Which
Transgression is Worse
Q:
Which transgression is worse between these two…?
A:
It is forbidden to ask such question.
"We will listen and we will perform everything G-d told us"
(Shemot 24:7).
Shidduch
with Someone Who Visits Har Ha-Bayit
Q:
I went on a Shidduch with a wonderful guy and he just told me he visits the
Temple Mount. Should I break it off?
A:
No. One needs Ahavat Yisrael.
Short
Cut through Kotel Plaza
Q:
Is it permissible to take a short cut through the Kotel Plaza, or is it
forbidden just as it is forbidden to take a short cut through a Shul?
A:
It is permissible. It does not have the
holiness of a Shul. Only the cordoned
off area is considered a Shul.
Spitting
During Aleinu
Q:
Is there an obligation to spit during Aleinu when one says "To nonsense
and emptiness"?
A:
No. There are some, such as Chabad
Chasidim, to belittle idol worship (Taz, Yoreh Deah 179:5). Others refrain from doing so because it is
impolite and an infringement on the holiness of the Shul (It is related in the
book "She'eilat Rav" [Volume 1 p. 232] that Ha-Rav Yosef Shalom
Elyashiv would make a movement with his lips as if he was spitting, but would
not actually spit. And it says in the
book "Sefer Ha-Gan" that spitting is defined as sticking one's tongue
out a bit, and this was what Ha-Admor Imrei Sofer of Erlau would do and spit a
little bit. Halichot Ve-Hanhagot Imrei
Sofer Volume 1, p. 86 and in note #3.
Me-Mechitzat Zekeini p. 234. And
a woman once called Ha-Rav Mordechai Shmuel Ashkenazi, Rav of Kefar Chabad, and
said that she forgot to spit during Aleinu.
He responded: Spit now. In the
book "Ha-Rav Mordechai Shmuel Ashkenzai p. 686).
Women
Asking for Tzedakah in Shul
Q:
In our Shul, women enter the men's area during the Davening to collect
Tzedakah. All of our requests for them
to stop have not helped, nor have our threats to call the police. What should we do?
A:
Either call the police or put a guard at the door.
Yawning
Q:
Is it true that one must cover one's mouth when he yawns so that his soul
doesn't come out of his body?
A:
Nonsense. It is a superstition with
Muslim roots that a yawn comes from Satan.
One should cover his mouth, however, because it suggests boredom and is
impolite. In actuality, there is no
scientific explanation why we yawn.
There is, however, an explanation of "Mirror neuron" (why
others yawn when they see someone else yawn).
By the way, animals also yawn.
Atonement
for Speaking Ill of Someone in Public
Q:
I spoke ill of a Torah scholar in public.
I apologized to him and he accepted my apology. Do I have to write an apology letter to all
those who heard it?
A:
Yes. A transgression in public must be
atoned for in public.
Hidden
Recording
Q:
Is it permissible for me to record a discussion I have with a Rabbi without his
knowledge?
A:
No. It is deceitful. And the same applies to any person, not only
a Rabbi.
Book
of Yonah
Q:
Did the story of Yonah actually happen or is it a parable, as someone told me?
A:
It is real (See Ha-Rav's commentary of the Book of Yonah).
