Halachic Highlights

Question: A kohen washes his hands after going to the bathroom in the middle of davening. Must he wash his hands again before Birkas Kohanim?

Short Answer: No, a kohen who uses the bathroom before Birkas Kohanim need only wash his hands one time for both Asher Yatzar and Birkas Kohanim. Ideally, a Levi should be the one who washes the kohen’s hands.

Question: Must a person do t’shuvah if he accidentally eats a vegetable that has bugs?

Short Answer: Yes, a person who unknowingly eats bugs on a vegetable should do t’shuvah.

Question: Must you slaughter a kosher animal that will not be eaten by Jews but will instead be sold to non-Jews?

Short Answer: Rav Moshe Sternbuch suggests that it is a machlokes between the Rambam and the Ramban whether an animal that will only be eaten by non-Jews needs to be slaughtered.

Question: May one eat a kosher meal in the house of non-observant relatives?

Short Answer: Under certain circumstances, it is permitted to eat a kosher meal in the house of non-observant relatives.

Question: May one drink milk nowadays?

Short Answer: It is permitted to drink milk nowadays, despite that many of the cows are treifos, because extract of a treifah is only forbidden when it is extracted from an animal that is recognizable as non-kosher.

Question: May an employer purchase non-kosher food for his non-Jewish employees?