Looking in the Mirror

Question: My wife is a nidoh. Can I ask my kids to pass the wine to her on Friday night after I make Kiddush? Answer: Passing a cup of wine to one's wife when she is a nidoh is subject to a special set of rules. There are laws governing passing items in general to…

Question: My daughters received several different types of dolls (Barbie, porcelain, etc.). If the faces look like normal human faces, do I have to do something to the face or body to avoid the problem of owning a “pesel”? Answer:No, you do not have to do anything to the dolls. Making a figure is a prohibition…

Question: When entering into a legal contract while leasing a car, purchasing tiles, or signing bank or insurance documents, what should be the agreed-upon venue for resolving disputes? Answer: You should not agree to resolve your dispute with another Jew in a secular court of law.[1] According to halochoh, the appropriate arena for making any…

Question: Is it an aveira to sit on a dining room table? I have heard that a table is likened to a mizbeach and one shouldn't do it, but is it an actual prohibition? Answer: The common saying that one should not sit on a table because a table is like a mizbeach is partially…

Question: I learned in the Mishna Berura that one should put on one's tallis and tefillin at home and then walk to shul. The Mechaber, Ramo and M.B. are all in agreement that this is the mitzva min hamuvchar. The only heter they mention for not doing it is if one were going to walk…

Question: Am I allowed to paint a moon with facial features and five pointed stars? Answer: The Torah prohibits making an image, whether two- or three-dimensional, of the sun, moon, stars and twelve constellations used in astrology. Chazal understand this to be alluded to in the verse lo saaasun iti (Shemos 20:20).[1] Nevertheless, it is…