Do we need to give Tzedakah to everyone who asks?
Should we give to someone who refuses to work?
What if you think the person asking does not look legit?
What if he smokes? Or he’s an alcoholic or uses drugs?
Can a Rav ever be Meikil to prevent a more serious עבירה?
Do ends ever justify the means?
Is a Kiruv setting different?
What should be the goal of dating?
What are the minimum interactions required by Halacha before engagement and marriage?
What’s the downside of going too quickly? Of going too slowly?
How clear do you need to be about what you are looking for in advance of dating?
What are some great ways to get to know the other person?
Is it microblading Assur because of tattooing?
Does it have to be for Avoda Zorah?
Does it have to be words or picture or a mark is enough?
Does it have to be permanent?
How many levels of skin does it have to penetrate?
Would it be Mutar for medical reasons, Shidduch reasons or even cosmetic reasons?
What are the pros and cons of a man teaching girls/women?
If a Rav teaches girls/women, should there be a Mechitza? What if the Rav is not married?
Can/should a Rav call female students by first name or a nickname?
What Gedarim should a Rav institute for himself when teaching girls/women?
How does the relationship a Rebbe has with his male students compare to that of his female students?
Are there topics that women should not be teaching, like Halachah?
Are your responsibilities as a shul Rav any different during this time of year?
What questions are people asking you?
Is the war in Israel having an impact on you or your community?
What unusual incidents have happened in your shul during The Yomim Tovim?
What’s your favorite Devar Torah for Succos?
תכלה שנה עם קללותיה
Combating domestic abuse in our community
Showering us with Brocha
Three day Yom Tov – Are you allowed to take a shower on Yom Tov?
לא תעמוד על דם רעך
Are you allowed to give a donut to an obese person, and other fascinating shailos
How does Ayin Hara work, and what causes it?
Is there a way to proactively protect yourself from an Ayin Hara?
Is there a basis for the hand that people hang up for good luck, the red string or the blue eye?
Does it help to say “bli ayin hara” and Poo Poo Poo?
Are the services that are for hire to remove Ayin Hara legitimate, and how much do they cost?
Are the Halachos of Shmiras Einayim more lenient for women than for men, and if so, why?
What’s the big deal about having thoughts, if they are only thoughts?
Is it permitted for a woman to gaze at men?
How – and from what age – should we educate our girls to stay away from inappropriate materials?
Practically speaking, are the schools seeing this Shmiras Einayim problems in the girls?
Is there Kedusha on the har Habayis Nowadays?
Can a טמא enter?
Which טמאים can’t enter?
Is the Kosel the wall of the עזרה or the הר הבית?
Can you put your fingers into the wall of the Kosel?
Are you a Rodeif if you go up to the Har Habayis?
What causes someone to be unhappy with their looks?
Are our bodies halachically our own, such that we can do what we want with it?
Can we take medications when we don’t understand how they work and when there are serious side effects?
Should weight-loss injections be used only after trying to diet and control eating?
Can we suppress our appetite if it will take away from Oneg Shabbos and Simchas Yom Tov?
If someone uses Ozempic to lose weight while dating, does it need to be disclosed?
Why are people getting psychologically sicker and sicker despite there being more therapists and more mental health awareness?
How does having experienced “trauma” when younger impact one’s Bechirah Chofshis and being responsible for your own actions?
Do therapists focus too much on “trauma”?
Should podcasts, shiurim, etc. have “trigger warnings” to warn those with sensitivities that they should not watch/listen?
Do we need to use someone’s chosen pronouns, even calling a man by “she/her” and a woman by “he/his”?
What criteria should we use for finding a good therapist?
Lacetop Sheitels – Response to callers
Is a syndicator who is overly daring or reckless with their clients’ money required to use their own funds to compensate for the losses?
What questions should an investor be asking?
What causes someone to become an extremist?
Is extremism stronger now than 20-30 years ago?
Are there similarities between Chareidi extremism, the Hilltop Youths and Leftists against Chareidim?
If you don’t agree with a law, can you violate it?
Are there times when extremism is warranted?
Is being OTD another form of extremism? And are there ways to improve the system?
Teaching our children about the dangers of camp (and life)
Should you teach or them, or should you shield them from exposure?
Lacetop Sheitels in Halacha – Erase the Lace or Embrace the Lace?
Is it a new question or an age old Machlokes?
Voting In Halacha
Can you vote for a candidate that’s personally immoral?
Can you vote for a party that supports immoral values?
Can you vote for a party that’s anti Eretz Yisroel?
Do all non-Jews hate us?
Does exposure to the non-Jewish world help or hurt our children when they grow up?
What are the hazards of teaching children negative attitudes about non-Jews?
What separations did Chazal institute between us and non-Jews? Why did Chazal feel that was necessary?
Do we need to be concerned with causing “Aivah” (animosity) with non-Jews, even if we are doing nothing wrong?
What’s the rationale to halachically permit targeted killings of Israel’s enemies?
Is there any difference between a targeted killing during an active war and when there’s no active war being fought?
What if there’s only a 10%, 20% or 30% chance that the target is where you think he is?
Do you need to be concerned about collateral damage during a targeted killing? And, what if it could be significant?
Is there a problem celebrating when our enemies are killed?
Should you allow your daughter to go out with a boy who smokes or vapes?
Is a smoker Possul Lei’dus?
If your father asks you to buy him a pack of cigarettes are you allowed to listen?
When a president loses his sanity does he lose his staus as a president?
Would Halacha require an aging forgetful leader to step down?
If the population loses their trust in the president (or leader) can they Halachically oust him?
When a husband loses his sanity can his wife or children take away his business?
When a father loses his sanity can his children take from his money for their wedding expenses?
Is there an obligation to support a son (or son-in-law) in learning?
If the father (or father-in-law) commits to support, can he get out of it, for example when business is bad?
Does living comfortably facilitate or get in the way of quality learning?
Is it best to fund the strongest learner, the neediest person, or a relative?
When does conversation between parents go from “discussing difficult issues” to being offensive and prohibited speech?
Should parents avoid all conflict in front of their children?
If there is ongoing tension between parents, should they attempt to hide it from the children?
What’s the impact of bad Shalom Bayis on children?
How should children handle when parents regularly fight?
Electric Water Meter
Sump Pump (basement pump)
Security systems
Motion sensors
What are valid reasons to cancel on your chavrusa or to miss your daily shiur?
How can you concentrate on your learning when you are stressed about life and so distracted?
How do you keep on learning over the long-term?
What gets people off-track from learning when they leave Yeshiva?
How can an IDF solider learn when fighting in Gaza or on the Lebanon border?
Practical Halachos of Shemiras Einayim
How to make Shemiras Einayim part of your life
How to tun over a new leaf in your life
Vayimaen
Vayimaen Hotline: 1-718-970-7774
How do you handle a conflict between honoring in-laws and honoring your own parents?
Are there times that married children need to listen to input from in-laws?
Are there halachos about what to call your in-laws?
What does a mother-in-law do when she sees deficiencies in her daughter-in-law
Are there typically father-in-law issues, and if so, what?
What are healthy boundaries, and how do you establish them?
What keeps us spending when we can’t afford it?
What’s the impact on children when parents have an expensive standard of living?
Is there an obligation to refrain from looking at materialism which may tempt us?
Can we spend on luxuries when people need tzedakah?
What are the minimums required to celebrate a bar/bas mitzvah and a wedding?
Can having a low-budget bar/bas mitzvah or wedding hurt our children longer-term?
Using a whoop strap or a Fitbit
What is the issur of electricity?
Is there an Issur of increasing current to exisitng electricity?
What’s called a מעשה regarding מלאכת שבת?
Binyan in Keilim
Is Achdus a Halachic imperative, a Hashkafic concept or something else?
What’s the definition of “Achdus”? Is it different from “Kiruv”?
Can we outwardly express our disagreements?
Should we look to have Achdus with groups and movements of Jews who have values that are antithetical to Torah?
What’s your favorite Pesach Devar Torah?
Is there something unique you do at your seder?
What do you do to prepare for Pesach?
Is there something memorable that has happened to you at a seder?
Does Eretz Yisroel need an army or can it totally rely on Torah protection?
Do we have responsibility to serve – besides the learning protection – like we find previous generations?
The Bochurim who aren’t learning should they go to the army?
Can we have Frum battalions run according to Torah?
What’s are we going to do when the Chareidim are a majority?
What are the biggest challenges, struggles and difficulties confronting our boys today?
How do those challenges differ from those of the girls?
What impact are technology and alcohol consumption having on the boys?
Should Gemara be the focus of yeshiva learning?
What’s holding the boys back from performing at their best?
Should each of us be setting up Shidduchim?
What are the biggest challenges and difficulties?
Is the “shadchanus” fee only paid to a professional Shadchan, or even to beginners?
What does the Shadchan need to do to earn the fee?
Can you set up two non-observant Jews? One frum and one not frum? Two non-Jews?
What advice do professional Shadchanim have for amateurs?
Is it permitted, forbidden or a Mitzvah?
Are you מקיים פריה וריבה?
Does it exempt you from חליצה?
Is there an issue of ניוול המת?
Is there an issue of הנאה ממת?
Is there an issue of ביטול מצוות קבורה?
Are there any moral issues?
Don’t we have an Achrayus הַאַחֵיכֶם יָבֹאוּ לַמִּלְחָמָה וְאַתֶּם תֵּשְׁבוּ פֹה?
What difficulties – if any – do Frum soldiers face in the army?
What would a Frum army look like?
When a majority of Eretz Yisroel is Frum what will become of the army?
Are you obligated to learn every spare second you have?
Does it depend on someone’s health, wealth or stamina?
What are the biggest challenges, struggles and difficulties confronting our girls today?
How have things changed over the years?
Should money be given to children if they will use it for the wrong purposes?
What’s the impact that technology/smartphones/social media is having on the girls?
What solutions do we have to inspire girls today?
What are the halachic obligations spouses have to each other?
How does a relationship change over the course of a marriage?
Are there differences in how to stay connected at the beginning of marriage, in the middle and later in life?
What causes spouses to disconnect from each other?
Can you reconnect once you have already disconnected?
What’s the impact of social media on marriages?
Hakaros Hatov to the soldiers
Being Mevaker Choleh soldiers
Being Menachem Avel these families
Saying a Mi Shebeirach for the soliders
What are the most common fears that people have?
How do we get over those fears?
What is “Jewish Mindfulness” and how can it help?
What are the most common fears in dating and marriage?
Can anxiety or OCD ever make a person patur from mitzvos?
Is it permitted to take experimental/homeopathic/Chinese medication treatments?
How much should parents do for their children?
What are parents’ financial obligations to their children? Is there a maximum?
What causes a child to be spoiled?
Is it detrimental to grow up with less than your peers?
Do we need to treat all of our own children the same when buying them items?
What are the implications of having a spoiled child when they grow up?
Abortion of a fetus conceived through rape
Women tying tzitzis
Sheva brachos without the chosson or kallah
Returning home before Shabbos if one knows they will be called up on Shabbos
Returning home while one’s wife is a niddah if he doesn’t think he’ll be able to withstand the temptation to hug
A hug before a spouse leaves for battle if the wife is Niddah
Burying blood-soaked cars
Pidyon Haben when the father or kohen is not present
Shortening the taharah process for Niddah during wartime
Saying shehecheyanu when one will not light or even see Chanukah candles
Eating homemade foods sent to the front
Matzah bakery that ran into a shelter in middle of making Matzos
Running to a shelter in middle of Shemone Esrei or Krias HaTorah
Yichud in a shelter
Rewriting Kesubos for people in the North or South who evacuated their homes
A Kohein entering an Ohel Hameis for shelter during a siren
What’s currently causing us the most trauma? The war? The captives? Antisemitism? Something else?
What’s the implication of not getting a body back from Hamas, and therefore no Kevura and no closure?
Is hearing the news and looking at war images helpful or hurtful?
How are students from out of Israel who are studying in Yeshivos and Seminaries in Israel handling the war?
How can we turn our current plight into a growth opportunity?
Will we have “Post-Traumatic Stress” or “Post-Traumatic Growth” from the war?
How to handle the stress of having a close relative fighting in Gaza and the loss of a loved one killed in battle.
Is there a halachic requirement that the IDF bury dead Hamas terrorists? Other Gazans?
What are the IDF soldiers experiencing? What about their parents, wives, and close friends?
Is it okay for soldiers to use the homes of Gazans without consent? Can soldiers use the food of Gazans left in their pantries and cook in their pots?
What are some of the unique halachic questions being asked by soldiers, their wives, and their families?
Shabbos:
Is it permissible to place an order with one-day delivery on a Friday?
If a package arrives on Shabbos, is it permissible to open and use it?
Is it permissible to make an online purchase on Friday when it is already Shabbos in the seller’s time zone, knowing the seller is Jewish?
Is it permissible to keep an Amazon account active during Shabbos and Yom Tov?
Ratings:
Is it permissible to leave negative reviews on products?
Is it permissible to create positive, but fictitious reviews for your own products to enhance sales?
Can one purchase items during the nine days (items like clothes and Keilim that is forbidden to buy in those days), to be delivered after tisha b’av?
Can one purchase item prior to the nine day to be delivered during the nine days?
Can one purchase items on Chol Hamoed (that are forbidden to purchase on Chol Hamoed) to be delivered after Yom Tov?
Can one purchase Chometz on Chol Hamoed to be delivered after Pesach?
Hear from the trenches – How are the Kehilos and families in Eretz Yisroel Managing
Is Hakaras Hatov a halachic requirement, or just a nice thing to do?
Do we just feel gratitude, or do we need to say “thank you” or more?
Historically, did the Gedolim show Hakaras Hatov towards the soldiers of the IDF?
Why have a few Roshei Yeshiva said they are concerned about showing gratitude?
If Torah learning protects, why does Israel need an army?
Does the Israeli army enable those in Yeshiva to learn? Do those learning in Yeshiva enable the army to have military success?
Is there such a thing as the country of “Palestine”?
What are the halachic borders of Israel?
Is it mutar to give the Gaza Strip back now that Israel has retaken possession of it?
Is there a mitzvah to be buried in Israel? To make Aliyah? To exhume a body to Israel?
What does international law say about the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Golan Heights?
Before WWII a lot of Gedolim were opposed to Zionism, what were their reasons?
After the war did a lot of the attitudes switch?
Why did they switch?
Is Zionism a danger to religion nowadays?
Is there a Torah idea called Daas Torah?
Can it override doctors?
Does the “Daas Torah” have to know the facts?
Can it override Shulchan Aruch?
Even if it’s not in contradiction with Halacha, must we listen to it ?
Is there such a thing as saying blanket statements without proofs that must be listened to?
Are we supposed to be using our heads?
If someone questions “Daas Torah” should he be explained the position or be branded a Kofer?
Do we believe in infallibility of Gedolim?
Can there be two “Daas Torah’s”?
Are two different people allowed to have different views, or is it my way or the highway?
How should we treat someone who disagrees with us?
What’s the original Samtar Rav’s argument against the State of Israel?
Has the concept and definition of Zionism changed over time, and what does it mean today?
How are Satmar and Neturei Karta similar, and how do they differ?
Is there a prohibition of publicly going against the consensus view of Klal Yisrael?
Was the Rally in Washington correct?
In Galus do we keep our heads low, or do we try to garner support?
Do we do Hishtadlus or just Daven?
Do we join in rallies with people who don’t have the same belief system as ours?
Historically, what was the approach of the Gedolim?
Neturei Karta – Is Hatzalah allowed to save them on Shabbos?
Does the conflict in Gaza qualify as a מלחמת מצוה according to הלכה? In this case, is there a duty for individuals to join from distant locations? Are students from ישיבות required to participate?
Concerning unintended harm in warfare, such as civilian casualties: if a terrorist uses a taxi as a getaway vehicle, is it permissible to target the vehicle, risking the driver’s life? What is the stance on targeting buildings?
Is there a חיוב to bury terrorists according to Jewish law?
Laws of war according to the Geneva convention
Where did all of the antisemitism on university campuses come from?
Should it be a concern to our community? Can anything be done?
If a student is feeling threatened, when can he take off his Kippah? Tuck Tzitzis in? Remove a Mezuzah from his front door?
What did Chazal mean when they said that it’s a “halacha” that Esav hates Yaakov?
Are there any halachic or hashkafic reasons to counter-protest?