Tying
Shoes before Musaf
Q:
I am a Cohain. When I put my shoes back
on after Birkat Cohanim in Shacharit on Shabbat, do I have to tie them or can I
wear them untied until I Daven Musaf?
A:
You must tie them properly right away, since one should stand as before a king
(see Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 91.
Mishnah Berurah #1, 12-13).
Learning
Halachah
Q:
I do not have time to learn everything.
Which subjects in Torah learning take precedence?
A:
Learning the Halachot which are required for day-to-day living. Sefer Chasidim #1011. Shut Chavot Yair #124. And also books about Emunah and ethics. Will of Ha-Rivash, Chap. 11 #13.
Q:
Why do Yeshivot learn the Massechot of Nashim (Laws relating to marriage) and
Nezikim (Laws relating to damages) as opposed to day-to-day Halachot?
A:
Because it helps one develop the ability to learn in depth. Later, one should learn the day-to-day
Halachot in depth. Keraina De-Igarta of
the Steipler Vol. 2 Letter #1. Since if
one is a Lamdan (serious Torah learner) and violates transgressions, this is a
desecration of Hashem's Name. See Piskei
Teshuvot 155:3.
My
Sister's Clothing
Q:
Is it permissible for me to take my sister's clothing without her permission,
since they were bought with my parent's money?
A:
Certainly not. They belong to her.
Buying
Tefillin without Paying Taxes
Q:
Is it permissible to buy Tefillin from a Sofer Stam who does not pay taxes?
A:
It is forbidden. Shut Yechaveh Da'at of
Ha-Rav Ovadiah Yosef (5:64).
Repentance
out of Love or Fear
Q:
Which is preferable to learn – books which awaken repenting out of love or out
of fear?
A:
Both. See Igrot Ha-Re'eiyah of Maran
Ha-Rav Kook, Letter #378 (also published in part at the beginning of Orot
Ha-Teshuvah).
Free
Choice
Q:
If Hashem sees and plans the future, how do we have free choice?
A:
This is a complex question for a text message.
Ask a Rabbi orally or see Rambam, Hilchot Teshuvah end of Chapter
5. Shemoneh Perakim Chapter 8.
Books
of the Maharal
Q:
Which book of the Maharal do you recommend learning first?
A:
Netivot Olam on proper character traits, and then Netzach Yisrael on Am Yisrael.
Magen
David Adom or Counselor
Q:
Which is preferable – volunteering as a medic in Magen David Adom or as a
counselor in a youth group?
A:
Both are good on the obvious condition that everything is Kosher and
modest. But performing a kindness for
the soul is much higher than a kindness for the body.
More
than Israel has Kept Shabbat
Q:
What is the meaning of "More than Israel has kept Shabbat, Shabbat has
kept them"?
A:
It is a heretical statement of "Echad Ha-Am", which means that
Shabbat does not have Divine value but only a communal-national value.
