Dose of Halacha

Question: We plan on placing our menora on a table near the window. Is there any way that we can move the table on Shabbos morning as we are having guests? Answer: The Shulchan Aruch (OC 279:1) writes that even after a candle has gone out on Shabbos, it remains muktze for the rest of Shabbos. If one places their candles on a tray, the tray itself is considered to be a bassis¸ a base, and is rendered muktze , too (ibid. 309:4). The Magen Avraham (277:8) and Shulchan Aruch Harav (OC 277:6; 310:16) write that if one places something such as challa on the bassis before Shabbos comes in, then the table becomes a bassis for the permissible item, too. This item must be more important than the muktze item. In this way, one would be able to move the bassis after the candles have gone out (See Shulchan Aruch 310:8). The Mishna Berura (277:18) adds that it must be an item that one needs for Shabbos. Thus, R’ Shlomo Zalman Auerbach (quoted in Shemiras Shabbos Kehilchasa 20:n216) sug...

Question: My wife and I have been invited to a friend’s home for Shabbos Chanuka. We will be staying there for Friday night though returning home a couple of hours after Shabbos. What should we do about lighting the menora ? Answer: The Gemara (Shabbos 23a) relates that when R’ Zeira was a guest before he got married, he would pay his hosts in order to contribute to the mitzva of lighting the menora . Once he got married, he relied on others to light on his behalf at his home when he was away. Following this, the Shulchan Aruch (OC 677:1) writes that a guest should contribute to their host’s candles unless someone can light for them at their home. The Shulchan Aruch Harav (OC 263:9) and R’ Ovadia Yosef (Yechave Daas 6:43) write that if one is not paying one’s host for food and board, one can assume that their host is giving them the necessary oil for the menora, too. The Mishna Berura (677:3; 7) writes that ideally the guest should light their own menora . Sefardim who follow...

Question: Do I really need a separate oven for milk and meat? Answer: The Gemara (Pesachim 76a) teaches that there is a machlokes as to whether we are concerned about aroma, reiach, being transferred between two foods that are cooked together in an oven. While Tosafos (Pesachim 76b) follows the stricter opinion, Rambam (Maachalos Asuros 15:33) and the Shulchan Aruch (YD 108:1) write that reiach from a non-kosher dish does not render the other non-kosher, though one mustn’t cook such foods together lechatchila . The Rema adds that the same halacha applies to cooking a meat dish alongside a milky dish. Thus, one cannot cook a milky dish and meat dish in the oven simultaneously. The Mishna (Machshirim 2:2) teaches that hot steam, zeiah, can render food tamei . Following this, the Rosh (Teshuvos 20:26) writes that one can’t cook a meaty dish above a milky one as the steam from the lower dish is considered to be like milk. The Shulchan Aruch (YD 92:8) paskens this way, though the...

Question: Can I use maaser money to buy raffle tickets for charity? Answer: The Mishna (Bava Metzia 34b) writes that one mustn’t profit from another person’s animal that they are looking after. R’ Yisroel Yaakov Fisher (Even Yisroel 8:64) compares this to one’s maaser money, writing that one cannot use one’s maaser money for raffle tickets that one could potentially profit from. If one were to use one’s maaser money, any prize won would belong to the tzedaka organization. R’ Moshe Feinstein (Igros Moshe OC 4:76:2), however, writes that it depends whether there are a limited number of tickets for sale. If there are say only 100 tickets for sale, then each ticket is technically worth one percentage of the prize value. One wouldn’t be able to use one’s maaser money for such tickets as one is essentially buying a ticket for oneself with that money. If the tickets aren’t limited, however, then the tickets do not have a specific value, per se. One would be able to use maaser m...

Question: Is it preferable to use red wine for kiddush even if one prefers white wine? Answer: The Gemara (Bava Basra 97b) teaches that one cannot use white wine as only red wine is considered to be proper wine. There is a machlokes among the rishonim however, as to what this applies to. According to Ramban, this includes both wine which is poured over the mizbeiach as well as wine used for kiddush. Rashbam maintains, however, that it only refers to the wine on the mizbeiach , and there would be no issue in using white wine for kiddush (See Nimukei Yosef). The Shulchan Aruch (OC 272:4) quotes the Ramban and writes that while he doesn’t allow using white wine for kiddush¸ one may for havdala. Nonetheless, he writes that the minhag is to allow using white wine even for kiddush. R’ Akiva Eiger (OC 272:4) writes that as one may use chamar medina, national beverages, for the daytime kiddush (See Shulchan Aruch OC 272:9), even the Ramban would agree that one could use such win...