News

Question: May a shaliach eat before doing b’dikas chametz in his friend’s house?

Short Answer: There is a dispute whether a shaliach may eat before performing someone else’s mitzvah for him. Practically, it is probably better for the shaliach to refrain from eating beforehand unless he must.

Question: May a bar mitzvah boy (a few days older than 13) lein Parshas Zachor?

Short Answer: The opinion of many poskim is that such a boy should not lein Parshas Zachor.

Question: May a person under the age of 40 publish a sefer on halachah?

Short Answer: While there was a takanah in Prague a few hundred years ago not to publish, there are many leniencies to allow a talmid chacham to publish a sefer halachah nowadays.

Question: What should a shul do if it forgets to lein one of the four parshiyos (Sh’kalim, Zachor, etc.) on Shabbos?

Short Answer: There is a machlokes whether it may be read the following week. The Mishnah B’rurah rules that it may not be read the following week.

Question: Should a person residing in Yerushalayim go to Tel Aviv (or the like) to hear Megillah a day early, on the 14^th of Adar?

Short Answer: Rav Yosef Dov Soloveitchik zt”l cites a machlokes Rambam and Ramban whether the 14^th or 15^th day of Adar is the main day of Purim. This author suggests that if the 14^th day is the main day, perhaps it is preferable for someone in Yerushalayim to hear the Megillah on 14 Adar.

Question: When asked about a certain boy or girl for purposes of shidduchim, is it permitted to speak lashon ha’ra about the boy or girl?