Kashering Kitchen Counters

Question: When my wife and I took on the ol mitzvos, we naturally accepted, as part of that, the practice of maaser kesofim, which we believed was at least a mitzva derabbonon. Recently, however, I read in the Artscroll guide to tzedokoh and maaser that maaser kesofim is merely a minhog—and that someone who took…

Question: Answer: Most parents realize that educating their children is not as simple as finding out where the neighborhood kids go to school, packing lunches, arranging for transportation and meeting the teacher twice a year. Nevertheless, there is a tendency to leave education to the "experts," i.e., the school. Often parents act as if they…

Question: When eating cherries, does one have to worry about bugs inside the fruit? The question may seem simple, but since there are no holes in some of the cherries, the worms found inside seem to have grown inside the cherries. How does one check cherries? Is cutting them in half and searching for worms…

Question: I have a pot and a Kitchen-Aid bowl and beater that I'd like to keep parve. I realized today that I hadn't designated a parve knife, and last Sunday I used milchig knives to cut the onions I fried in the pot and poured hot into the bowl. Nothing else was milchig, and truthfully,…

Question: Should I try to say some or all of the morning berachos before selichos? Answer: As soon as you wake up, you should wash your hands (netillas yodayim) even if it is before alos hashachar. If it is after chatzos and you have relieved yourself and do not expect to use the bathroom again…

Question: Can I swish the toilet brush in the toilet with a bit of cleanser if it gets soiled on Shabbos? Answer:Cleaning a dirty toilet bowl with a toilet brush on Shabbos is permitted.[1] However, a cleanser that colors the water should not be used.[2] BookID: 1 Chapter: 320 [1] אין כאן משום איסור טוחן כיון…