Ha-Rav
answers hundreds of text message questions a day! Here's a sample:
Shehechiyanu for the Birth of
a Child with Down's Syndrome
Q: If someone has a baby with
Down's Syndrome, does he recite Shehechiyanu?
After all, he is sad.
A: He is both sad and
happy. He therefore recites
"Shehechiyanu" and "Dayan Ha-Emet." This is similar to a case in which one's wife
gives birth but dies during the process, or one's father dies but leaves him an
inheritance. He recites both blessings since he has both feelings (Berachot
60a. This is unlike the ruling of Ha-Rav
Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, who rules that Shehechiyanu should not be recited in our
case, since the parents are not joyous but sad.
Kav Ve-Naki #70).
Recycling Bottles
Q: Is one obligated to throw
plastic bottles in the recycling bin, or is it permissible to throw them in the
trash, even though it pollutes nature?
A: It is permissible to throw
them in the garbage. There are also
researchers who claim that recycling bottles pollutes more than throwing them
in the trash, and the green ideology sometimes exaggerates (By the way, American
law requires recycling).
Helping a Blind Woman across
the Street
Q: Is it permissible for a
man to help a blind woman across the street by holding her hand?
A: One should hold her sleeve,
and this is on condition that there is no woman to help her (see Shut She'eilat
Shlomo 2:350).
Tefillin on the Street
Q: Is it permissible to put Tefillin
on people in the street when perhaps their bodies are not clean?
A: This is a very distant
concern.
Calling Hashem:
"Tatte"
Q: Isn't it belittling Hashem
to call Him: "Tatte" – “Father” in Yiddish?
A: No. The Master of the Universe is our Father, on
condition that we remember that He is also our King. We are sons and servants of Hashem. But it is belittling to speak in Yiddish, as
if Hashem doesn't understand Hebrew. But
it is also possible to call Hashem: Mommy, since the Kabbalists refer to Hashem
as both Father and Mother. He is above
both male and female, but reveals Himself as both a Father and Mother.
Segulah against Traffic
Accidents
Q: Is there a Segulah against
traffic accidents?
A: Driving carefully and
performing kindness to those who need a ride (And the Belzer Rebbe – Ha-Rav
Aharon Rokeach – also gave the Segulah that if one follows the traffic laws
with the strictures of the 10 Commandments, and also gives rides to those who
need them, in the merit of these kindnesses which he does on the road, he will
be saved from any bad occurrence. Shut
Shevet Ha-Kehati 5:241).
Messiah returning from the
Dead
Q: Is the Lubavticher Rebbe
the Messiah?
A: The RCA, the Rabbinical
Council of America, decided that a Rabbi who holds that the Messiah will come
from the dead may not be part of their Rabbinic organization.
Choosing a Teacher
Q: What is preferable – a
Torah teacher with a beard, or a Torah teacher without a beard who can explain
better?
A: The one who explains
better, since learning Torah is a greater Mitzvah than having a beard (This is
also the ruling of Ha-Rav Yosef Shlomo Elyashiv. Kav Ve-Naki #306).
