The Questions (and Answers) of BDJ
06/03/2024 10:43:23 AM
We’ve all got questions, and Rav David and I always enjoy answering the Halachik queries that you send our way. Through our initiative “The Questions (and Answers) of BDJ”, you will submit questions on a given topic and then we will prepare answers throughout the week.
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Pesach 2025 Round 2
04/04/2025 12:17:39 PM
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Q: (RYK) The questions that came in this week were all about kitniyot. I’ll begin by answering the practical ones, and then move to the larger question (or bewilderment) around the entire Ashkenazic custom of not eating kitniyot (beans, seeds, legumes, rice) on Pesach. Published April 2025
A: (RYK)
The custom to refrain from kitniyot applies only...Read more...Pesach 2025
03/28/2025 11:08:35 AM
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Q: Erev Pesach falling on Shabbat presents challenges in terms of what to prepare for Shabbat meals. Chametz (which in any case must be completed by 10:44 AM) is impractical, and Kosher l’Pesach for one more Shabbat than usual can, under some personal or familial circumstances, be trying. I wondered if I might alleviate it by serving kitniyot on that Shabbat. And if so, can I cook...Read more...
Kashrut Round 3
03/21/2025 10:52:31 AM
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Q: Can you share some guidance for pareve foods? Obviously, it's ideal for pareve foods to only be prepared on pareve dishes but that's kinda hard to do in the real world. If a pareve dish was prepared on meat utensils, can one consume it on dairy dishes? What if it's leftovers that's reheated and consumed the next day? Could I even add cheese to that dish?
A: (RYK) Important...Read more...
Purim
03/07/2025 12:36:08 PM
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Q: Should I go to work on Purim?
A: (RYK) Such an interesting question. The Gemara (Megillah 5b) makes clear that, despite Purim being referred to as a “Yom Tov” within the text of the Megillah, the work restrictions of Yom Tov do NOT apply to Purim. And in the same breath, it recognizes that there were places where, by dint of custom, people did not “work” in the...Read more...
Tefillah & Brachot Round 2
02/28/2025 12:37:58 PM
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Q: If one is in the middle of their personal Amidah and the repetition gets to Kedusha, what should they do? What if they are in the middle of a different prayer such as Shema?
A: (RYK) This comes up all the time, right? So, let’s break the question down.
Of all of the “call-and-respond” moments during Tefilla, the Kedushah is among the most significant....Read more...
Lifecycle Events
02/14/2025 11:29:03 AM
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Q: Recently in shul, Rav Yosef talked about the halachic concept of a person saying Shehchiyanu - in addition to Baruch Dayan HaEmet - when a parent dies, in a situation in which the parent’s death results in the person receiving an inheritance. He mentioned that this is usually not done today in practice. What is the reasoning for that? Are there any parameters where...Read more...
Shabbat, Round 3
02/07/2025 11:22:26 AM
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Q: What’s the deal with heating food up on Shabbos? Sometimes I see people use their ovens on Shabbat mode, other times people use a hot plate. Is there a reason?
A: (RYK) To begin, it’s important to note that “Shabbat Mode” is a slight misnomer. This is true in two senses: (1) It does not at all mean that we have carte blanche on Shabbat to place foods into...Read more...
Ritual Objects
08/30/2024 10:52:48 AM
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Q: Growing up we had a mezuzah on the front doorpost of any house we lived in. Since when has it been the custom to place on almost all doors in a home and on the garage and or in the car? Can the one suffice?
A: (RYK) This is a fascinating story. We have evidence from as long ago as the 14th century that, despite Talmudic indications to the contrary, there was a widespread...Read more...
Practical Kashrut Round 2
08/15/2024 11:47:49 PM
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Thank you to everyone who submitted to the second round of Kashrut questions. You’re helping us build a great resource for our entire community. Please enjoy Rav David’s and my responses below.
Q: I understand that certain Hechshers are not accepted by our community (e.g. Tablet K and Triangle K), but I often see these hechshers on frozen vegetables, which I...Read more...
Tefillah (Prayer)
08/08/2024 03:47:19 PM
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Q: When is the appropriate time to say Tefillat HaDerech (the Traveler's Prayer ) when flying? My husband and I have a debate about this each time we fly. One of us does it as the plane is taxiing, the other only after the plane lifts off. Which one of us is doing it right?
A (RYK): The best answer is “yes”, although...Read more...
Shabbat Round 2
08/01/2024 02:17:51 PM
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Q: I noticed that there’s hot water at shul on Shabbat. Can we use hot water at our house during Shabbat?
A (RYK): Water in an urn that’s been heated before Shabbat can be used for a variety of purposes on Shabbat. The critical thing to avoid is using the hot water to cook something on Shabbat. In broad terms, this means...Read more...
The Three Weeks, Nine Days and Tisha B’Av
07/25/2024 12:13:28 PM
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Q: I've always thought of the 3 weeks (before the 9 days begin) as halachikally identical to the Omer. Are there any practical "rule-based" differences, including strictness/leniencies towards live music, hair cutting, shaving, travel etc?
Throughout my life, I've been told by various Rabbis that during the 3 weeks (and Omer) that something like going to a movie is a gray area,...Read more...
Practical Kashrut
07/12/2024 01:01:52 PM
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Q: I never fully understood the reasoning behind it generally not being halachically accepted to eat out at a vegan restaurant with no hechsher. Why aren’t vegan restaurants treated the same way as fruits or vegetables at a market or stand (not needing a hechsher)? If cooking is an issue, would a vegan salad be acceptable? Since of course no meat or dairy products are ever mixed in or...Read more...
Bentching & Brachot
07/05/2024 02:25:02 PM
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Thank you to everyone who submitted Benching & Brachot questions! Once again, there were more questions than Rav David and I could get to, but we will get them in the next “Benching and Blessings” go-round! For follow-up purposes, the answers below with the “RDS” designation were written by Rav David, and the ones with the “RYK” designation were written by Rav Yosef....Read more...
Laws of Shabbat
06/28/2024 03:41:23 PM
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Thank you to everyone who submitted Shabbat questions! I think that all of us will benefit greatly from reading the discussions that they generated! Because there were so many questions, I was able to respond to most but not quite all of them. If I didn't get to your question in this round, I will bli neder get to it in the near future!
Q:...Read more...
A New P'sak About Dishwashers
06/03/2024 10:46:32 AM
Access a printable PDF version of this essay here.
Iyyar 26, 5784
June 3, 2024
Although it has been the...Read more...
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