יום חמישי, י״ז תמוז תשפ״וThursday, July 2, 2026
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Rabbi Cohen, a Jerusalem Prize recipient, is the author of eight sefarim on Jewish law. His latest, “Jewish Prayer the Right Way” (Urim Publications), is available at Amazon.com and select Judaica stores.
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Once this took place, no Beit Din could annul its practice but for an entirely different reason. A minhag accepted by klal Yisrael becomes an obligation that must be practiced.
Is God apologizing for taking away my Father? Is God telling me that He is sorry?
Question: At Birkat Kohanim, who says the phrase, “Am k’doshecha ka’amur”?
Question: How can one determine whether someone is a true disciple of a rav, Rebbe, or rosh yeshiva?
Question: Does halacha agree with the Supreme Court decision of Roe v. Wade permitting women to have abortions?
Question: When someone puts on a talit to lead services, should he recite a berachah?
Question: A number of synagogues feature bar mitzvah celebrations for elderly Jews. Is this proper?
Hashem understood their complaint and therefore selected the ritual mitzvah of sukkah to test them.
Question: Why is Shavuot celebrated as a two-day Yom Tov?
Question: Can one fulfill the mitzvah of Sefirat HaOmer via shome’a k’oneh (listening to someone else say the necessary words without saying anything oneself)?
Question: Is it permissible for kohanim to bless Jews outside the context of Birkat Kohanim?
Question: Is the name Basha a derivative or nickname of another name?
Question: Have any “right wing” gedolei yisrael discussed the positive religious nature of Medinat Yisrael?
Question: Why do Jews eat fish on Shabbat?
Question: Should a Sefer Torah be covered between aliyot?
Question: In the Amidah, the phrase “Mashiv HaRuach” concludes in some siddurim with the words “umorid ha’geshem” (with a segol under the gimmel) and in other siddurim with the words “umorid ha’gashem” (with a kamatz under the gimmel). What is the practical difference between these two readings?
Question: When performing a mitzvah, what is more important: doing it right away – “zerizim” – or doing it with a large crowd – “berov am”?
Question: When performing a mitzvah, what is more important: doing it right away – “zerizim” – or doing it with a large crowd – “berov am”?
Question: How much time may lapse between Kiddush and the meal?
Question: Do Jews pray for Jewish political independence?
Question: In Havdalah, we note that Hashem separates day from night and Yisrael from the nations of the world. Are these two distinctions similar in nature?
Question: The Talmud (Berachot 33b) notes that it is improper to implore G-d: “Just as You have shown mercy upon a bird’s nest [with the mitzvah of shiluach ha’kan], so, too, may you have mercy and compassion on us.” Why is this prayer improper?
Question: What is the message behind the most famous statement of Jewish faith: “Shema Yisrael”?
Question: Is it okay to recite Kaddish silently?
Question: Is it permitted to sit during Keriat HaTorah or must one stand?
Question: Is there special significance to the blessing Yaakov gave his grandsons?
Question: Is it halachically permissible to give presents to a chatan or bar mitzvah boy on Shabbat?
Question: Is it proper to decorate a shul with trees?
How come Kiddush for Shabbat contains different phrases regarding the Jewish people’s chosenness than Kiddush for Yom Tov?
Question: Why do women cover their eyes when they light Shabbat candles?
Question: Why is the ketubah read aloud at a wedding?
Question: May one ingest medicine on Shabbat?
Question: Can you “stand your ground” according to halacha as George Zimmerman allegedly did when he killed Trayvon Martin?
Question: When a person has an aliyah, should he recite the phrase “Baruch Hashem ha’mevorach l’olam va’ed” together with the congregation or should he wait for the congregation to conclude and then recite this phrase by himself?
Question: Is it necessary to recite a berachah before eating fruit at the end of a meal? I’ve seen different people do different things.
Question: In our daily prayers we state that Talmud Torah – the teaching of Torah – is equivalent to all the other mitzvot. What, however, comes under the category of “teaching Torah”? Does someone who teaches students how to behave ethically come under the category of a teacher of Torah?
Question: The Talmud (Shabbat 12a) notes, “Rabbi Hanina said: One should examine one’s clothes on the eve of Shabbat before nightfall [to ensure that one is not carrying anything] for one may forget and go out [carrying]. Rav Yosef said this is an important law for Shabbat.”
It is important to note that not all names may be designated. There is, for example, a tradition that Ashkenazic Jews do not name their children after a living person. Yet, neither the Bible nor the Talmud make any reference to this prohibition. Indeed, just the opposite. The Lubavitcher Rebbe (Sha’arei Halacha U’Minhag, Yoreh De’ah, Volume III, p.298) notes that from verses in Genesis (See Genesis 11:24-26) it is evident that Terach (father of Abraham) named his son Nachor during the lifetime of his father, Nachor.
Designating proper names for one’s children is not always easy. When my wife, Shoshana, gave birth to our first child in Chicago – a girl – she informed me that according to tradition, the wife is entitled to name the first child. I didn’t agree, but recognizing that this was her tradition and not wishing to cause any controversy or anguish, I readily submitted.
Question: Is it proper for Orthodox synagogues to have their parking lots open on Shabbat?
Question: Why does the congregation stand every time the shofar is blown?
Question: Does a contemporary bet din have the authority to annul Tisha B’Av considering that the fast day is rabbinical, not biblical, in origin?
Question: May a person who ate on Tisha B’Av receive an aliyah?
Tradition has it that a bat kol declared that we follow Beit Hillel’s rulings over those of Beit Shammai.
Question: The Midrash notes that the song the Jews sang after they crossed the Red Sea (“Az Yashir”) was unique; its likes had never been heard before in the world. Our Sages even refer to it as a shirah chadashah, a “new song.” What made “Az Yashir” so unique and in what sense was it a “new song”?
Question: On Friday night the chazzan in many shuls ascends the bimah for Kabbalat Shabbos but goes to the amud starting for Barchu. Why?
Question: Is there anything special that one should do on Yom Yerushalayim?
Question: Upon the birth of a son, common custom is to hold a Shalom Zachor on Friday evening for family and friends. But what about the birth of a girl? Some Modern Orthodox families hold a Simchat Bat on Friday night, but there doesn’t seem to be a source for this in Jewish literature. Are these Jews acting properly?
Question: Why do we interrupt sefirah mourning on Lag B’Omer? When a person observes a personal mourning period (for the loss of a loved one), he never takes a “break” no matter what. Why should sefirah be different?
Question: Why do we interrupt sefirah mourning on Lag B’Omer? When a person observes a personal mourning period (for the loss of a loved one), he never takes a “break” no matter what. Why should sefirah be different?
Question: Is it preferable to pray at great length or with much brevity?
Question: When a person buys tefillin, the shel yad often comes with a cover within the cover, which many people leave on during davening. Is this proper?
Question: May one use grape juice for the arba kosos?
Question: Does it matter where one pauses when one recites the daily prayers?
Question: Must a Jew’s tzitzit strings hang on the outside of his pants?
Question: The Talmud (Ta’anit 29a) notes that we should be more joyous starting from the beginning of Adar. Does this period of joy continue after Purim?
Question: Why did Mordechai refuse to bow to Haman, thus endangering the entire Jewish people? Couldn’t he have simply fled Shushan?
Question: When may a Jew rely on Hashem and when must he engage in activities to secure his own needs?
Question: What should someone do if he forgot to say Ya’aleh V’yavo in Shmoneh Esreh?
Question: Is it proper to recite prayers for a non-Jewish government during davening?
Question: Many chazzanim say the words “ga’al yisrael” before shemoneh esrei quietly. Is this practice proper?
Question: Should one stand or sit during chazarat hashatz?
Question: Must one wear a hat during Shabbat meals?
Question: What is the purpose of reciting korbanot in the morning?
Question: Must a bar mitzvah boy buy a mirror to ensure that his tefillin are perfectly center on his head?
Many years ago, I was offered two rabbinical positions. One was to serve as assistant rabbi at a prominent congregation in Manhattan. The other was to start a new Orthodox congregation in West Orange, New Jersey.
Question: Why does Al HaNissim not mention the mitzvah to light nerot Chanukah?
Question: What is unique about Modern Orthodoxy?
Question: What is unique about Modern Orthodoxy?
Question: What is unique about Modern Orthodoxy?
Question: May one support kosher sechach in a sukkah by placing it on a davar she’mekabel tumah, an item that can receive impurity (i.e., metal)?
Question: Should a person recite kiddush standing or sitting on Sukkot? If he stands, should he sit down after saying the berachah of leshev ba’sukkah or remain standing?
Question: A basic Jewish belief is that everyone ultimately will be judged. This final judgment is called din v’cheshbon, judgment and reckoning – see Avot 3:1. What is the difference between these two terms? What is din and what is cheshbon?
Question: Is it prohibited to listen to music in the privacy of one’s home (or car) during the Nine Days?
Question: Is it prohibited to listen to music in the privacy of one’s home (or car) during the Nine Days?
Question: It is known that some sephardim generally arrive at a simcha a few hours subsequent to the time noted on the invitation. Is there any logic behind this custom?
Question: Why don’t women wear tzitzit and tefillin?
Question: Someone tried to observe Shabbat but could not hold out from violating its laws in the latter part of the day. Does he receive a reward for the amount of Shabbat he observed? Or is reward based on the principle of “all or nothing”? In other words, does Shabbat observance require a total commitment such that partial observance is comparable to not observing Shabbat altogether?
Question: Why do we celebrate when a boy becomes bar mitzvah?
Question: Whenever a yom tov starts on Sunday (like this year), synagogues generally forego their Seudah Shlishit, eaten after Minchah on Shabbat. But why? If one is supposed to eat a third meal every Shabbos, why skip it if a yom tov starts that night?
Question: When should women light yom tov candles?
Question: May one recite Sefirat Ha’Omer with a berachah after sunset (shekiah)?
Question: At the conclusion of the Amidah, should the chazzan say “Yiyu leratzon imrei fi… – May the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable before you, G-d, my Rock and Redeemer”?
Question: I have heard that some halachic authorities disapprove of placing a silver atarah on a talit. Is this true?
Question: During Kriat HaTorah, many congregations recite a general prayer for ill people. What is the source of this custom? Also, in many congregations, instead of the gabbai announcing each name, all of the shul’s members are asked to silently say the name of the ill person to themselves while the gabbai remains quiet for several moments. Is this proper?
Question: If a person has a number of personal concerns that need to be thought out and analyzed, can he go to shul to do this?
Question: How much matzah must one eat at the Pesach Seder?
Question: What is the basis of the custom to refrain from eating matzah for a period of time before Pesach?
Question: If someone passes away on one day but is buried the next day, when does the son stop saying Kaddish and when should he observe the yahrzeit – 11 and 12 months, respectively, after the day of death or 11 and 12 months, respectively, after the day of burial?
Question: When we pray, are we requesting or demanding that God fulfill our wishes?
Question: Is there any halachic rationale for men to shake hands with women?
Question: Is there any halachic rationale for men to shake hands with women?
Question: Should a person try to observe mitzvot he is technically exempt from performing?
Question: Are there limitations to the mitzvah of chinuch?
Question: Are there limitations to the mitzvah of chinuch?
Question: Are there limitations to the mitzvah of chinuch?
Question: Are there limitations to the mitzvah of chinuch?
Question: Are there limits to the mitzvah of chinuch?
June 26, 2026 
