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Mezuzos on a Rented House

Question: We have just signed a year’s lease on a new flat. When should we affix our mezuzos ? Answer: The Gemara (Menachos 44a) teaches that while one who rents a home in Eretz Yisrael must affix a mezuza immediately, one who rents a home in chutz la’aretz is not obligated to affix a mezuza for the first thirty days. Thus, one who rents a holiday home in chutz la’aretz for a week or two has no obligation to affix a mezuza . When the rental is for more than thirty days, however, there is a machlokes as to when the mezuza should be affixed and when the beracha should be recited. R’ Moshe Feinstein (Igros Moshe YD 1:179) cites R’ Yaakov Tzvi Mecklenburg (Derech HachaimMezuza 16), who maintains that one renting a property for permanent residence is obligated to affix a mezuza immediately. Although most poskim disagree, R’ Moshe considers it appropriate to follow this view, and notes that this is the common practice. Regarding the beracha , R’ Moshe cites R’ Tzvi Hirsch Ei...
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Corridor to a Bathroom

Question: We have just installed an en-suite bathroom, and there is a small corridor leading to it from the bedroom. Does this corridor require a mezuza ? Answer: The Gemara (Yoma 11a) teaches that a toilet room, bathhouse, tannery and mikve are exempt from mezuza . The Ritva explains that it is undignified for a mezuza to be situated in a place where people stand unclothed. Rashi, however, explains that such a place is not appropriate for kavod Shamayim . The Shulchan Aruch (YD 286:4) follows Rashi’s reasoning, ruling that these places are exempt because they are not diras kavod , a respectable dwelling. The Shach (YD 286:11) adds that even covering the mezuza does not help. The exemption is not merely because of the bizayon of the mezuza ; the place itself is not included in the mitzva . Therefore, one should not affix a mezuza there (see Aruch Hashulchan YD 286:5) . R’ Shmuel Wosner (Shevet Halevi 7:171) extends this principle to a corridor leading to a bathroom. He di...
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Passul Sefer Torah

Question: A sofer examined an old sefer Torah in our shul and advised that it is no longer worthwhile to repair. May it remain in the aron hakodesh , or must it be buried? Answer: The Shulchan Aruch (YD 279:1) rules that a sefer Torah that has not been checked may not be kept for more than thirty days. It must either be repaired or placed in geniza . Nevertheless, the Taz (OC 154:7) writes that it is customary to place passul sifrei Torah in the aron . R’ Yechezkel Landau (Noda Biyehuda OC 1:9) likewise notes that when an error is discovered in a sefer Torah during leining , it is returned to the aron and another is taken out. He therefore concludes that there is no inherent problem with keeping a passul sefer Torah in an aron containing kosher sifrei Torah . The Noda Biyehuda does, however, raise a separate concern based on the prohibition against keeping something defective in one’s home. R’ Yaakov Ettlinger (Binyan Tzion 97) challenges this concern, citing the Sef...
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Using a Sefer

Question: I am learning in yeshiva and want to reserve a particular shtender for myself. Am I allowed to leave a sefer open on the shtender to indicate that the place is taken? Answer: Sefer Chassidim gives practical examples of the respect due to sefarim . He writes (902) that one should not place another book above the line he is copying, so that he does not lose his place. Later (904), he writes that one may not use a sefer to protect oneself from the sun, but one may use it to protect another sefer , allowing one to continue learning. The Taz (YD 282:19) writes that one may not take a sefer and place it underneath another sefer in order to raise it to a more comfortable height. Since the same purpose could be achieved with a piece of wood or another ordinary object, using a sefer in this way is considered disrespectful. If the lower sefer was already there, however, one may place another sefer on top of it. The Magen Avraham (154:6), however, disagrees, and permits p...
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Tzitzis on Show

Question: My Rebbe in school strongly encourages us to wear our tzitzis out, but my brother says that this is not the Sefardi minhag. What should I do? Answer: The Ibn Ezra (Bamidbar 15:39) explains that the Torah’s instruction to “see the tzitzis and remember all the mitzvos ” teaches that the tzitzis should be visible, writing that “it is a mitzva for it to be seen”. Similarly, the Levush (OC 8:10) explains that since the purpose of tzitzis is to remind us of the mitzvos , one who wears a tallis katan underneath his clothing should ensure that the tzitzis remain visible. The Shulchan Aruch (OC 8:11) writes that the ideal way to fulfil the mitzva of tallis katan is to wear it over one’s clothes, “so that he will always see it and remember the mitzvos ”. The Shelah (Chullin, Tzitzis 17), however, records that although he wore his tallis katan underneath his clothing because of those who mocked the mitzva , he left the two front strings outside so that he could see them....
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A Left-Handed Sofer

Question: I need to order tefillin for our son, who will become bar mitzva next year. Is it preferable to have the parshiyos written by a right-handed sofer , or by a left-handed sofer whose handwriting is of a higher standard? Answer: The Shulchan Aruch (OC 32:5) rules that a sofer should write with his right hand, while a left-handed sofer should write with his left hand, since for him this is equivalent to the right hand of a right-handed person. The Magen Avraham (32:5), citing the Rema Mipano (38), records a case of a sofer in Egypt who wrote tefillin by holding the quill in his mouth. His tefillin were declared passul , even when no others were available. The Mishna Berura (32:5) explains that writing in this manner is not considered normal writing. There is, however, a machlokes concerning a left-handed sofer . The Shaarei Teshuva (27:11) cites the Mahari Tzemach, who writes that, for Kabbalistic reasons, a left-handed sofer should write tefillin with his righ...
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Tefillin Before Repeating Amida

Question: I omitted yaaleh veyavo in Shacharis on Rosh Chodesh and only realised my mistake after removing my tefillin and davening mussaf. Am I required to put my tefillin back on before repeating the shemoneh esrei ? Answer: The Gemara (Berachos 14b) teaches that one should wear tefillin whilst reciting Shema and davening the amida . Tosafos (Berachos 26b) cites a machlokes amongst the rishonim regarding one who omitted yaaleh veyavo . Some maintain that his shemoneh esrei is regarded as though it was never davened , whilst others hold that he fulfilled his basic obligation of tefilla , but must repeat the amida because he omitted yaaleh veyavo . The Mishna Berura (422:4) rules that, because there is a doubt whether he is required to repeat Shacharis, he should repeat the amida on condition that it be a tefillas nedava if no repetition is actually required. R’ Ovadia Yosef (Chazon Ovadia, Chanuka p281) explains that this same machlokes also affects whether one...
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