Birkat Ha-Mazon
Q: Should I forgo reciting Birkat Ha-Mazon in order not to
miss a Torah class?
A: Certainly not! You
should recite Birkat Ha-Mazon. After
all, Torah learning is not out of intellectual curiosity but in order to
fulfill its words, and it is written in the Torah to recite Birkat Ha-Mazon.
Honoring Parents and Medical Treatment
A: My father refuses to go to the doctor regarding an
important issue and I am very concerned.
What should I do?
A: Find someone to convince him or pressure him. Kiddushin 31a-b.
Stuttering
Q: How can I be happy when I have a severe stutter and I
can't get ahead in life?
A: It is true that this limiting, but it is still possible to
accomplishing amazing things. It once
happened that a person was badly injured in a car accident and was bound to a
wheelchair. He said: I used to be able
to do 10,000 things, and now I can only do 9,000! By the way, two of my professors in
university had severe stutters. I also know
two officers in Tzahal who stutter.
Murder of Rabin
Q: How do I respond to someone who says: "Rabin, Yimach
Shemo – may his name be blotted out"?
A: Do not waste your time responding to such statements from people
who require psychological treatment. And
this is giving such a person the benefit of the doubt, because if we weren't
giving him the benefit of the doubt we would have to conclude that what he is
saying is a severe transgression (It is said in the name of the Sochachover
Rebbe, the author of "Avnei Nezer", that making such a statement is
forbidden. His proof is that if a man
dies childless, his wife must marry the brother of her deceased husband
["Yibum"]. The Torah says that the reason for "Yibum" is so
that "his name is not erased from Israel" [Devarim 25:6]. But why
should I care if an evil Jew's name is erased? What's wrong with saying "may
his name and memory be blotted out"?
The proof is that there is no halachah which eliminates the need to
perform "Yibum" for a sinning Jew [Shulchan Aruch, Even Ha-Ezer 157:3].
This means that we must be concerned that his name not be erased from
Israel. Iturei Cohanim – Devarim 25:6).
Blessing for a Guest in Yeshiva
Q: When one learns in a Yeshiva, does he recite the blessings
for a guest in Birkat Ha-Mazon?
A: Each Rosh Yeshiva should decide for his Yeshiva. In our Yeshiva, we do not recite it since
Rabbenu Ha-Rav Tzvi Yehudah taught that a Yeshiva student is not a guest in the
Yeshiva but rather a member of the household (This was also the opinion of
Ha-Rav Ovadiah Yosef. Shulchan Yosef p.
25. Although he adds that if someone donated
the food, it is proper to add: "May the Merciful One bless the hosts of
this meal").
Jewish or Israeli State
Q: Which is preferable, a Jewish State or a Israeli State?
A: There is no contradiction.
Israeli-ness is hidden within Judaism, and now with Hashem's kindness,
it is once again awakening.
Surrendering Parts of Eretz Yisrael
Q: Who is authorized to decide to give up parts of our Land –
the Jews living in Israel or all the Jews around the world?
A: The Nation of Israel in the entire world and throughout
all of the generations, those who already lived and those who have yet to
live. There is a need to ask all of them
if they agree, including one's grandfather who already passed away and one's
grandson who was not yet born (This was the response of Yitzchak Tabenkin to
Ben Gurion as to why he opposed the Partition Plan. Rabbenu Ha-Rav Tzvi Yehudah said the same
thing).
Throwing Parashah Sheets into the Garbage
Q: Is it permissible to throw away the weekly Parashah
sheets?
A: No. They contain
Divrei Torah. They must be placed in the
Geniza.
Q: But only about 10% are Divrei Torah? The rest is advertisements.
A: Cut out the Divrei Torah and place them in the Geniza.