Making
Aliyah
Q:
When I make Aliyah, should I kiss the tarmac at the airport or wait until I get
to actual rocks or dirt of Eretz Yisrael?
Do I recite Shehechiyanu and when?
A:
Yes, kiss the tarmac. And recite
Shehechiyanu before kissing the ground (see the booklet "Oleh
Chadash").
Religion
or Nation
Q:
Some claim that it would be good for us to have separation of religion and
state in the State of Israel.
A:
Judaism is not a religion, it is a Nation - a Nation with a religion (as
indicated by the blessing over Torah learning: "Who Chose us from all of
the nations and [afterwards] Gave us His Torah").
Aliens
Q:
Many people testify that they have seen aliens.
Is this true?
A:
Nonsense. People have made such claims
for 60 years and there is not one proof in the world which verifies them (When
the first man walked on the moon, a huge dispute erupted over whether there was
life on other planets. The Satmar Rebbe - Ha-Rav Yoel Teitelbaum - exerted
with total certitude that there was no life on the moon. If there was life on the moon, he reasoned,
the Ponevizher Rav – Ha-Rav Yosef Shlomo Kahaneman, who was a most successful
fundraiser for his yeshiva in Bnei Brak, would have gone there
collecting! Builders, by
Chanoch Teller, p. 352).
The
Drink "BLU"
Q:
Is it proper for a religious youth to drink energy drinks such as BLU?
A:
It is forbidden, even for non-religious youth.
It contains much caffeine which is dangerous.
Ha-Rav
Chanan Porat
Q:
Even if a Rabbi waives his honor, his honor is not waived since it is not only his
honor but the honor of the Torah. Why
then do we refer to Ha-Rav Chanan Porat Ztz"l by his first name?
A:
The Halachah is that a Rabbi's honored may be waived, but he is not allowed to
waive all of the Torah's honor. I, the
humble, therefore always called him Ha-Rav Chanan (Shulchan Aruch Yoreh Deah
240:7).
Ticket-Checker
Q:
I worker as a ticket-checker on the bus to ensure that the passengers pay. Is it permissible for me to wake up someone
who is sleeping or is it considered stealing sleep (Gezel Sheina)?
A:
You are obligated to wake him. Stealing
sleep (Gezel Sheina) is based on the Mitzvah of "Love your fellow as
yourself", and here it is necessary (see Piskei Shlomo Volume 3,
"Stealing").
Traveling
on Shabbat
Q:
If a person drives his wife to the hospital to have a baby on Shabbat, can he
use Waze in order to take the shortest route?
A:
Yes, activating Waze is a Rabbinic prohibition, while traveling extra is a
Torah prohibition (See Ha-Rav's commentary on Kitzur Shulchan Aruch Volume 3,
Chapter 93).
Charedi
or Religious-Zionist
Q:
I am in doubt what to be. Who is correct
- Charedim or Religious-Zionists?
A:
Depends on what issue.
Q:
So which path should I take?
A:
Torah. "We will do everything
which Hashem said". Shemot 24:3.
Picture
of the Even Ha-Shetiya
Q:
Is there a problem with seeing a picture of the Even Ha-Shetiya (the Foundation
Stone, which is on the Temple Mount and is on the spot where the Kodesh
Ha-Kedoshim stood)?
A:
It is forbidden, since it was photographed by someone, whether a Jew or non-Jew,
who transgressed by entering the Temple Mount.
Kopi
Luwak
Q:
Is Weasel Coffee Kosher? The coffee
beans are eaten by small animals, digested and defecated whole, and ground into
coffee.
A:
There is a doubt. There is a dispute if
the urine of a non-Kosher animal is forbidden (Shulchan Aruch, Yoreah Deah
81:1). The beans also absorb the
secretions from the digestive system, which is what gives it taste. It is therefore a doubt (see Techumin Volume
31, p. 423 which leans towards permitting it).
Nonetheless, it is forbidden on account of Bal Tashchit since the cost
is astronomical.
