Ten Minute Halacha

Welcome back to another weekly session of answering your questions, organized and arranged by Jonathan. In this episode, we explore a wide variety of halachic inquiries and philosophical reflections, ranging from modern technological challenges on Shabbat to the deep spiritual mechanics of repentance. **This episode answers the following questions:***  **Does winning a Sefer Torah in a raffle fulfill the mitzvah?** We provide a follow-up on whether winning a raffle qualifies as the mitzvah of writing a Sefer Torah, debating if it is more similar to inheriting one (which does not fulfill the mitzvah) or commissioning/buying one (which most hold does fulfill it).*  **Are digital photo frames and screens permitted on Shabbat?** We discuss the use of screens in homes and shuls that display rotating photos, headlines, or sports scores, examining concerns like reading secular news on Shabbat and the halachic concept of *Shevisas Kelim* (resting of utensils).*  **What is the halachic status of the Manhattan Eruv?** We dive into the complex history of the Manhattan Eruv, focusing on the debate over whether an area requires 600,000 residents to be considered a *Reshus HaRabim* (public domain) and Rav Moshe Feinstein’s influential rulings on the matter.*  **How does God’s influence (*Hashgacha*) affect non-Jews?** Drawing on various opinions, we explore whether non-Jews are guided by general or individual providence and how they are judged based on their personal mission in society.*  **Is it preferable to daven in a shul if there is a house minyan on your block?** We explain why **davening in a shul is superior** to a house minyan, citing reasons such as *B'rov Am Hadras Melech* (glory in a large crowd), the inherent sanctity of the building, and the presence of an *Aron Kodesh*.*  **How strictly should we follow the rule of *Paska* (not splitting verses)?** We look at why we sometimes split verses in songs or Torah readings despite the general prohibition, noting that it is often permitted when there is no other viable option.*  **Does seeing the top of the Golden Dome require *Keriah*?** We discuss whether seeing the dome on the Temple Mount from a distance—without seeing the base—obligates a person to tear their clothes in mourning for the Temple.*  **How do sins transform into merits through *teshuva*?** We examine the profound concept that **proper repentance can turn past transgressions into merits**, including the idea that the drive to overcome sin can lead a person to a higher spiritual level than they would have otherwise reached.*  **Where should one light candles when staying in one hotel but eating in another?** We address the logistics of lighting Shabbat and Chanukah candles for those away from home, determining whether the place of eating or the place of sleeping takes precedence.*  **What is the best way for teenagers to handle modern temptations?** We share advice on **avoiding temptation through filters and environment** rather than just "fighting" it, while emphasizing the importance of not obsessing over past failures.*  **How should you signal someone to stop talking during sensitive parts of prayer?** We offer practical tips for communicating the need for silence during *Chazaras HaShatz* or *Kaddish* without violating the prohibition against speaking.To understand the concept of **avoiding obsession with sin**, consider it like **putting down a heavy load after crossing a puddle**; if you keep rehashing your mistakes, you are still carrying the weight of the sin long after the moment has passed.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/ten-minute-halacha/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

🔥 Fasting for children before bar/bat mitzvah (major vs minor fasts)   – The common idea that a child must **fast three fast days before bar/bat mitzvah** is described as a **myth**; there is **no such halachic requirement**.   – **Yom Kippur**: Shulchan Aruch rules that a **healthy child** should fast **two Yom Kippurs before bar/bat mitzvah** (e.g., a boy may already have to fast from age 11 if he is healthy).   – **Training pattern (for healthy children)** as cited from Rav Schachter:    – **2 years before bar/bat mitzvah**: fast the **entire Yom Kippur**.    – **Previous 2 years** before that: fast **half-day** on Yom Kippur.    – Before that age: **no fasting** at all.   – **Minor fasts** (e.g., Tisha B’Av, 10 Teves, 17 Tammuz, Taanis Esther): **no fasting requirement for children** at all.   – This applies **equally to boys and girls**, adjusted to their respective bar/bat mitzvah ages and health.  🎲 Gambling for money “just for fun” (Asmachta, gezel, addiction, communal practice)   – The Gemara discusses **mesachek b’kuvia** (gambling) and whether gamblers are **invalid as witnesses**. Two main approaches:    – **Gezel derabbanan / Asmachta**: the loser never fully intended to part with the money; gambling becomes a **form of rabbinic theft**. On this view, **even occasional gambling** is problematic.    – **Eino osek b’yishuvo shel olam**: the gambler contributes nothing productive to society; invalid as an eid only if he **does this as his main occupation**. Occasional gambling would not invalidate eidus on this view.   – Rambam writes that a person should **spend his entire life** involved in **constructive, beneficial pursuits** and chochmah; that ethos pushes strongly **against recreational gambling**, especially when it can become **habitual**.   – Gambling is characterized as **highly addictive** and often **destructive** to families and finances.    – Expert statistic mentioned: in forms of gambling with **instant payoff / instant “rush”**, about **~29%** of people may develop an addiction.    – Addicted gamblers can incur **hundreds of thousands of dollars in debt**, sometimes even as kids/young adults.   – Since it is often impossible to know in advance **who will become addicted**, the recommended approach is to **avoid gambling altogether**, even “occasional” or “for fun.”   – Communal practice critique:    – **Jewish organizations** that run “casino nights” are described as **misreading the communal reality**, given the level of gambling addiction among teens in both right-wing and modern Orthodox schools.    – It is suggested to **object** to such events and question their appropriateness and leadership judgment.  🕯️ Benefiting from Chanukah candlelight via photography / monetizing images   – The prohibition **“haneros halalu kodesh hem”** forbids **using the light of the Chanukah candles** for personal benefit (e.g., reading or working by that light).   – Taking **photos or videos** of lit Chanukah candles, and **selling or monetizing** those images, is presented as **not a violation** of this prohibition:    – The benefit is not from the **physical illumination** to see by, but from the **image/representation** being used to **publicize the mitzvah** (pirsumei nisa), which is in line with the purpose of the candles.   – Additional leniencies:    – After the **required burning time (approx. 30 minutes)**, leftover oil/wax no longer has the same restrictions; benefiting from that light is permitted.    – A **shamash** candle provides heter to use the general light in the room, even if Chanukah lights contribute.   – Overall, **using Chanukah candles as a background or prop for pictures, even monetized**, is treated as **permissible**.  🕯️🕍 Public menorah lightings with a beracha outside of shul (offices, concerts, events)   – **Lighting in shul with a beracha** is a long-established, special **minhag**, and even that practice required significant effort by Rishonim/Acharonim to justify.   – Many poskim **strongly oppose extending** this minhag to **other public spaces** (offices, concerts, lobbies, etc.) with a beracha:    – Minchas Yitzchak: emphasizes how much effort went into justifying **shul lighting**; considers further extension (e.g., “at a gathering”) to be **beyond what Chazal intended**.    – Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, Rav Wosner, and the Klausenberger Rebbe: similarly resist adding **new berachot** on lightings in non-shul public places; view it as **unauthorized innovation** and part of a trend of “doing whatever seems right” in mitzvos.   – Rav Ovadia Yosef (Yabia Omer) summarizes:    – Notes many authorities who are **stringent**.    – Cites **Mishnas Yaakov**, who is lenient because large public gatherings may generate **greater pirsumei nisa** than shul.    – Concludes that in a **large communal gathering**, one **can rely** on the lenient opinions to make a **beracha**, but it is **preferable** to also **daven Ma’ariv there** so the lighting resembles the **shul context**.   – Key conditions for shul lighting that are often ignored at public events:    – Requires a **minyan** present.    – Lighting should be **within the framework of tefillah** (e.g., between Mincha and Ma’ariv, or before Aleinu on Motzaei Shabbos) — not after davening is over and everyone has left.   – **Chabad** practice:    – Widely conducts **public menorah lightings with berachot** outside of shuls, relying heavily on **pirsumei nisa** as the core rationale and extending the shul-minhag logic to any major public display.    – This approach is **not accepted** by many other poskim.  🍪 Cutting letters / shapes on food on Shabbos (Oreos, cakes, cookies)   – Rama (Orach Chaim 340) forbids **cutting letters on food**, e.g., slicing a decorated cake such that letters are **cut or erased**.   – Later poskim discuss ways to **avoid** the problem:    – Cutting **between letters**.    – **Removing the letters** with a thin layer of frosting.    – Cutting the cake **before Shabbos**.   – **Biting letters**:    – Mishnah Berurah allows **biting into letters** on cakes or cookies.    – Chazon Ish views this as a **double derabbanan** (shinui, and no intent to erase) and is stricter, but the **mainstream psak** follows Mishnah Berurah that **eating/biting is permitted**.    – Possible reasoning: erasing is defined as removing writing from a **surface that remains**, but when **devouring the entire surface** (e.g., mouth), it does not constitute classic mochek.   – Items like **Oreos or tea biscuits**, where the writing or design is **embossed into the dough**:    – Mishnah Berurah explicitly allows **breaking such cookies**, not only biting them.    – The text/design is **part of the structure** of the food, not “ink” or frosting on top.   – Similarly, cutting a **cake shaped** like a figure (e.g., a letter-shaped cake, or a shaped object) is treated as **permissible** according to many.  🤝 Hugging female relatives (aunts, sisters, etc.) when becoming more observant   – Halachic baseline:    – Shulchan Aruch (Even HaEzer) and many poskim hold that **affectionate touching (chibuk venishuk)** of arayot (forbidden relations) is an **issur d’oraita**, following the Ramban and Shulchan Aruch HaRav.    – Non-affectionate touch (**negi’ah shelo b’derech ta’ava**) is treated more leniently; the Shach permits certain forms.   – **Age thresholds**:    – Mishnah Berurah (Biur Halacha) suggests the issur of affectionate negi’ah begins around **age 3** for a girl.    – Chazon Ish places practical concern a bit later, when the child is more **physically mature**.   – Sources on close relatives:    – Gemara Shabbos 13a: Ulla reportedly **kissed his sisters**, despite holding that such behavior is generally prohibited; Tosafos explains that he was a **unique tzaddik** with zero ta’iva.    – Rambam (Issurei Biah 21:6): says that **kissing a sister or aunt even without ta’iva** is a **“davar meguneh” and “davar asur”**, presenting more stringent language. Some suggest “davar asur” here may be **strong ethical censure**, not necessarily formal issur, but it is clearly rejected behavior.   – Contemporary guidance:    – R’ Menashe Klein suggests there might be room for leniency in limited **kavod habriyot** situations where touch is clearly **not derech ta’iva**, but this is not a blanket heter.    – He also criticizes **breaking a shidduch** solely because a girl hugs her brothers; calls such an approach **extreme and improper**, while still not fully endorsing the behavior.   – Practical relational advice:    – Where one is changing practice (e.g., a man stops hugging female relatives): instead of repeated awkward avoidance, it is often **better to have one difficult, honest conversation** explaining that:     – You are **trying to keep halacha more strictly**.     – You **respect them** and are not judging them.     – You ask them to **respect your boundaries** just as you respect theirs.    – Relatives may initially be **hurt or upset**, but over time often **adjust**; this is framed as a normal part of **“growing pains”** in relationships.  🧼 Removing stains from clothing on Shabbos (kibus/melaben, dust vs mud, practical options)   – Key melachot:    – **Melaben / kibbus** (laundering) includes **scrubbing, removing dirt, or improving the cleanliness/appearance** of garments.   – Shulchan Aruch vs Rama on **dust**:    – Shulchan Aruch: **removing embedded dust** from a garment is **permitted**.    – Rama: forbids **removing embedded dust** because it resembles **laundering**.   – Removing **mud/stains**:    – Shulchan Aruch: **scrubbing** mud off by **rubbing parts of the garment against each other** is **assur**, even without water, because it improves the **appearance** and is a form of kibbus.    – Mishnah Berurah: clarifies that the issue is **enhancing the garment’s appearance**, not only use of water.   – Difference between **“thickness” of a stain** and the embedded portion:    – If part of the stain **sits on top of the

🔥 Eating at chains without full hashgacha (e.g., Haagen-Dazs vs. Krispy Kreme)   – **Factory‑sealed vs. on‑premises prep**: A key distinction is between products shipped in sealed packages (e.g., tubs of ice cream) and items prepared/fried on-site (e.g., donuts).   – **Krispy Kreme**: Since donuts are made/fried on premises, there are complex kashrus issues (equipment, oils, other ingredients). Considered much more problematic.   – **Packaged kosher items in store**: If you buy a **closed, labeled, certified** product (e.g., sealed pint with OU), that is straightforwardly acceptable (assuming one is comfortable with **cholov stam**).   – **Cross‑contamination risks** for scooped ice cream:    – Are there **non‑kosher flavors** in the same freezer?    – Are **scoops shared** between kosher and non‑kosher flavors without proper cleaning?    – Are toppings like **hot fudge, caramel, sprinkles** kosher and consistently sourced?   – **Chain supply rules**: Many national chains require franchisees to **order all core items from the company**, and these may all be kosher-certified. But this must be verified; one cannot assume.   – **Risk of substitution**:    – Core products like the ice cream base are less likely to be swapped because using non-authorized brands can cost the franchise its license.    – Ancillary items (e.g., sprinkles) are **more easily swapped** if they run out (e.g., buying local non‑certified sprinkles).   – **Trust factor**: Franchisees generally have **everything to lose and little to gain** by substituting core products, but toppings and small items are more vulnerable to change.   – **Circumstance matters**:    – In areas with abundant kosher options (e.g., Five Towns), there is less justification to rely on leniencies.    – While traveling/out of town with limited options, one might rely more on low‑risk situations (e.g., clearly sealed products or strongly presumed‑kosher store items).   – **Hot/fried foods on premises** (e.g., donuts) are treated as **high‑risk** and should generally be avoided without hashgacha.---🔤 Pronouncing “tav” vs. “sav” and switching pronunciations   – **Family/minhag continuity**: Classic sources (e.g., Rav Kook) strongly discourage **changing one’s ancestral Hebrew pronunciation** (Ashkenazi vs. Sefardi), invoking:    – **“Al titosh Toras imecha”** – do not abandon family tradition.    – Concern for **not being medakdek b’osiyos** (careful with letters) in tefillah, especially **Krias Shema**.    – **Motzi la’az al ha’rishonim** – it can imply earlier generations were “wrong.”   – **Rav Kook’s position**: Encouraged Ashkenazim in Eretz Yisrael **not** to drop Ashkenazi pronunciation for modern Sefardi/Israeli Hebrew, especially not for hybrid, invented styles.   – **Chazon Ish (reported)**:    – Allegedly held that an Ashkenazi listening to Sefardi Kri’as HaTorah is **not yotzei**, because the words are not pronounced per his mesorah.    – This report is questioned by later poskim (e.g., Rav Ovadia in *Yabia Omer* / *Yechave Daas*).   – **Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach** (as reported):    – More lenient for **Megillah**, since it can be read in **any language**; different pronunciations can still be valid as “languages.”    – Less clear if this applies to **Kri’as HaTorah**.   – **Rav Henkin**: Each traditional pronunciation is seen as a valid “gate” of tefillah; multiple accents are legitimate.   – **Practical guidance**:    – Ideally, **Ashkenazim should daven with Ashkenazi pronunciation**, Sefardim with Sefardi.    – At minimum, **Krias Shema** warrants extra care with correct traditional pronunciation (e.g., ayin, ches).   – **When switching creates chaos**:    – If changing to your “correct” family pronunciation will lead to **long‑term confusion** (mixing samech/tav, etc.), it may not be advisable.    – Many people can successfully re‑train with time and practice, particularly when they shift their broader religious environment; others may struggle.  ---🎄 Walking through Christmas lights / decorated holiday areas   – **Historical and spiritual sensitivity**:    – December 25 has historically been a **very negative day for Jews** (pogroms, persecution carried out in the name of Christianity).    – Jewish practice (e.g., **Nittel Nacht** custom not to learn Torah) reflects **mourning and fear** of what occurred on that night historically.   – **Origins of Christmas trees and lights**:    – Decoration of evergreen trees with **candles** dates to **16th‑century Germany**, often linked to Martin Luther.    – The custom was imported to England via German royalty; pictures of the royal family with decorated trees popularized it.    – Candles later replaced with **electric bulbs** for safety.   – **Halachic concern: hana’ah from avodah zarah decorations**:    – Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh Deah 142) forbids **listening to music** or **enjoying the beauty** of ornaments that adorn idols, due to deriving **pleasure (hana’ah)** from them.    – The Shach limits the prohibition mainly to decorations **placed directly on the idol** itself.    – P’nei Yehoshua adds that the issur of enjoying such decorations primarily applies when they are used in a **derech avodah** context (worshipful use).   – **Modern practice context**:    – Today, public Christmas decorations (trees, lights) are often **secularized symbols** of “the season,” time off work, family gatherings, rather than direct worship.    – Most people do not **bow to trees/lights**; the explicit avodah aspect occurs more in church, less in street displays.   – **Strict issur vs. strong discouragement**:    – Strictly halachically, it is **not simple** to label walking through a light display as actual **hana’ah from avodah zarah** in the classical sense.    – Nevertheless, from a **Jewish identity and values** standpoint, participating in or “celebrating” these displays is seen as **spiritually damaging and inappropriate**.   – **Dating example**:    – Taking a date to see Christmas lights sends a problematic message about what one values and identifies with.   – **Contrast with Chanukah in Israel**:    – In Eretz Yisrael, Chanukah is described as visibly and intensely Jewish (menoros in windows, Jewish atmosphere).    – Ideal is to be **immersed in Jewish symbols and seasons**, not non‑Jewish religious/cultural holidays.  ---🧘‍♀️ Yoga and avodah zarah origins   – **Chukos HaGoyim framework**: Several major approaches define what is prohibited:    – **Smag**: Anything **unique to non‑Jews** can be forbidden.    – **Vilna Gaon**: Focuses on practices connected to **idolatry**, like church‑style trees in shuls.    – **Maharik**: Practices are assur if they are     – inherently **pritzus (licentious)**, or     – have **no logical reason**, implying they exist only due to avodah zarah.    – Beis Yosef and Rama (Yoreh Deah 178) codify: If a custom has **no rational basis**, assume an avodah zarah source and prohibit it.   – **Yoga’s dual status**:    – **Functional “tam”**: Yoga clearly has a **practical benefit** (exercise, flexibility, balance, fall‑prevention in older age).    – **Idolatrous roots**: Many poses and concepts are originally **Hindu religious practices**; names and positions may be forms of bowing / service to idols.   – **Poskim and guidance**:    – Some contemporary rabbis are reported to be **lenient** if:     – One does yoga purely for **health/exercise**.     – All **religious elements, names, mantras** and explicit spiritual framing are removed.    – Others are more **cautious** and recommend avoiding yoga entirely, especially since in practice:     – Many serious classes/instructors integrate **Eastern spirituality**, mantras, or meditations.     – Becoming a yoga instructor typically entails **exposure to avodah zarah–adjacent training**.   – **Practical policy**:    – If done, it should be only in a **fully secularized, stripped‑down form** (pure stretching/strength/balance), without names or rituals.    – For people prone to “going all in,” there is a real risk of sliding into **problematic spiritual content**; safer to choose other exercise forms (e.g., swimming, jump rope, standard fitness programs).   – **Importance of exercise** itself is strongly emphasized, independent of the particular method.  ---💼 Choosing a career and understanding one’s mission   – **Seek informed guidance**:    – Advice should come from people with **actual experience** in the relevant professions, not just rabbis/teachers who have only done chinuch/rabbanus.   – **Career stability has changed**:    – In prior generations, long‑term employment at a single company with a pension was common.    – Today, job‑hopping is common; specific **career planning is more fluid**.   – **Broad direction vs. exact role**:    – Decisions like going into **medicine, law, business, education** create a general professional trajectory, even if exact positions later change.   – **Chazal’s criteria for a trade**:    – **Avoid theft or unethical behavior**.    – Leave time and energy for **Torah and family**.   – **Primary life mission**:    – A Jew’s overarching mission is to **serve Hashem and Klal Yisrael**.    – Career should align with, or at least not interfere with, that mission.   – **Rav Yaakov Kamenetsky’s advice (via R’ Breitowitz)**:    – He would not tell someone what profession to choose, but said **whatever you do, it should allow you to make a kiddush Hashem**.   – **Learning before career**:    – If feasible, spend time **learning seriously (e.g., kollel or beis midrash)** before entering the workforce to solidify Torah foundations.    – Many in the contemporary frum world have parental/family support to allow this for some years.   – **Develop a real skill**:    – Relying on “I’ll figure it out” without **training, education, or a marketable skill** often leads to **cutting corners** or unethical decisions.   – **Avoid inherently problematic lines of work**:    – Examples mentioned: **cash advance schemes**, **arbitrage betting*

🔥 Brushing teeth on Shabbos – four primary halachic approaches   – Issue is multi-faceted: **Memareiach**, **Sechitah**, **Hachanah**, **Refuah**, **Melabein**, **Uvdin d’chol**, **Chavalah** are all discussed in the literature.   – **View 1 – Rav Soloveitchik / Rav Hershel Schachter**:    – Permits **normal toothbrushing** on Shabbos with:     – Regular toothpaste     – Wet toothbrush     – Rinsing the toothbrush afterward    – Memareiach: Unlike smoothing a surface, brushing does not **grind down/smooth the teeth themselves**, only removes plaque.    – Hachanah concern (washing toothbrush “for after Shabbos”):     – Rav Schachter said it is **for cleanliness and Shabbos oneg**, not to prepare for after Shabbos (e.g., to avoid spouse being upset at a messy bathroom on Shabbos).   – **View 2 – Rav Ovadia Yosef**:    – Allows **wet toothbrush** and **regular toothpaste**.    – Requires a **designated Shabbos toothbrush** to avoid **Uvdin d’chol** (weekday-like behavior).    – Advises **not washing the toothbrush** afterward due to **Hachanah** concerns.   – **View 3 – Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach / Rav Elyashiv (Rav Elyashiv Weinberg cited)**:    – Forbids **regular toothpaste** due to **Memareiach**.    – Allows **liquid toothpaste**.    – Not particularly concerned with **Sechitah** when using liquid toothpaste.   – **View 4 – Rav Moshe Feinstein** (followed by Rav Willig in practice):    – Forbids using **any paste/gel** due to **Memareiach** when the paste is spread over the teeth.    – Squeezing toothpaste from the tube is **not the issue**; the issue is smoothing it on the teeth.    – Forbids **wetting the toothbrush** before brushing because of **Sechitah**.    – Forbids **washing off the toothbrush** afterward because of **Hachanah** (preparation for post-Shabbos use).    – Recommended method:     – Put **mouthwash** in the mouth.     – Use a **dry toothbrush** to brush while the mouthwash is in the mouth.     – Avoid turning on **hot water** (Bishul concerns).     – Do **not** rinse off the toothbrush after.  💼 Office Mincha with a Gerer chassid who skips Tachanun at Mincha   – **Gerer minhag**: Not to say **Tachanun at Mincha** (ever).   – If the **minyan location “belongs” to the Gerer** (e.g., his office, or he “owns/runs” the place):    – “Ba’al habayis, minhago” – he can set the **minhag of that place**.    – Others generally follow that minhag, as with a Sefardi-run minyan factory where **Birkat Kohanim is daily**; Ashkenazi Kohanim participate since the hosts’ minhag governs.   – If it is **not his space** and the minyan is more “neutral”:    – One person’s private minhag (e.g., a single Gerer) **should not override** the general minhag of the group.    – It is appropriate to have others **daven for the amud** so Tachanun is not regularly dropped.   – Distinction from Rav Shlomo Zalman:    – If a place has a **real minhag not to say Tachanun**, one follows that minhag.    – If Tachanun is skipped **simply to shorten davening** with no minhag basis, one should **say Tachanun** anyway.  🕍 Wearing a tallis over the head – who, when, and where in davening   – **Source and status of Atifa (covering the head with tallis)**:    – Gemara in Kiddushin and Magen Avraham:     – **Unmarried men** do **not** do **Atifas haRosh**.     – Atifa originally associated with **Talmidei Chachamim / distinguished people**.    – Gemara in Berachos: **Kos shel beracha with zimun** requires Atifa.     – By **kal vachomer**, **devarim shebikdusha** (which require a minyan) should also have Atifa.    – Common practice:     – **Shemoneh Esrei** and **Kaddish / Borchu / Kedusha** said with **Atifa** for a married man.   – **Krias Shema and Atifa**:    – Beis Hillel: **“Kol adam korei kidarko”** – Shema can be recited **in whatever body position you are already in**.     – Since one may not insist on a specific **Amidah** (standing) position for Shema, Atifa, which parallels Amidah for devarim shebikdusha, is also **not required**.    – Taz and Midrash: Hashem does **not burden** Klal Yisrael to say Shema specifically **standing and with head covered** as would be required for a royal proclamation; **any posture is acceptable**.   – **Rav Chaim / Brisker minhag as transmitted by Rav Soloveitchik and Rav Schachter**:    – Tallis **over head** (Atifa) for:     – **Kaddish**     – **Borchu**     – **Kedusha**     – **Shemoneh Esrei**    – Tallis **off the head** for:     – **Birchos Krias Shema**     – **Krias Shema** itself    – Reasons:     – Fulfill **“Kol adam korei kidarko”** for Shema.     – Allow **Tefillin shel Rosh and the Kesher** to remain **visible**, in line with “**V’rau kol amei ha’aretz ki Shem Hashem nikra alecha** – these are the Tefillin shel Rosh.”   – **Other devarim shebikdusha** and Atifa:    – In general, **devarim shebikdusha** require **Amidah and Atifa** unless they take the form of a **pasuk or bracha**, in which case the **“Shema model”** applies and they can be without.    – This explains why **kerias haTorah**, though a devar shebikdusha (requires a minyan), does not require standing or Atifa for each listener.  🛏️ Learning Torah while lying down   – Gemara in Berachos: Torah should be learned **“b’eimah, b’yirah, b’retet, u’v’zeiah”** – with awe, seriousness, and exertion.    – Rav Schachter’s father: word is **“zeiah” (sweat)**, not “ze’ah” (trembling), indicating **physical exertion / ameilus**.    – Ideal posture and demeanor should reflect **kavod haTorah** and focused effort, rather than a relaxed, lounging attitude.   – Gemara in Megillah:    – In times of Rabban Gamliel, Torah was learned **standing**; after his death, people weakened and began to learn **sitting**.    – Rashi calls the shift from standing to sitting a **reduction in kavod haTorah**.   – Hence, in principle, **standing** is the highest standard; **sitting** is a concession; **lying down** is a further reduction in formal kavod.   – However, there is also value in **having Torah on one’s mind even when lying down**:    – While resting / going to sleep, it is better to **occupy the mind with Torah** than with nonsense or nothing.    – **Hirhur (thinking) in Divrei Torah** is certainly permissible in any posture.   – Practical balance:    – **Core learning sessions** should be done in a manner reflecting **seriousness and effort** (not lying down).    – When one **already needs to lie down** (e.g., for rest, bedtime), it is positive to **read/think Torah** at that time.  📚 Considering a career in chinuch (Jewish education) vs. financial concerns   – Two simultaneous responsibilities in guidance:    – **Encourage** those who are genuinely suited for chinuch.    – **Discourage** those who are not appropriate for it.   – When a person:    – Has **talent and desire** for chinuch,    – But is **paralyzed by financial uncertainty** and needs a clear, predictable pay path,    – This often reflects either:     – A **lack in bitachon (trust in Hashem)**, or     – A **rigid personality** that cannot tolerate financial ambiguity.    – If one is **unable** to get over this “bitachon hump,” chinuch may **not be a viable path** for that individual.   – Observed outcomes:    – Most people who entered chinuch and were reasonably suited **do not regret it**, and their families had their basic needs met (food, schooling, etc.), though often **without luxuries** such as expensive vacations.    – Some leave chinuch later, but conversely some **leave other careers** (e.g., law) to go **into** chinuch for greater meaning.   – Rav Silver’s practical guidance (re: choosing between law school and chinuch):    – Law: clear, structured **career trajectory**, salary ladder, partner track.    – Chinuch: often **no clear trajectory**, but:     – There can be periods of **significant stability** (e.g., secure positions in schools and shuls).     – One’s actual career path may be **much more expansive** than imagined (e.g., ending up teaching at **Beis Midrash / Semicha level**, which might never have been anticipated).   – Hashkafic point:    – “Those who take care of Hashem’s children, Hashem takes care of them.”    – Communities often **value and seek to support** excellent mechanchim respectfully.   – Broader reality check:    – **No field** is fully secure today; **AI and economic shifts** can destabilize even previously “safe” professions.    – Thus, fear of instability should be weighed against the fact that **other fields also lack guarantees**.  🕯️ Havdalah candle – is a single braided wick acceptable?   – Halachic ideal: **Avukah** for Havdalah.    – Gemara in Pesachim: Mitzvah Min HaMuvchar to use an **avukah**.    – Rambam: defines avukah as **a strong, multi-flame light**.    – Shulchan Aruch (O.C. 298:2):     – “Mitzvah min hamuvchar le’varech al avukah.”     – If one does not have an avukah, some say to **light a second candle and join them**.    – Rema: **Any candle with two wicks** already has the halachic status of an **avukah**.    – Mishnah Berurah: **Better** for the avukah to be a **wax candle**, but still focused on having **multiple wicks**.   – Status of a **single braided wick**:    – Technically, the bracha on the fire is **on any visible flame**, so one can be yotzei with a **single flame**.    – However, the **“mitzvah min hamuvchar”** is specifically a multi-wick avukah.    – A single braided wick is **not** an avukah in the strict sense, but it does provide **a larger, more substantial flame** than a thin single wick.    – Therefore:     – One **fulfills Havdalah** with such a candle.     – But le’chatchila, a **two-wick candle** is preferred to fulfill the **ideal of avukah**.  🎄 Buying kosher foods with non-Jewish holiday themes (e.g., “Christmas tree” cookies)   – Products like **kosher Christmas-themed cookies** are common in Western markets.   – Halachic core:    – They are **not actual avodah zarah** and not direct **korbanos / offerings** to avodah zarah.    – Primarily a **marketing and design choice** tapping into loca

🔥 Remilk and Halachic Status of Lab-Created “Milk”   – Remilk is an Israeli product that **copies the gene for cow milk protein (BLG)** and inserts it into yeast, which through fermentation produces **milk-identical proteins**.   – These proteins are then blended with **non-animal fats, sugars, vitamins, and minerals** to create dairy-like products with **no lactose, cholesterol, hormones, or antibiotics**.   – The company claims there is **no cow or animal source at all** in the process; it is positioned as “milk without cows.”   – They report **Israeli kosher pareve certification**, including from **Badatz Igud Rabbanim** and the **Chief Rabbinate of Israel**, and advertise that it is **halachically pareve**.   – Contrast with **lab-grown meat**:    – Lab meat often begins with cells taken from animals; this raises **“yotzei min ha’asur asur”** issues and questions of **shechita / issur cheilev / ever min hachai**, etc.    – Remilk claims to avoid these because it **does not start from animal tissue**.   – Assuming the factual claim is correct (no animal source), halachically it can be treated as **kosher pareve** with no issue of “yotzei min ha’asur.”   – However, there is a major **mar’it ayin concern** when used with meat:    – It **tastes, looks, and functions like real milk**, including curdling and cheese-making.    – Chazal imposed mar’it ayin restrictions on **human milk with meat**:     • Human milk is technically kosher (not “gidulei ha’aretz”) and not basar bechalav.     • Yet **cooking meat in human milk** is rabbinically forbidden because it looks like meat-and-milk.     • If only a small amount of human milk is mixed and is not visible, one may rely on bitul; e.g., rinsing a baby bottle of breast milk in a fleishig sink is permitted.    – Parallel cases:     • **Dam dagim (fish blood)** is kosher but must be served with **scales visible** to avoid mar’it ayin.     • **Almond milk with meat**: Gemara and Rambam say to place **almonds next to it** so observers recognize it is not dairy.     • Some discuss whether the same applies to human milk; Rambam is more lenient by **chicken with almond milk**, since chicken-and-milk is only derabbanan.    – For Remilk, which **fully mimics dairy**, mar’it ayin is potentially stronger than with almond milk, which is essentially “nut juice.”   – Practical implication:    – **Drinking Remilk alone** is halachically fine (assuming valid supervision).    – **Using it with meat / at a fleishig meal / in a fleishig restaurant** raises mar’it ayin concerns, at least **until the product becomes widely known** and recognized as pareve.    – Once a practice/product is widely recognized, mar’it ayin can fade (analogy: Rav Schachter’s comment that once it was common for visibly religious Jews to have **kosher food delivered to non-kosher venues**, observers no longer assume they are eating non-kosher food).  📖 Women and Obligation in Kriat HaTorah (Torah Reading)   – Question: If a woman comes late to shul and leining has already started:    – Should she **delay her own Shacharit** to listen to kriat haTorah?    – If she’s in the middle of **Pesukei DeZimra or between Pesukei DeZimra and Shema**, should she pause to listen?   – Background question: **Is kriat haTorah a chovat yachid or only chovat hatzibur?**    – Some hold it’s mainly a **communal obligation**: if a tzibur already read, an individual who missed is **not required** to seek out another minyan.    – Some report that Rav Soloveitchik would sometimes organize a **special minyan for kriat haTorah** (e.g., on a plane), implying he related to it as a serious **individual need**, at least for himself.   – Are women obligated?    – **Magen Avraham** (cited in **Mishnah Berurah O.C. 282:11**) states that **women are obligated to hear kriat haTorah**, despite being exempt from general Talmud Torah, because this is a **specific takanah** of public Torah reading.    – Other poskim (e.g., **Alter Rebbe, Sefer HaChinuch style approaches**) say women are **exempt** from kriat haTorah.    – Mishnah Berurah quotes the Magen Avraham but notes:     • **“Ein no’hagos l’hizaher b’zeh”** – women are not careful to fulfill this.     • Some women even have the **custom to leave** during kriat haTorah.    – Common practice: women are **not treated as strictly obligated** to hear leining.   – If a woman is present during kriat haTorah:    – **Piskei Teshuvot** notes she should not **talk, disturb, or disrespect** the Torah reading.    – Implication: if she is in shul and staying in the room, she ideally **should listen** and not treat the time as background for unrelated activity.   – Practical answers:    – She is **not obligated** to delay her entire davening to catch leining, given the prevalent psak and minhag that women are not bound to kriat haTorah like men.    – If she is already davening and will otherwise **miss key parts like Shema or Shemoneh Esrei**, she can **continue her tefillah** and not pause for leining.    – There is no strict requirement for women to sacrifice their personal tefillah structure to hear leining, though **if she is free and present**, it is better to **listen respectfully**.  🙏 Purpose of Tefillah vs. Outcomes (When Davening “Doesn’t Work”)   – Question: If **non-daveners sometimes get what they want** and daveners sometimes do not, what is the purpose of tefillah?   – The assumption that **“tefillah’s purpose is to get what I want”** is incorrect.    – Hashem already **knows what we want** without our asking.    – Asking is primarily **an act of recognition**: acknowledging that all needs are provided **only by Hashem**.   – Sources and ideas:    – Rabbeinu Yonah (end of Berachot) describes tefillah as a way to **declare dependence on Hashem**, not just a wish-list mechanism.    – Chazal: Hashem made the **Avot and Imahot barren** because “**mit’aveh le-tefillatan shel tzadikim**” – He wanted their tefillot, not merely the result.    – Rashi on the creation narrative: rain was withheld until **there was a human being to daven for it**, showing that **tefillah is a built-in condition** for certain blessings.   – Primary purpose of tefillah: **relationship and connection** with Hashem.    – It is structured time in which a person stands **in front of the Creator**, speaking and being present with Him.    – Just as in human relationships, approaching others primarily with a **“what can I get out of you”** mindset undermines the relationship, so too with Hashem.   – Happiness and tefillah:    – Human beings ultimately seek **happiness**, not any specific object.    – Research and common experience show that **giving** often brings more happiness than receiving.    – A deep relationship with Hashem, built through tefillah, is a **fundamental path to happiness**, more than getting particular outcomes.   – When tefillah seems unanswered:    – Tefillah is not a **contractual guarantee** for particular outcomes.    – Its value lies in **closeness, recognition, humility, and avodah**, even when events unfold differently than hoped.  🚽 Shabbat: Tearing Toilet Paper vs. Using a Towel   – Scenario: On Shabbat, in the bathroom, there is **no tissue or prepared toilet paper**. Two apparent options:    – Tear regular toilet paper now.    – Use a **cloth hand towel** that will need to be washed later.   – Halachic issues:    – **Tearing toilet paper on Shabbat**:     • Cutting paper to usable size is akin to the melacha of **“mechatech”** or **“makeh b’patish”** (giving final form).     • At minimum, it is **mekalkel / derabbanan**, but if torn **to a specific size and on perforations**, many hold it may be **mechatech de’oraita**.     • Ideal practice: **pre-tear** toilet paper before Shabbat.    – But there is also **kavod habriyot**:     • Gemara in Shabbat and Beitzah allows handling normally-muktzeh **stones for wiping**, because **kavod habriyot pushes aside certain derabbanan prohibitions**.     • Tosafot (Sukkah 11b) extend kavod habriyot also to some other derabbanan issues (e.g., certain hotza’ah derabbanan when absolutely necessary).     • Shulchan Aruch and Mishnah Berurah adopt that **kavod habriyot can override some rabbinic restrictions** in this context.   – Practical ruling for this case:    – **Using a cloth towel** for wiping is **not allowed**; it involves **soiling fabric in a way that necessitates laundering**, raising issues of **melaben (washing/whitening)** and intentional creation of strong cleaning need.    – **Tearing toilet paper** is the **preferable and only viable option** here, but:     • **Do not tear along the perforations** to avoid obvious mechatech.     • **Use a shinui** (change of manner) to downgrade the prohibition: e.g., tear with **elbows, foot, or back of hand**, not in the usual way.     • Many poskim (Tzitz Eliezer, Mishneh Halachot, Az Nidberu) advise that because tearing may be **close to de’oraita**, one should **always employ a shinui**.     • With **kavod habriyot** and a **shinui**, the act is treated as a **double-derabbanan** that can be pushed aside for basic human dignity.  💼 Married Woman’s LinkedIn Photo with Uncovered Hair   – Question: A woman recently married, now covering her hair, still has a **LinkedIn profile photo from before marriage** with uncovered hair. Must she remove/replace it immediately?   – Halachic considerations:    – Before marriage, her uncovered hair **was not erva** halachically; the photo reflects a **permitted past state**.    – A **static image** is not actual erva in the halachic sense used for live exposure in front of someone davening or learning.    – There is generally **no retroactive obligation** to erase images from before hair-covering was required.    – Comparisons: many publicly available childhood photos (e.g., of rebbetzins or public figures as little girls) exist without being treated as a halachic issue.   – Practical:    – There is **no halachic requirement** to take down such a photo solely because her status

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