Black
Cat
Q:
Is it bad luck if a black cat crosses in front of me?
A:
It is a superstition and believing in it violates the prohibition of
sorcery. Rambam, Hilchot Avodah Zarah
11:4.
Q:
I read in Sefer Ha-Kaneh that it is forbidden to kill a black cat.
A:
It is not quoted in the Halachah books.
Regarding the issue of a black cat, see Ain Aya of Maran Ha-Rav Kook,
Berachot Chapter 1 #47 (see Ner Be-Ishon Laila pp. 149-150).
Davening
in the Wrong Direction
Q:
After I finished Davening Shemoneh Esrei, I realized that I did not Daven in
the direction of Yerushalayim. What
should I do?
A:
You fulfilled your obligation (Be'er Heitev #94. Shut Meishiv Davar 1:10. Shut Teshuvot Ve-Hanhagot 1:79).
Being
Stricter than Your Rabbi
Q:
Is it permissible to follow a Chumra which one's Rabbi does not?
A:
Only in private, on account of "Yehura" – religious arrogance. See
Baba Kamma 81a (The author of the Kochav Mi-Yaakov once asked the Admor of
Hosiatin why he did not prepare all of his water before Pesach to avoid any
potential problems of Chametz. He said that he learned this from what the
author of the Degel Machaneh Ephraim said: That since the Baal Shem Tov was
lenient, he does not act strictly. He then asked: What does one
lose by being strict, since it is proper to add another stricture on
Pesach? He replied that this is incorrect based on the Gemara in Beitza
36a that Abaye was punished for acting stricter than his Rabbi, Rabbah. However,
in the biography of the Arugat Ha-Bosen, it is told that he was strict to learn
with his hat on even on extremely hot days. He was asked: Why cause
yourself distress? Didn't the Ketav Sofer – your teacher – learn
without his hat? He responded: Is it forbidden to be stricter than
one's Rabbis?! Commentary on Pirkei Avot 'Az Yomru' of Ha-Rav
Yitzchak Aharon Goldberger, Dayan and Rosh Yeshiva for Pupa Chasidim, pp.
74. And see Shut She'eilat Shlomo Vol. 4, p. 285 regarding one who
is strict in a place where it was decided to be lenient).
Mother
or Rashbi
Q:
I visit Kever Rashbi every Rosh Chodesh but my family is moving this Rosh
Chodesh and I assume that my mother would be happy if I stayed, although she
did not ask me to do so. Which is
preferable?
A:
Certainly honoring your mother, which is an explicit Mitzvah in the Torah and
is in the Ten Commandments. Visiting the
Kever of the Rashbi does not have a source in the Torah, the Mishnah, the
Gemara or in the halachic codes, and is thus not as important as a Torah Mitzvah
(See Moed Katan 9:1-2. Rambam, Hilchot
Talmud Torah Chapter 3. And Hilchot
Maamrim 6:13).
Writing
during a Life-Threatening Situation on Shabbat
Q:
If one is obligated to write on Shabbat during a life-threatening situation, in
the case of a doctor or soldier, is it preferable to use a pen or computer?
A:
Computer, since writing with a pen or pencil is a Torah prohibition while writing
on a computer, which involves electricity, is a Rabbinic prohibition (see
Kishrei Milchama of Colonel Ha-Rav Eyal
Krim 3:41).
Love
of Hashem
Q:
How do I work on loving Hashem?
A:
See Mesilat Yesharim Chapter 9.
Non-Jewish
Father
Q:
My mother is Yemenite and my father is a non-Jew from Switzerland. Am I Yemenite or Ashkenazi?
A:
Yemenite. From a halachic perspective,
the non-Jewish father's seed is not considered.
