Dog who
Barks at Night
Q: I have a
dog who barks at night and bothers the neighbors. Do I have a halachic obligation to bring him
into the house so he won't bother them?
A:
Certainly. By the way,
if one takes care of his dog properly he will not bark all the time.
Names and Shiduchim
Q: Regarding Shiduchim, does
one need to check with a Rabbi to make sure the names are compatible?
A: There is no such thing
(And when Ha-Rav Ovadiah Yosef was asked this same question, he responded: I
don't believe in this. People who
encourage others to do so cause couples who can marry to separate).
Jonathan Pollard
Q: Is it permissible to give
Maaser to help free Jonthan Pollard?
A: Yes. Redeeming captives is the highest form of
giving Tzedakah. Baba Batra 8.
Passing Along a Text Message
Q: I received a text message
on Whatsapp with a warning that if I do not pass it along to 20 people, my Mom
will be stricken with cancer. I am really
sacred.
A: It is completely made up nonsense. May Hashem have mercy on the fools who
created it.
Cemetery before
Wedding
Q: What is the
source behind the custom of going to the cemetery before a wedding and inviting
one's relatives who have passed away?
A: The Zohar (Parashat Balak
and Pinchas), where it is said that ancestors in the World-to-Come participate
in their descendants' joyous occasions. And this is the custom of many people (Nita'ei
Gavriel – Nissuim 4:7. And the Gerrer
Rebbe, the "Imrei Emet", told his son to visit the Kotel and Kever
Rachel before his wedding).
Chabad Shul
Q: Is it permissible to Daven
in a Chabad Shul which has a picture of the Lubavitcher Rebbe next to the Ark
facing the congregation?
A: It is in fact forbidden to
hang a picture like this in a Shul, but it is permissible to Daven there on the
side that is not in front of the picture.
Shaliach Tzibur and Kavanah
Q: If I am serving as a
Shaliach Tzibur and have proper Kavanah, my Davening takes a long time and
causes "Tircha De-Tzibura - a burden on the congregation". What should I do?
A: You should not cause a
"Tircha De-Tzibura", since a person should not have more Kavanah at
the expense of other people, just as one may not Daven out loud in order to
have more Kavanah since it will disturb others (And when Ha-Rav Herschel
Schachter was in mourning for his father, he did not serve as Shaliach Tzibur,
since he Davens at length and did not want to burden the congregation).
Rashi and
Midrashim
Q: Rashi states that he
intends to explain the simple meaning of the text. Why then does he quote Midrashim?
A: He brings Midrashim that
explain the simple meaning (Rashi on Bereshit 3:8).
Measurements of Ha-Rav Chaim
Na'eh and the Chazon Ish
Q: How do we rule in the
dispute between Ha-Rav Chaim Na'eh and the Chazon Ish regarding halachic
measurements (for example, the size of a "Kezayit")? Who is greater?
A: It makes no
difference. Ha-Rav Yosef Shalom Elyashiv
was asked: how could Ha-Rav Na'eh argue with the Chazon Ish? He answered that
the measurements of Ha-Rav Na'eh were practiced earlier and it was the Chazon
Ish who argued against them. The book
Yashiv Moshe p. 130 (see Noda Ba-Shiurim p. 271).