Burial
in Socks
Q:
I heard about someone who asked to be buried in socks. Is there such a custom?
A:
No. There is a story about a wealthy man
who left two wills, one to be read upon his death and one to be read 30 days
later. In the first will, he asked to be
buried in socks. The Chevra Kadisha
refused to do so. The second will said
that he knows that they will not bury him with his socks, but he made this
request to prove that a person does not take any of his wealth to the World to
Come. He only has his Mitzvot. But I don't know if this story is true.
Selling
Food to a Jew who will Not Recite a Blessing
Q:
Is it permissible in a store to sell food to a Jew if he will not recite a
blessing before eating it? Is there a
prohibition of "Do not place a stumbling block before the blind"
(Vayikra 19:14)?
A:
It is permissible. 1. Perhaps he will
recite a blessing. Regarding "Do
not place a stumbling block", if one is uncertain if the person will
transgress the halachah, we are "Tolim" (literally "hanging"
on the assumption) that he will not violate it (Mishnah Gittin 5:9). 2. Some authorities hold that there is no
prohibition of "Do not place a stumbling block" in business dealings
(Shut Meishiv Dvar 2:32). 3. Some
authorities hold that when the prohibition will be encountered later on and not
at that exact moment, "Do not place a stumbling block" does not apply
(Be'er Heitev 169:4 in the name of the Bach).
4. When one has the ability to obtain the item elsewhere, there is no
prohibition of "Do not place a stumbling block".
Q:
I asked a different Rabbi about the fourth reason Ha-Rav gave and he told me that
even when one has the ability to obtain the item elsewhere and that store is
owned by a Jew, there is no still the prohibition of "Do not place a
stumbling block"?
A:
This is the opinion of the Mishneh Le-Melech (Hilchot Malveh Ve-Loveh 4:4) but
the Ketav Sofer disagree (Shut Ketav Sofer Yoreh Deah #83. And in Shut Torat Chesed Orach Chaim #5,
Ha-Gaon Mi-Lublin also permits it. And
in Shut Divrei Chachamim p. 281, it is asked regarding "Do not place a
stumbling block", if one owns a restaurant, may he sell food to a
non-observant Jew? Ha-Rav Yosef Shalom
Elyashiv and the Steipler Gaon answer that the world relies on Ha-Gaon
Mi-Lublin in this case. So too Piskei
Teshuvot 169:4).
Kiddush
for the Birth of a Daughter
Q:
If parents did not have a Kiddush to express gratitude for the birth of a
daughter will it impede her ability to get married? Is there a
Segulah for her to have a Kiddush later in life?
A:
Nonsense (Ha-Rav Chaim Kanievski was once asked: I was in Los Angeles, and
there was a Kiddush for a 25-year-old woman whose parents had not made a
Kiddush for her when she was born. They said in the name of Ha-Rav's
father – the Steipler – it was for this reason that she was having difficulty
finding a match. Ha-Rav Kanievski said: "Who made this
up? Wouldn't I have heard about this in my home? He never
said to make a Kiddush in our family! Derech Sichah Vol. 1, p.
33. And Ha-Rav Ben Tzion Mutzafi similarly writes in Shut Doresh
Tzion: This is a complete lie, and our mothers did not have a Kiddush made for
them and they are happily married).
Singing
Between the Blessings Under the Chupah
Q:
Is it permissible to sing between the blessings under the Chupah?
A:
No. It is considered an interruption
between the blessings. When people would
start to sing under the Chuppah, Ha-Rav Avraham Shapira would instruct them to
cease doing so by raising his hand since this was not done throughout the
generations (See Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chaim 62:2. Sefer Ha-Nisuim Ke-Hilchatam p. 266).
Honoring
One's Father
Q:
Which is preferable - going to a Torah class or driving my father somewhere so
he doesn't have to travel on the bus?
A:
Your father. It is a Mitzvah which
cannot be preformed by another person.
Moed Katan 9a-b.
Non-Kosher
Cooking Program
Q:
Is it permissible to watch a TV program in which they cook non-Kosher food?
A:
No. It is a desecration of Hashem's Name
(Rambam, Hilchot Yesodei Ha-Torah, Chapter 5).
Donation
to Shul or Yeshiva
Q:
Is it preferable to donate towards building a Shul or towards Torah learning in
a Yeshiva?
A:
Certainly a Yeshiva - it is preferable to build souls than to build
buildings. Yerushalami, Shekalim End of
Chapter 5. And Pele Yoetz Erech
"Sefer".
