay." Eli replied emphatically, … [Read more...]

Fair Trade and Monopolies in Halacha By Rav Yaakov Rappaport Long before the establishment of the Federal Trade Commission, there were debates regarding trade regulations. Is the government responsible to protect consumers, or is it the responsibility of “buyer beware”? There is a plethora of government agencies that strive to produce rules and regulations to produce a fair … [Read more...]

Are decisions made out of anger Halachically binding? By Dayan Yosef Greenwald Occasionally, in the course of business dealings, people can get angry or upset and say or do things they regret later on. Do such actions have legal validity according to Halacha? Let us consider the following example. Someone took a ride in a taxi, and at the conclusion of the trip, he began … [Read more...]

The laws of overcharging or underpaying for real estate or services By Dayan David Grossman, Rosh Bet HaVa'ad Our good friend Sarah has put her house up for sale, and she plans on buying a house in a different area. One realtor has told Sarah that she is willing to sell her a house in that other neighborhood at way below market value. As we have … [Read more...]