Leaning
on Car
Q:
Is it permissible to lean on a car of someone who you do not know?
A:
You must ask permission.
Cremation
Q:
Rona Ramon z"l wrote in her will that she wanted to be cremated in order
to spare her children from attending yet another funeral of their family (Her
husband astronaut Ilan Ramon was killed when the Columbia space shuttle exploded,
and their oldest son Assaf, an Israeli fighter pilot, was killed when his place
crashed). Should they listen to her?
A:
All of the Poskim write that it is forbidden to listen to the wishes of someone
who asks to be cremated (Gesher Ha-Chaim Volume 1 16:9. See Shut Seredei Aish 2:123-124. Shut Melamed Le-Hoil 2:113-114), but we do
not interfere with a family's matter unless they come and ask us.
Where
is Hashem
Q:
Where is Hashem during all of the terrorist attacks?
A:
This same question can obviously be asked regarding the Holocaust and
Pogroms. But where is your contract with
Hashem that such things will not occur?!
Rather we must increase our faith in Hashem and our courage.
Security
Situation
Q:
As Yeshiva students, what can we do in light of the difficult security
situation?
A:
1. Increase your Emunah and courage. 2.
Thank Hashem that the security situation is 99.99% great. 3. Ask your Ra"m in your Yeshiva.
Learning
Torah and Terrorist Attacks
Q:
It is difficult for me to learn Torah when I think about the terrorist attacks.
A:
B"H you have a pure soul. You
should increase your Emunah in Hashem and add Torah learning and Mitzvot, which
adds to our protection. And thank Hashem
that almost everything is good.
Second
Day of Yom Tov
Q:
If someone purchases an apartment in Israel but still lives outside of Israel,
is he required to keep two days of Yom Tov?
A:
Yes, in the meantime. Be-Ezrat Hashem,
he should make Aliyah soon (A student of Ha-Rav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik would
often visit Eretz Yisrael and bought an apartment here. He asked Rav Soloveitchik if he still had to
keep two days of Yom Tov. He responded:
Yes, nothing has changed except that you now have to pay taxes to the Israeli
Government for your apartment. Divrei
Ha-Rav, p. 173-174).
Emendations
of the Vilna Shas
Q:
Who emended the Vilna Shas?
A:
Ha-Rav Shlomo Cohen, who was the Av Beit Din in Vilna. His commentary "Cheshek Shlomo" which
explains his emendations, is printed at the end of the Gemara. He also wrote Shut Binyan Shlomo, and
supported the Mizrachi. When Herzl came
to Vilna, he came out to greet him with a Sefer Torah like greeting a
king. And Ha-Rav Yechezkel Avramsky
related that it is known that Reb Shlom'le's house was full of Zionism (Sichot
Ha-Rav Tzvi Yehudah - Eretz Yisrael pp. 212-213. And Ha-Rav Herschel Schachter once related
that when he learned in Yeshiva University high school, he had a Ra"m
named Ha-Rav Markelos, who was a grandson of Ha-Rav Shlomo Cohen. Rav Markelos said that there was a tradition
in his family that his grandfather emended the Gemara by heart, since he was a
genius and knew the entire Gemara, Rashi and Tosafot by heart, and had no need
to check other manuscripts. Based on
this, Rav Schachter explained why in the Vilna Shas, unlike other printings,
every 50 pages or so there is mistakenly a letter Shin instead of a Samech, or
visa-versa, since Lithuanian Jews switch the letters Shin and Sin, and this is
the way Rav Shlomo Cohen spoke. Ha-Rav
Moshe Feinstein also spoke this way and instead of saying "Beit
Midrash", he would say "Beit Midras").
Tears
During Davening
Q:
Sometimes during the Davening of Shabbat night, I have tears in my eyes because
of the enjoyment of the Davening and thirst for Hashem. Is this permissible?
A:
Yes. The Shulchan Aruch (Rama, Orach
Chaim 288:1) writes that this is what Rabbi Akiva did.
The
Temple Mount is in Our Hands
Q:
Is the Temple Mount still under Israeli control in our days?
A:
Certainly. Ask any soldier stationed
there.
Eating
at Kiddush
Q:
If I attend a Kiddush, am I obligated to eat if I am strict not to eat certain
Kosher certifications?
A:
A person is not obligated to eat everything, but he should not come to a place
and act as if the food is not Kosher. It
is preferable not to attend (Ha-Rav Moshe Feinstein would eat at every Kiddush
he attend in order to be particular to honor the host. In the book 'Darchei Moshe' Volume 1, p.
157).
