Author Archives: Rabbi Mordechai Frankel

Separating Challah When Giving the Bread Away

Separating Challah When Giving the Bread Away

By: Rabbi Mordechai Frankel

Kashrus Kurrents Summer 2014

Q: I have heard that someone who bakes loaves of bread with the intention of giving them to other people does not separate challah with a brocha. Can you explain the parameters of this halacha?

A: One is obligated to perform the mitzvah of separating challah when kneading dough which will be baked into bread. The amount of flour one must knead in order to be obligated in this mitzvah is an asiris ha’aifa, which is equivalent to the volume of 43⅕ beitzah.1 The exact volume of a beitzah is a matter of dispute. L’halacha, one should separate challah without a brocha when kneading 2.6 lbs. of flour, which on average is equivalent to 8⅔ cups of flour. According to Rav Chaim Noeh, one can separate challah with a brocha when kneading 3.675 lbs. or more of flour (on average, 12¼ cups). Many follow the opinion of the […]

Security Cameras on Shabbos

Security Cameras on Shabbos

By: Rabbi Mordechai Frankel

Kashrus Kurrents Winter 2015

Q:   It has become common for businesses and stores to have security video cameras which monitor the foot traffic in front of their properties. Similarly, many apartment buildings have video cameras which record anything that enters or exits the building. Is a Jew allowed to walk in front of such a video camera on Shabbos? Can a Jew operate a video camera knowing that other Jews will walk in front of it on Shabbos?

A:    In order to answer this question, we need to address four issues.

(1)  The video camera may be connected to a monitor that displays the recorded image.  May a person walk in front of a video camera on  Shabbos if it will cause his image to be displayed on a monitor? 

One of the forbidden  melachos on  Shabbos is  kesiva, writing.  Drawing a picture is also considered to be  kesiva  mideoraissa (writing which is forbidden by the  Torah). 1However, […]

Eruv Chatzeiros in a Hotel on Shabbos

Eruv Chatzeiros in a Hotel on Shabbos

By: Rabbi Mordechai Frankel

Kashrus Kurrents Fall 2013

Q: When a person stays in a hotel for Shabbos, does he need to make an eruv chatzeiros to allow him to carry items in the hallways and lobby?

A: In order to answer this question, we need to review some of the basic halachos of eruv chatzeiros.

In the times of Chazal, it was common for private houses to be situated around the perimeter of a rectangular central courtyard, known as a chatzeir. The chatzeir was used by the members of these houses for chores, such as washing clothes and grinding grain. The Torah considers a chatzeir to be a reshus hayachid (a private domain) if it is surrounded on all sides by walls of the houses and one could, therefore, carry in the chatzeir on Shabbos. However, due to the fact that a chatzeir is less private than a house, the Rabonnon forbade carrying in a chatzeir […]

Sheva Brachos Guidelines

Sheva Brachos Guidelines

By: Rabbi Mordechai Frankel

Kashrus Kurrents Spring 2013

Q: Could you give me some guidelines as to when sheva brochos are recited?

A: When a chosson and kallah get married, sheva brochos are recited on three occasions: (i) under the chupah, (ii) at the end of the meal following the chupah, and (iii) at the end of subsequent meals that are made lekovod the chosson and kallah. It is this third category which is commonly known as sheva brochos. If the chosson and kallah have both been previously married, sheva brochos are recited only on the day of the wedding.1 If either the chosson or kallah has not been previously married, sheva brochos are recited on the seven days following the wedding, with the day of the wedding reckoned as the first of those seven days.2 If neither the chosson nor the kallah have previously been living an observant lifestyle (or if one of them has […]

Pruzbul

Pruzbul

By: Rabbi Mordechai Frankel

Updated August 2022

View / Download PDF of Pruzbul Form Here

Jewish law obligates every Jewish person to cancel, after the culmination of the Shemita year, various types of debt due to him or her. This does not apply to a debt owed to beis din.

If a creditor executes a Pruzbul, he or she is not obligated to cancel debts. A Pruzbul may be executed at any time before the end of the Shemita year.  However, since a Pruzbul covers only debts already existing at the time of its execution, it is usually implemented at the very end of the Shemita year, shortly before Rosh Hashana of the post-Shemita year.

When a creditor arranges for the execution of the Pruzbul form below before three men acting as a Beis Din, debts […]

STAR-K Tevilas Keilim Chart

STAR-K Tevilas Keilim Chart

clear search
By: Rabbi Mordechai Frankel

Kashrus Kurrents Summer 2015 | Updated March 2024

(ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED AS: A Practical Guide to Tevilas Keilim)

Download chart

For a summary of the halachos involved, refer to Tevilas Keilim: Basic Guidelines.

UTENSIL
NEED FOR TEVILA – WITH OR WITHOUT A BRACHA

Aluminum Pan, Disposable
Tevila without a bracha if intended to be used only once; tevila with a bracha if intended to be used more than once.[1]

Aluminum Pan, Non-disposable
Tevila with a bracha[2]

Apple Corer (metal)
Tevila with a bracha

Baking/Cookie Sheet
Tevila with a bracha

Barbeque Grill
Racks require tevila with a bracha, other components do not require tevila.

Blech
No tevila

Blender/Mixer
Glass or metal bowl, metal blades and other attachments require tevila with a bracha, other components do not require tevila.  Handheld immersion blender requires tevila with a bracha.

Bottle (metal or glass)
Tevila with a bracha. If bought filled with food and subsequently emptied by a Jew, does not require tevila.[3]

Brush (grill, egg yolk, pastry)
No tevila

Cake Plate (metal or glass)
Plate needs tevila with a bracha, cake plate cover does not require tevila.

Can (metal or glass)
Tevila with a bracha. If bought filled with food and subsequently emptied by […]

Creating a Round Cake Decorated as a Sun | Doing Dental Work on a Parent

Creating a Round Cake Decorated as a Sun | Doing Dental Work on a Parent

By: Rabbi Mordechai Frankel

Kashrus Kurrents Summer 2008

Inaugural Issue: Shailos From The Institute Of Halacha
Kashrus Kurrents is proud to launch a new column, “Insights from the Institute”.  In this regular feature, Rabbi Mordechai Frankel will share with our readership intriguing shailos from his email inbox. The following is a sampling of the types of interesting questions that will be addressed in future columns.

Heating & Cooling – Using Ice from an Ice Maker on Shabbos | Using an Electric Hot Water Heater on Yom Tov

Heating & Cooling – Using Ice from an Ice Maker on Shabbos | Using an Electric Hot Water Heater on Yom Tov

By: Rabbi Mordechai Frankel

Kashrus Kurrents Winter 2008

Q: My freezer has an ice making machine, which has an arm that rises as ice is produced and lowers when ice is removed. I generally turn the machine off before Shabbos by lifting the arm until it is fully raised. If I forget to do this, can I remove ice on Shabbos from the ice maker?

A: There are various types of ice maker machines available, and they do not all work in the same way.  However, many of the commonly available models employ the following mechanism.  The ice making process begins when the ice maker signals the water valve to open, and a specified amount of […]

Maris Ayin When Entering Non-Kosher Venues

Maris Ayin When Entering Non-Kosher Venues

By: Rabbi Mordechai Frankel

Kashrus Kurrents Summer 2009

Q: May one enter a non‐kosher restaurant to get a drink of water, use the restroom or attend a business luncheon?  If a person does enter such an establishment, may he eat kosher items such as whole fruit?  May one buy a cup of coffee at a non‐kosher facility, such as a highway rest stop or Starbucks?

When Non-Mevushal Wine Becomes Stam Yeinom | Shipping Packages for Shabbos Delivery

When Non-Mevushal Wine Becomes Stam Yeinom | Shipping Packages for Shabbos Delivery

By: Rabbi Mordechai Frankel

Kashrus Kurrents Fall 2009

Q:       I had a bottle of wine stored in the shelving unit on the door of my refrigerator.  I was in the kitchen, and I saw my non-Jewish hired help open the refrigerator.   She knows that she is not allowed to touch my wine, but did not pay attention to the fact that opening the refrigerator moves the wine on the door.  Can I still drink the wine?

Using a Warming Tray on Shabbos

Using a Warming Tray on Shabbos

By: Rabbi Mordechai Frankel

Kashrus Kurrents Winter 2009

Q:       I would like to buy a warming tray that has been manufactured for the Shomer Shabbos community. It is a glass covered warming tray and has a variable temperature dial with a removable knob. It can be set at a minimum temperature of 110 0F and a maximum temperature of 230 0F. It has a sticker on it stating that it is intended solely for the reheating of cooked foods and is not intended to be used for cooking. How may this tray be used on Shabbos?

A:  In order to answer this question, one must have an understanding of the Rabbinic prohibitions of shehiyah and chazarah.  The parameters of these two prohibitions differ for Ashkenazim and Sefardim.  This response will explain the halachah as it applies to Ashkenazim.

Shehiyah:  Shehiyah is the act of placing food on an open flame before the onset of Shabbos […]

Eating in a Canvas Sukkah that Sways in the Wind

Eating in a Canvas Sukkah that Sways in the Wind

By: Rabbi Mordechai Frankel

Kashrus Kurrents Fall 2010

Q: I have been invited to eat out on Sukkos.  The sukkah has canvas walls which shake in the wind.  Is this a problem?

A: The Mishna1 states that a person can use the trunks of trees as a sukkah wall. This Mishna is referring to a scenario where the tree trunks are very close to one another, or the space between them has been filled with some other material, and the overhang of the tree branches will not invalidate the schach. The Gemara2 states that this is true only if the tree trunks do not sway.  If the tree trunks are supple and sway in a normal wind, the sukkah wall is not valid. The Shulchan Aruch3 codifies this halacha, and adds that if the tree trunks are supple one can tie them to each other in such […]

Using a CPAP Machine on Shabbos

Using a CPAP Machine on Shabbos

By: Rabbi Mordechai Frankel

Kashrus Kurrents Winter 2010

Q: My doctor has told me that I have sleep apnea, and advised me to use a sleep apnea machine.  Can this device be used on Shabbos?

A: Sleep apnea is a disorder characterized by abnormal pauses in breathing or instances of abnormally low breathing during sleep.  Obstructive sleep apnea, the most common form of the disorder, is caused by the relaxation of the walls of soft tissue in the airway of the throat during sleep.  Common symptoms include loud snoring, restless sleep, and daytime sleepiness.  Sleep-disordered breathing is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, high blood pressure,arrhythmias, diabetes, and sleep deprived driving accidents.1  Recent studies have shown that sleep apnea affects about 16% of men and 5% of women between 30 and 65 years of age.[...] Read More

Can a Kohain Visit a Science Museum

Can a Kohain Visit a Science Museum

By: Rabbi Mordechai Frankel

Kashrus Kurrents Summer 2011

Q: Can a Kohain enter the Maryland Science Center, located in downtown Baltimore?

Guidelines for Men’s Haircuts

Guidelines for Men’s Haircuts

By: Rabbi Mordechai Frankel

Kashrus Kurrents Spring 2012

Q: When my barber works on the area around my ear and temple, what I am allowed to let him do and what should I stop him from doing?

Which Materials May Be Kashered (and Which May Not)

Which Materials May Be Kashered (and Which May Not)

By: Rabbi Mordechai Frankel

Kashrus Kurrents Summer 2012

Q: I have a number of utensils which need kashering through hagalah (immersion in boiling water). Which materials may and may not be kashered?

A:   A fleishig utensil which comes into contact with hot milchig food or a milchig utensil which comes into contact with hot fleishig food needs to be kashered before further use.  There are a number of methods for kashering, dependent upon the manner of contact between the utensil and the food.  Perhaps the most common form of kashering is hagalah, in which the utensil is immersed in boiling water.

Metal
The Torah tells us that a vessel may be kashered if it is made from one of six metals:  gold, silver, copper, iron, tin or lead.1  There are other metals and alloys which were not in common use at the time of Matan […]

Tearing Kriah at the Kosel

Tearing Kriah at the Kosel

By: Rabbi Mordechai Frankel

Kashrus Kurrents Winter 2013

Q: I am going to Israel and will be visiting the kosel (Western Wall). I know that it is customary to tear kriah upon seeing the kosel, but what exactly is the procedure?

A:  The Shulchan Aruch paskens that when a person sees the cities of Judea he should say,
ערי קדשך היו מדבר and tear kriah.1  However, it is not customary to do so, possibly because we do not know exactly where the ancient cities of Judea are located.2  The Shulchan Aruch continues that when a person sees the Old City of Yerushalayim he should say, ציון היתה מדבר שממה , and then tear kriah again.3  Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach zt”l writes that even nowadays, one should tear kriah upon seeing the Old City.4  However, Rav Moshe Feinstein […]

Bracha On Newly Flowering Trees: Birchas Ha’ilanos Guidelines

Bracha On Newly Flowering Trees: Birchas Ha’ilanos Guidelines

By: Rabbi Mordechai Frankel

Spring 2009 | Reviewed February 2025

Q: There is a bracha which is recited once a year upon seeing a newly flowering fruit-bearing tree. I have a number of questions regarding Birchas Ha’ilonos:

When is the optimal time to say this bracha?  Does the bracha have to be said during the month of Nisan? 

What rules apply concerning the location of the person when saying the bracha?  How far away can you be from the tree when saying the bracha?  Can you be inside a house or other structure?  Can you be in a car?  Is it necessary to be at a site where there is more than one tree?

What limitations are there regarding the type of tree over which this bracha may be recited?  Does the tree need to be fruit bearing?  How old should the tree be?  Can the tree be […]