Rabbi Yishai Natan: Question If I ask someone for mehillah, and he says he forgives me, but I know he is just saying it because he does not want to be embarrassed or look mean by not forgiving me, is that considered a valid mehillah? Rabbeinu Behaya (Bereshit 50:17) writes that verbal mehillah is very important, and it is not enough to forgive someone only in one’s … [Read more...]
Basement Tenant Bar Metzra
HaRav Yishai Natan - I rent a two-bedroom basement apartment in Lakewood. My landlord, who lives upstairs, was looking to sell the house. I have two kids and another on the way, be’ezrat Hashem, and my landlord knew that I needed to find a bigger place. He asked me if I wanted to buy the house. This would allow me to move upstairs, where I would have much more space and … [Read more...]
Q&A: MEAL ON EREV SHABBAT AND YOM TOV
Question Are you allowed to eat a se’udah (meal) on erev Shabbat or erev Yom Tov? When is the right time to eat se’udah shlishit when Shabbat falls on the first day of Yom Tov? Answer The Gemara in Gittin 38a tells of a family that made a habit of eating a formal meal (kove’a se’udah) on erev Shabbat, and they were punished for it. The Rambam (Shabbat 29:4) therefore … [Read more...]
Q&A – TASHLICH ON SHABBAT
Question Do we say Tashlich when the first day of Rosh Hashana falls out on Shabbat? Answer The Rema (Orach Haim 583:2) writes of the minhag of Tashlich is going to a river and reciting the pesukim of “Ve'tashlich bimtzulot yam kol hatotam” (“And You shall cast all their sins into the depths of the sea,” Michah 7:19). The minhag is to say Tashlich on the first day of … [Read more...]
EGGS WITH A SIDE OF RIBBIT
HaRav Yishai Natan - Back when we had the egg shortage, eggs were selling for over $12 a dozen. One grocery store was having a sale for $8 a dozen, with a limit of two dozen per customer. I had already bought two dozen on the sale, but I wanted to stock up on more. My brother had just bought a few dozen eggs and said he was not planning on buying any more even with the sale. … [Read more...]