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Last answer posted on: 2 Sep 2010

Questions answered to date: 1675

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Showing Questions in 'Moadim (Times of Year/Holidays)'

Question No.	1772
Category	Moadim (Times of Year/Holidays)
Date Posted	2 Sep 2010
The Question	Can you discuss the issue of showering on yomim tovim that fall out on weekdays? Especially this year when there will be many three-day yomim tovim, I would like to review the halachos of when and how its permissible to shower, i.e. in preparing for shabbos during yom tov. —HaLevi, NY
The Answer	Click here to listen to Rabbi Leff's answer.

Question No.	1717
Category	Moadim (Times of Year/Holidays)
Date Posted	16 Feb 2010
The Question	I am leaving for an out of town seder on the afternoon of the evening one does B'dikat chometz (3/28 Sunday). I am returning after the seders so the house will be kasher l'pesach. If one is not at home that evening (3/28) how and when is the formal b'dikat chometz the night before and burning the morning after (on 3/29 if one is not at home then? —Jonathan Slavin, Newton, MA
The Answer	Click here to listen to Rabbi Leff's answer.

Question No.	1628
Category	Moadim (Times of Year/Holidays)
Date Posted	9 Mar 2009
The Question	Why is it the widespread custom to remain fasting when reading the megillah on Purim night? Many people are hungry and feel week and have headaches, etc. at that point of time -- why force them to listen unhappily to the megillah (and deal with the pounding noise made at Haman's name) instead of letting everyone go home after Maariv to eat something and then come back to hear megillah (and enjoy the mitzvah)? —Anonymous, Israel
The Answer	Click here to listen to Rabbi Leff's answer.

Question No.	1537
Category	Moadim (Times of Year/Holidays)
Date Posted	6 Nov 2008
The Question	L'kovud Harav. These days many organizations accept tzeddaka by credit card. I was wondering if you could do kaporas for Yom Kippur using a credit card - assuming you usually use money and not a live chicken. Afterwards, you would just charge whatever amount to the tzeddaka? —Anonymous, United States
The Answer	Click here to listen to Rabbi Leff's answer.

Question No.	1477
Category	Moadim (Times of Year/Holidays)
Date Posted	14 May 2008
The Question	Dear Rav Leff, May one cut one's nose hairs during Sefira? Thank you. —Anonymous, Queens, NY
The Answer	Click here to listen to Rabbi Leff's answer.

Question No.	1451
Category	Moadim (Times of Year/Holidays)
Date Posted	14 Apr 2008
The Question	If the Shayish (counter top) has not been kashered with boiling water what happens to the bottom surface of linoleum that has got wet over pesach on this surface? Is there such a thing as not pouring the boiling water directly onto the chometz surface? Someone said to me that the chometz transfers directly to the kli? If this is so, what happens to dishes used with this kettle on Pesach in previous years? —Philip, Rehovot
The Answer	Click here to listen to Rabbi Leff's answer.

Question No.	1446
Category	Moadim (Times of Year/Holidays)
Date Posted	10 Apr 2008
The Question	Why is it that Ashkenazim still don't eat kitniyos on Pesach? It seems like this custom is dated and doesn't apply anymore. How is eating corn on the cob going to confuse you with chometz? Is eating cholent going to confuse people? I am of the understanding that many big rabbis opposed the ban when it was put into effect. With the ban on kitniyos, people have to spend more money on matzah and specialty pesach foods. Why not just permit it? Poor people can afford rice and beans and other legumes. —Zevi, New Jersey
The Answer	Click here to listen to Rabbi Leff's answer.

Question No.	1438
Category	Moadim (Times of Year/Holidays)
Date Posted	19 Dec 2007
The Question	A secular commentator recently wrote that Chanukah celebrates the "triumph of Jewish tribal backwardness"; another secular commentator recently compared the battle of the Maccabees to the contemporary Islamic jihadists who wage “holy war”. Is this a fair comparison? I ask because an Orthodox Jewish website referred to the battle of the Maccabees as a “suicide mission...They fought to the death; they were heroes and we applaud them.” As a frum Jew, I wish to understand what distinguishes Judaism and its battles from the battles of other religions or religious groups? —Anonymous, London
The Answer	Click here to listen to Rabbi Leff's answer.

Question No.	1406
Category	Moadim (Times of Year/Holidays)
Date Posted	2 Oct 2007
The Question	Hello, Please can you help me distinguish between the 'Shofar Hagadol' and the 'Tekiah Gedolah'. Do they describe the great shofar blasts of Yom Kippur and Yom Teruah respectively? Is there more to distinguish them? Thank you very much for your help! —Anonymous, Hythe, UK
The Answer	Click here to listen to Rabbi Leff's answer.

Question No.	1315
Category	Moadim (Times of Year/Holidays)
Date Posted	24 Feb 2007
The Question	how drunk should one get on Purim —Moshe, Maale Adumim
The Answer	Click here to listen to Rabbi Leff's answer.

Question No.	1303
Category	Moadim (Times of Year/Holidays)
Date Posted	12 Feb 2007
The Question	Regarding Shushan Purim: In locations such as Lod, Ono, Gai Hacharshim (Megillah 4a), do we celebrate Purim on the 15th like Yerushalayim, or, do we celebrate on the 14th? Similarly, what is the status of places like Tzippori,Gush-Chalav, Yodfat, Gamla, Gadud, Chadid (Eruchin 32a)as well as Tiberias (Meg. 5b) Ginosar, and Hutzal (Meg. 6a)?? I have never heard of people celebrating Shushan Purim outside of Yerushalayim and Shushan, it seems from these gemoras that we do. How do we determine where these original walled cities were located and on what day do the inhabitants of these modern cities celebrate Purim? —Anonymous, New York, NY
The Answer	Click here to listen to Rabbi Leff's answer.

Question No.	1251
Category	Moadim (Times of Year/Holidays)
Date Posted	29 May 2006
The Question	If one gives birth to a baby girl, is it permissible to make a Shabbos Kiddush during the Three Weeks? —Anonymous, Yerushalayim
The Answer	Click here to listen to Rabbi Leff's answer.

Question No.	1218
Category	Moadim (Times of Year/Holidays)
Date Posted	11 Mar 2006
The Question	According to the opinion that Esther was married to Mordechai why was Esther even taken (a woman only taken if a besula)? Were they only at the stage of erusin and if so wouldnt the situation dictate that nissuin should take place? —Anonymous, Passaic, NJ
The Answer	Click here to listen to Rabbi Leff's answer.

Question No.	1170
Category	Moadim (Times of Year/Holidays)
Date Posted	1 Jan 2006
The Question	Dear Rabbi Leff, I heard once the following qestion being asked. The Shulchan Oruch brings down that ches and tet beteves were terrible days because the yevanim attempted to "translate the torah into yevonis" in the time of talmai hamelech. Yet, on the other hand, we find that when klal yisrael entered eretz yisrael they were commanded to set up stones in which the torah was to be inscribed into 70 languages. Moreover, from the posuk Yaft elokim leyefes, chazal derive that a sefer torah can be written in Greek alphabet (is that really true today?) . Apparently the above sources seem to view Greek translation as positive. I heard one the following answer. There is nothing wrong in "translation" as long as you never forget that there is "a mekor" .If you translate in order to understand the mekor better that's perfectly ok. But if you tranlate to "replace" the mekor and make the translation as ikor, thats not acceptable. That's exacty what the yevonim wanted. With their translation they wanted to replace the ikor and make believe that the mekor (torah) is extuinguised and replaced by their version. However, when klal yisrael came into ertz yisrael they wanted to translate so that all of klal yisrael would understand and live up through its translation inscribed to the parameters and guidelines that the torah has set up. Is that distinction true as well with respect to the translation of RabbI Hirsh and Mandelson. They both translated, yet there was a major difference between both. Hirsh translated to be mekarev people to Judaism ang get them back to the mekor. Hirsh never wanted to repace the mekor whereas Mandelson wanted to replace the mekor through his translations and thereby create his own version. I would appreciate if the Rav approves with the above. Targum is in numerical value tardema (sleep) . translation in its own its useless, its only useful if it enhances the mekor, just as sleep is useful only for fuction —Anonymous, new york
The Answer	Click here to listen to Rabbi Leff's answer.

Question No.	1136
Category	Moadim (Times of Year/Holidays)
Date Posted	26 Nov 2005
The Question	Perhaps one of the less important questions to be addressed to this site, but one which concerns my very "sole": What is the shiur of leather that pasuls a shoe (sneaker) from use on Tish'a B'Av and Yom Kippur? To be more specific, I wear orthotics (plastic ones) which makes finding tolerable tennis shoes (not comfortable) difficult. I found one which the manufacturer's help line advises contains about 10% leather - they were not specific as to where (which I can find out) but my guess would be it is the ornamental part on the upper portion of the shoe. May one wear them LeChatchila? B'Diavad? Not at all? Does the shiur or placement make the difference. I am mispallel that the question will be irrelevant as Moshiach will come and turn Tish'a B'av into a chag. —snowman, Yerushalayim
The Answer	Click here to listen to Rabbi Leff's answer.

Question No.	1119
Category	Moadim (Times of Year/Holidays)
Date Posted	10 Nov 2005
The Question	Dear Rabbi Leff, I heard once that the deeper meaning into the gemara in Berachos that says that the beracha of hashkivenu is considered part of goal yisrael (so that the beracha of hashkivenu does not cause an interruption between goal yisrael and shemonei esrei)is that a geula without a shemira is not considered a true geula. Every geulah mut be "protected". Otherwise the geulah might fall apart. Therefore when klal yisrael left mitzrayim sukkos was the first stop as it says vayisu meramses vajachanu besukos (which represents the annanei hakavod)These annanei hakavod "protected" klal yisrael after leaving mitzrayim. Thats why we refer to sukkah in the beracha of hashkivenu (ufruis oleinu sukas shelomecho).The sukkah is the shemira. In light of this i heard once that perhaps this is the reason why we start with the mitsva of sukkah immediately after yom kippur. Yom Kippur is a day of geula (a person is zoche on that day to kapporo and is commiting engagements for the future). But that needs protection for the rest of the year and hence the mitsve of sukkot immediately after yom kippur. But how does the sukka truly protect the engagements of the past yom kippur. Furthermore, we find sukkas too by yakov after he was zoche to escape from esav (his geulah from esav). But there too how did the sukkah protect him for the future? How does the sukkah truly protect a preceding geula (the geualah of yom kippur and the geulah of yakov with esav)? I understand the concept that a sukkah protects but how does it protect? Thanks —Anonymous
The Answer	Click here to listen to Rabbi Leff's answer.

Question No.	1092
Category	Moadim (Times of Year/Holidays)
Date Posted	16 Oct 2005
The Question	Urgent: We have been looking for a home for over a year and seem to have finally landed on something on the eve of yom tov. We are concerned that me might lose the house if a secular jew or non-jew makes an offer. Are we permitted to make an offer on chol hamoed? Also, the company that I run conducts research in the Canadian government labs and the contract with them is due to be renewed at the end of October - a process of some complexity that needs to be carefully handled since the scope of the research must be reviewed and up-dated. I am concerned that I won't be able to attend to this properly without working on chol-hamoed. Does this amount to valid basis for working on those days? —Anonymous, Toronto
The Answer	Click here to listen to Rabbi Leff's answer.

Question No.	1082
Category	Moadim (Times of Year/Holidays)
Date Posted	11 Oct 2005
The Question	Regarding Kaparot, a friend wrote me: "I don't mean to disappoint you, but FYI kaparot with a chicken is a remnant of devil worship. Same goes for tashlich. I'm not joking. However, most rabbanim are ignorant of this. Just as idol worship was once difficult to root out, so is devil worship and it survives today in such Jewish 'folk customs'." Also: "Point for thought: the way the moslems worship with their rear-ends in the air is reminiscent of the way ba'al pe'or was worshipped. Difficult to root out, so it was repurposed. BTW the Jewish way of prostrating oneself is to lie flat." Can the Rav please comment as to the veracity of these two statements. Thank you. —Anonymous, Israel
The Answer	Click here to listen to Rabbi Leff's answer.

Question No.	1081
Category	Moadim (Times of Year/Holidays)
Date Posted	11 Oct 2005
The Question	Can my three year old son take a piano lesson on Succot? —Wanda, Toronto
The Answer	Click here to listen to Rabbi Leff's answer.

Question No.	1080
Category	Moadim (Times of Year/Holidays)
Date Posted	11 Oct 2005
The Question	First of all, I want to wish the Rav Gamar Chatimah Tova, and thank him for answering my previous question about noise when trying to sleep in the succah. On the same subject, an avreich told me that stealing someone's sleep is not really theft in a halachic sense, but it is just a concept used to teach people to behave more thoughtfully. Is this correct? Finally, what is the Rav's opinion regarding people who seem to only find time to build their succahs after midnight? If preventing a person from sleeping really is a kind of theft, then maybe this would be a "mitzvah ha'bah b'aveyroh"? It is hard for me to think that a succah built in a way that disturbs the neighbours sleep is pleasing to HaShem, and can be used to fulfil the mitzvah of Succah in a mehadrin manner. —Shimon Frais, Beit Shemesh
The Answer	Click here to listen to Rabbi Leff's answer.

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