Ha-Rav
answers hundreds of text message questions a day. Here's a sample:
Popping
Pimple on Shabbat
Q:
Is it permissible to pop a pimple on Shabbat?
A:
No, since blood comes out. If blood does
not come out but only other debris, it is permissible.
Giving
Tzedakah at Night
Q:
What is the source that it is forbidden to give Tzedakah at night?
A:
The Arizal, but the basic Halachah is that it permissible and proper to do so.
Faith
in the Redemption
Q:
What is the difference if we are in the Redemption or not?
A:
It is the difference of what we believe.
The Torah directs us what to do, what to believe, what to think and how
to feel.
Torah
Learning in Yeshiva
Q:
Regarding one who comes to learn for a few years in Yeshiva: what is worthwhile
for him to learn, and in what quantity – in-depth Gemara learning, broad Gemara
learning, Halachah, Emunah, Musar, Tanach, etc.?
A:
There are 3 answers: 1. He should follow what is customary in the Yeshiva where
he learns. The two of us cannot decide
in place of your Rosh Yeshiva. 2. A person learns Torah in a place that his heart desires
(Avodah Zarah 19a). But if a person's
heart does not desire, he should bring himself to a level that his heart does
desire. He should discuss it with his
Ra"m in Yeshiva. 3. There is an
order to Torah learning in Yeshiva for thousands of years, and who are we to
change it? The essence is to learn
Gemara in depth, and to learn a little of the rest.
Tevilat Kelim for Flower Vase
Q: Does a flower vase require Tevilah in a Mikvah?
A: No. Only a utensil
which comes in contact with food.
Civil War in the U.S.A.
Q: A Rabbi said that there will soon be a civil war in the United
States, and Jews should therefore make Aliyah.
Is this true?
A: We do not have prophets which can reveal the future to
us. But it is correct that Jews should
make Aliyah.
Yom Ha-Atzmaut and Charedim
Q: A feeling of hatred against Charedim arises in me every
Yom Ha-Atzmaut, since they belittle the State and the army. How can I look at them positively?
A: 1. They have many positives. 2. At the same time, theirs is a mistake
within a good intention.
Change the Prayer for the State of Israel
Q: Should we change the expression "The beginning of the
sprouting of our Redemption" in the Prayer for the State of Israel, since
perhaps we are already after the beginning?
A: No. It is
impossible to know where we are in the process.
As long as we have not arrived at the Complete Redemption, it is
possible to call it "the beginning".
Shemirat Ha-Lashon and Har Ha-Bayit
Q: Instead of Ha-Rav writing so much about the prohibition to
enter the Temple Mount, isn't it preferable to focus on not speaking Lashon
Ha-Ra?
A: We need to address both issues, and many others as
well. "We will do and we will obey
everything which Hashem spoke" (Ha-Rav receives 400 text message questions
each day. 398 are on various subjects
and about 2 of them are usually about the Temple Mount – M.T.).
