News

A young avreich from Jerusalem fell ill and had to undergo a complex brain operation at a medical center located in the former Yugoslavia. In order to translate from English what the medical team was saying, the father of the avreich asked his friend R’ Yosef Rafoul, shlita, to accompany them on their journey. Upon arrival, they immediately made an appointment to see a top surgeon at the prestigious Institute for Neurosurgery in Belgrade, Serbia, who specialized in brain operations of the type required by the avreich. After days of exhaustive tests, the surgeon fixed a date for the operation.

Question: Must a child listen to a parent who commands the child to bring the parent a cigarette or other unhealthful/dangerous food items?

Question: Must a person force himself to learn with a chavrusa even though he learns better by himself?

Short Answer: If a person learns better by himself, he may learn alone, but he should try to have at least one chavrusa each day.

Question: Is it halachically preferable to learn in a beis midrash instead of one’s house?

Short Answer: Yes, one should ideally learn in a beis midrash.

Question: May you fulfill your mitzvah of daled minim with a dry lulav?

Short Answer: A dry lulav is pasul, even b’dieved. There is a dispute as to why a dry lulav is pasul. Nevertheless, we allow a dry lulav bish’as ha’d’chak.

Question: Must a father teach his young child to refrain from eating in part on Yom Kippur?

Short Answer: Yes. According to the Rambam, there is a chinuch obligation to teach a child to refrain from violating prohibitions, even if the child will not fully refrain from violating the prohibition.