Dose of Halacha

Question: A local organisation is asking for volunteers to tie tzitzis for Israeli soldiers. Are boys under bar-mitzva allowed to tie them? Answer: The Gemara (Gittin 45b) teaches that sefer torah, tefillin and mezuzos must only be written by an adult male. Thus, the Shulchan Aruch (OC 39:1) writes that tefillin written by a woman or child are not kosher. The Mishna Berura (39:8) writes that this applies even if an adult was supervising the child and ensuring that he wrote it leshem mitzva . Tosafos (Gittin 45b) quotes Rabbeinu Tam who extends this to binding a lulav and tying tzitzis, too. Nonetheless, Tosafos disagrees, writing that women may tie tzitzis . Therefore, the Shulchan Aruch (OC 14:1) writes that women may tie tzitzis. Nonetheless, the Rema writes that ideally, tzitzis should be tied by men. The Magen Avraham (14:3) writes that this restriction applies equally to boys under the age of bar-mitzva (see Ksav Sofer OC 1). Following this, the Mishna Berura (14...

Question: Can one tie tzitzis at night? Answer: The Gemara (Menachos 40b) teaches that if tzitzis are tied onto a garment before it is fully made with four corners, the garment is not kosher . This follows the rule of ta'aseh velo min ha'asui , meaning the garment must be made specifically for this purpose, rather than just appearing so. The Pri Megadim (Mishbetzos Zahav OC 18:1) writes that if tzitzis are tied onto a garment at night, when one is not obligated to wear tzitzis , they are still kosher , and the concern of ta'aseh velo min ha'asui does not apply. R’ Yitzchak Yaakov Weiss (Minchas Yitzchak 9:8) adds that this implies it is not ideal to do so. Nevertheless, R’ Weiss concludes that one may tie tzitzis at night. R’ Shlomo Kluger (Chochmas Shlomo OC 18:1) explains that tying tzitzis is not the act of fulfilling the mitzva itself; rather, it is a necessary preparation for the mitzva . R’ Moshe Stern (Baer Moshe 8:47) compares tying tzitzis to acti...

Question: When Yom Tov falls on Motzaei Shabbos, can one use the Yom Tov candles for havdala ? Answer: The Gemara (Pesachim 103b) teaches that one should ideally use a n avuka for havdala . The Maggid Mishne (Shabbos 29:26) translates this as a multi-wicked candle. The Ran (Pesachim 21a) explains that the beracha of borei meorei haeish is written in the plural form as Hashem created multiple luminaries. Thus, the Shulchan Aruch (OC 298:2) writes that it is ideal to use an avuka , though one may use a single candle if necessary. The Mishna Berura (Biur Halacha 514:5) writes that one should ideally light a yahrzeit candle before Yom Tov, rather than on Yom Tov itself. Thus, R’ Shlomo Zalman Auerbach (quoted in Shemiras Shabbos Kehilchasa 62:n31) questioned whether one may light a havdala candle on Yom Tov just for havdala. The Shulchan Aruch (OC 514:2) writes that one must not tip a candle in order to drip the wax, nor remove a lit wick from a flame, as doing so is considered ...