The Calendar and Holidays (incl. Sabbath)
- Chanukah
- Other Holidays and Fasts
- Passover
- Purim
- Rosh HaShanah
- Shavuos
- Sukkos
- The Jewish Calendar
- The Sabbath
- Yom Kippur
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Eating in the Sukka in the Rain
Can I eat in the Sukka in my raincoat and hat when it’s raining? You are under no obligation to eat in a Sukka at all when it’s raining (Shulchan Aruch O.C. 639:5). If you are eating in the Sukka…
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A Sukka at Work
What should I do at work, where I have no Sukka? Must I skip lunch? One may eat in another’s Sukka (with permission), so first try and find a synagogue or kosher restaurant in your area. They may have a…
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Using a Toothbrush on Shabbos
Is it allowed to use a toothbrush on Shabbos? Rav Moshe Feinstein (Igros Moshe, Orach Chaim, Vol. 1, No. 112) states that it is permitted to use a toothbrush on Shabbos, but not toothpaste. Thus it is allowed to put…
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Folding a Cloth Along Creases on Shabbos
Why is it forbidden to fold cloth along creases on Shabbat? One of the 39 forbidden Melachos on Shabbos is laundering (Mechabes). The Rabbis prohibited any step in the laundering process – for example, even pouring water on clothing without…
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Feeding Animals on Shabbos
Why is it forbidden on Shabbat to feed animals (or birds, or fish) that don’t depend on you for their food? This is forbidden because it is regarded as “unnecessary exertion” (Tircha Yeseira). We forbid such things in order to…
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Recording a VCR for Shabbos
If a TV program is being broadcast on Shabbat that one wants to watch, is it permissible, before Shabbos, to set one’s VCR to record the show for viewing after Shabbos? Rabbi Moshe Feinstein (Igros Mosheh, Orach Chaim, Vol. 4…
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Queen Esther and King Xerxes
I was just wondering what happened to King Xerxes and Queen Esther. How long did this king reign and how long did Queen Esther live? We don’t have too may details about King Achashverosh and Queen Esther subsequent to the…