Cohain
whose Hands Shake
Q:
Can a Cohain whose hands shake because of Parkinson's recite the Birkat
Cohanim?
A:
Yes, since they are covered by the Talit and will not draw attention. This is on condition that he can raise his
hands. See Mishnah Berurah 128:52.
Brides
Meeting
Q:
Is it true that it is forbidden for two brides to meet within 40 days of the
wedding, unless they exchange hair pins?
A:
Superstition.
Visiting
Poland
Q:
Is it permissible to travel to Poland in order to remember the Holocaust?
A:
It is preferable to donate the amount of money for the trip to Holocaust
survivors who suffer from poverty. This
is a more suitable way to remember the Holocaust.
Rabbi
who Provides Kosher Supervision and is Strict on Himself
Q:
Is it permissible for a Rabbi to provide Kosher supervision on a product but to
be strict and not eat it himself?
A:
Certainly. After all, he makes certain the food is Kosher, but has
decided for himself to be strict (For example, there was an Eruv in the city of
Brisk and the entire community carried on Shabbat but the Rav of the city,
Ha-Rav Chaim Soloveitchik, and the Dayan, Ha-Rav Simchah Zelig, were strict not
to carry. Shut Mishneh Halachot
15:130. And when Ha-Rav Yosef
Soloveitchik visited Brisk in his youth, he went to check the Eruv on Erev
Shabbat with Ha-Rav Simchah Zelig.
Nefesh Ha-Rav p. 170. Although
the Belzer Rebbe - Mahari"d - said that a Rabbi who provides supervision
on a product and does not eat it at least once will not have much assistance
from Heaven. And Ha-Rav Eliezer David Greenwald, author of Shut
Keren Le-David and Rav and Rosh Yeshivah in Satmar, who did not carry within
the Eruv on Shabbat, did so once to show that it was completely
Kosher. Similarly, Ha-Rav Mendel of Vitebsk did not carry within the
Eruv on Shabbat in Tzefat, but did so once on Shabbat Shuva to show that it was
Kosher. And Ha-Rav Moshe Halberstam of the Eidah Ha-Charedit in
Yerushalayim related that the Admor of Pupa was in Yerushalayim and carried out
a book on Shabbat in order to show that the Eruv of the Eidah Ha-Charedit was
Kosher. Commentary on Pirkei Avot 'Az Yomru' of Ha-Rav Yitzchak
Aharon Goldberger, Dayan and Rosh Yeshiva for Pupa Chasidim, pp. 73, 77).
Fake
Mezuzot
Q:
There are many fake Mezuzot on the market.
How does one know?
A:
There are indeed many. In the past one could
identify the fakes because their letters were unnaturally uniform. Today, however, there are more advanced
processes for forgeries which alter the form of the letters throughout the
Mezuzah. One therefore needs
certification from a Rabbi that the Mezuzot are Kosher.
Mourning
for the Holocaust
Q:
Why do we mourn for the Six Million murdered in the Holocaust– wasn't this
Hashem's Will?
A:
It is also Hashem's will that we mourn.
This, however, is a conversation which needs to take place face-to-face
with a Rabbi.
Reish
Lakish
Q:
Is it permissible to relate to our youth that Reish Lakish was originally a
bandit and then became a great Torah scholar in order to show them that
everything is dependent on the choices people make in life?
A:
One needs to be extremely careful since during his lifetime, it is forbidden to
mention a Baal Teshuvah's past (Shulchan Aruch, Choshen Mishpat 428:4), and all
the more so to a great Torah scholar.
And Rabbi Yochanan was admonished for doing so to Reish Lakish (Baba
Metzia 84a).
Evil
Inclination
Q:
I have a strong evil inclination that I cannot overcome. What should I do?
A:
The evil inclination is deceiving you that you can't overcome it. You can! (see Derech Eitz Chaim of the
Ramchal with Ha-Rav's commentary).
