Thursday, July 30, 2015

A Questionable Pikuah Nefesh Situation

A Questionable Pikuah Nefesh Situation
Day: Thursday
Date: July 30, 2015
Parshat: Va'ethanan
Yalkut Yosef: O"H 328


If there is a suspected pikuah nefesh situation, it is forbidden to waste time by going to ask a Rabbi whether or not Shabbat should be broken because of it. Our Hachamim have said (Yerushalmi Yuma 8:5) that a person who asks about a pikuah nefesh is guilty of bloodshed. The reason is since any time spent asking about the injured or ill person instead helping him can put him in a worse spot and further endanger his life.


The DSH is brought to you in memory of Rabbi Mordechai ben Daniel. Please visit us online at sephardichalacha.org

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

Pikuah Nefesh on Shabbat

Pikuah Nefesh on Shabbat
Day: Wednesday
Date: July 29, 2015
Parshat: Va'ethanan
Yalkut Yosef: O"H 328


Saving a life overrides Shabbat as well as most mitzvot. It says in the Torah (Vayikra 18:5) "And you shall keep my statutes and my ordinances, which a person will do and live by them, I am HaShem." Our Hachamim have taught us based on this (Yuma 85:) that one "will live by them, and not die by them." Therefore it is a mitzvah to break Shabbat to help a person who is in danger. Our Hachamim have also taught us (Yerushalmi Yuma 8:5) that "one who hastens to break Shabbat for a Pikuah Nefesh situation, even by doing melachot De'oraita, is praiseworthy." We are also taught in multiple places that anyone who saves one Jewish life is as if he saved the entire world. Therefore if there is a Pikuah Nefesh situation a person must do everything possible to help.


The DSH is brought to you in memory of Rabbi Mordechai ben Daniel. Please visit us online at sephardichalacha.org

Tuesday, July 28, 2015

Giving and Receiving an Insulin Shot on Shabbat

Giving and Receiving an Insulin Shot on Shabbat
Day: Tuesday
Date: July 28, 2015
Parshat: Va'ethanan
Yalkut Yosef: O"H 328


A diabetic person is considered to be a Holeh She'en Bo Sakana and is therefore permitted to give himself an insulin shot on Shabbat before eating a meal if that is what he needs. Likewise, it is also permitted for anyone to give an insulin shot to a diabetic person on Shabbat if he needs it. Of course, if there is any reason to suspect life threatening danger, everything possible must be done to save the person.


The DSH is brought to you in memory of Rabbi Mordechai ben Daniel. Please visit us online at sephardichalacha.org

Sunday, July 26, 2015

Motzei Tish'a Be'av

Motzei Tish'a Be'av
Day: Sunday
Date: July 26, 2015
Parshat: Va'ethanan
Hazon Ovadia: Ta'anit Pg.414-415


In general, the custom is to not eat meat until the end of the day after Tish'a Be'av since the Bet Hamikdash was still burning until then. However this year, since we observed Tish'a Be'av on the tenth of Av instead of the ninth, it is entirely permissible for Sephardim to eat meat immediately after the fast is over. Even in a normal year when Tish'a Be'av is observed on the correct day, it is permissible for Sephardim to bathe, shave, get haircuts and wash clothing immediately after the fast is over. However, Ashkenazim are strict with regards to these things even when Tish'a Be'av has not been pushed off and do not do these until the day after Tish'a Be'av. May HaShem answer all of our prayers and may this be last Tish'a Be'av observed as a day of mourning.


The DSH is brought to you in memory of Rabbi Mordechai ben Daniel. Please visit us online at sephardichalacha.org

Thursday, July 23, 2015

Havdala When Tish'a Be'av Falls on Motzei Shabbat

Havdala When Tish'a Be'av Falls on Motzei Shabbat
Day: Thursday
Date: July 23, 2015
Parshat: Devarim
Yalkut Yosef: 557


When Tish'a Be'av falls on Shabbat, as it does this year, we do not observe on Shabbat any of the signs of mourning, such as not washing our hands, that we normally observe on Tish'a Be'av. After Shabbat is over one should light a candle and say the blessing of "Boreh Meorei Ha'esh" that is normally said as part of havdalah. The following night, after Tish'a Be'av is over the berachot of Hagefen and Hamavdil are both said before eating anything. A person who needs to eat during the fast must first say havdala and then eat. The havdala said by such a person also exempts the people who hear it from their own obligation to say havdala after the fast. Ideally, a person saying havdala on Tish'a Be'av should have a child drink the wine. If there are no children around he should have at least a sip of it.


The DSH is brought to you in memory of Rabbi Mordechai ben Daniel. Please visit us online at sephardichalacha.org

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

Using a Cane or Crutches on Shabbat

Using a Cane or Crutches on Shabbat
Day: Wednesday
Date: July 22, 2015
Parshat: Devarim
Yalkut Yosef: 328


A person who has a casting his leg or an ailment that requires him to walk with a cane may do so on Shabbat even in a Reshut Harabim. This is only true if he cannot walk at all without the cane. However, if he can walk on his own but the cane only helps him to walk more steadily, he may not take it out into the Reshut Harabim unless there is an eruv. Likewise, a person who can only walk with crutches may use them in a Reshut Harabim even if there is no eruv.


The DSH is brought to you in memory of Rabbi Mordechai ben Daniel. Please visit us online at sephardichalacha.org

Tuesday, July 21, 2015

One Who Has a Nosebleed on Shabbat

One Who Has a Nosebleed on Shabbat
Day: Tuesday
Date: July 21, 2015
Parshat: Devarim
Yalkut Yosef: 328


It is permissible on Shabbat for a person with a nosebleed to use a piece of fabric to soak up the blood and try to stop bleeding that way. There is no issue of dying the cloth since the cloth is most likely going to be thrown out anyhow. It is worth mentioning that it is healthier to wash one's nose with cold water and use tissues instead of fabric.


The DSH is brought to you in memory of Rabbi Mordechai ben Daniel. Please visit us online at sephardichalacha.org

Sunday, July 19, 2015

Putting on and Removing a Band Aid on Shabbat

Putting on and Removing a Band Aid on Shabbat
Day: Sunday
Date: July 19, 2015
Parshat: Devarim
Yalkut Yosef: 328


It is permissible to put on a band aid on Shabbat even though the gauze will rest directly on the wound and will be colored by the blood. Likewise, it is also permissible to remove the paper backing. One may remove a band aid on Shabbat even if doing so will pull out hairs as long as there is a reason to remove it. The reason it is allowed is since one's intention is not to remove the hair and doing so is not pleasant, it is considered to be a Pesik Resha Deloh Nihah Le Be'issur Derabanan, which is allowed.


The DSH is brought to you in memory of Rabbi Mordechai ben Daniel. Please visit us online at sephardichalacha.org

Friday, July 17, 2015

Dressing a Wound on Shabbat

Dressing a Wound on Shabbat
Day: Friday
Date: July 17, 2015
Parshat: Matot/Mas'ei
Yalkut Yosef: 551


It is permissible to put a bandage on a wound on Shabbat even if the injured person is not in any danger. If the bandage is too long it may folded over but not cut down to size. Since when applying ointment to a wound the idea is for it to stay there and not become absorbed, one may not put ointment on the wound since he may smear it, which is forbidden on Shabbat. If there already was a bandage with ointment on the wound from before Shabbat, it may be put back if it fell off on Shabbat. However, if it fell on the floor it may not be put back. If there is reason to assume that the wound may become dirty and may cause pain or damage, it is permissible to prepare from before Shabbat bandages with ointment already on them and change the old ones for the fresh ones on Shabbat. Of course, if there is any danger of losing a limb or worse, everything possible must be done to help the person.


The DSH is brought to you in memory of Rabbi Mordechai ben Daniel. Please visit us online at sephardichalacha.org

Thursday, July 16, 2015

Meat During the Nine Days

Meat During the Nine Days
Day: Thursday
Date: July 16, 2015
Parshat: Matot/Mas'ei
Yalkut Yosef: 551


Our custom is to refrain from eating chicken or meat from after Rosh Hodesh Av through the tenth of Av. At a seudat mitzvah however, such as a Brit, or a Sheva Berachot, it is permitted as long as one came to be part of the celebration and not just to eat meat. Children may be given chicken and meat as long as they are still young and do not yet understand the concepts. Our custom is to also not eat food that was cooked with meat even if there are no pieces of meat in the food. However, food cooked in a meat pot may be eaten if there was no meat cooked with the food. It is permissible on Erev Shabbat to taste the Shabbat food even if that includes meat, since tasting the Shabbat food is part of the mitzvah of honoring Shabbat.


The DSH is brought to you in memory of Rabbi Mordechai ben Daniel. Please visit us online at sephardichalacha.org

Wednesday, July 15, 2015

Jogging on Shabbat


Jogging on Shabbat
Day: Wednesday
Date: July 15, 2015
Parshat: Matot/Mas'ei
Yalkut Yosef: 328


It is permissible to take a walk on Shabbat after a meal even though it is being done only for health reasons. The reason is because it is not obvious that it is being done for those reasons. Jogging is forbidden on Shabbat even if one jogs daily, if one's intention is to cause himself to perspire. However, such a person may take a brisk walk on Shabbat instead at a pace that won't cause him to perspire. A person with heart troubles who has been instructed by a doctor to do specific exercises daily may do them on Shabbat as well since he can be considered to be at least at the level of a Holeh She'en Bo Sakana. It is permissible also for a person to conform to a diet on Shabbat as long as he makes sure eat the amount of bread required for each meal.


The DSH is brought to you in memory of Rabbi Mordechai ben Daniel. Please visit us online at sephardichalacha.org
 


Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Exercise on Shabbat

Exercise on Shabbat
Day: Tuesday
Date: July 14, 2015
Parshat: Matot/Mas'ei
Yalkut Yosef: 328


Intentionally causing oneself to perspire is forbidden on Shabbat for the same reason as taking medications. Our Hachamim knew that forbidding these things would save people from grinding herbs on Shabbat, which is an issur De'oraita. (See DSH from May 20, 2015 and November 28, 2014). A person who wants to make himself perspire might grind and ingest diaphoretic herbs which will cause him to get to that point faster. Therefore it is forbidden on Shabbat to exercise if one's intention is to cause himself to perspire. There are some poskim who forbid exercising on Shabbat even if perspiring is not his intention. Their reason is that exercise is something that is done during the week and is not fitting for Shabbat. Even though technically one is allowed to exercise on Shabbat if his intention is not to perspire, nevertheless it is better to be more strict on oneself and not do so.


The DSH is brought to you in memory of Rabbi Mordechai ben Daniel. Please visit us online at sephardichalacha.org

Monday, July 13, 2015

One Who Has a Toothache on Shabbat

One Who Has a Toothache on Shabbat
Day: Monday
Date: July 13, 2015
Parshat: Matot/Mas'ei
Yalkut Yosef: 328


A person with a toothache may not take painkillers on Shabbat unless he started taking them before Shabbat or the pain is so bad that his whole body is affected. However, it is permissible to have some arak, as long as he doesn't put in his mouth and spit it out, since then it will be obvious that he's having it only to help the pain. One may not gargle with salt water or with a water and baking soda mixture unless he is in such pain that he is bedridden since these things are done only to heal. If the pain is really bad he may keep the arak in his mouth for some time before swallowing. A person with a terrible toothache may go to a non Jewish dentist to have the tooth pulled out. He may open his mouth even though by doing so he is helping the dentist do melachot, but he may not ask the dentist to do any melachot De'oraita. If the pain is so bad that the painkillers don't help, he may even go to a Jewish dentist since it can become a situation of pikuah nefesh.


The DSH is brought to you in memory of Rabbi Mordechai ben Daniel. Please visit us online at sephardichalacha.org

Sunday, July 12, 2015

Using Drops in One's Nose on Shabbat

Using Drops in One's Nose on Shabbat
Day: Sunday
Date: July 12, 2015
Parshat: Matot/Mas'ei
Yalkut Yosef: 328


A person who is congested to the point that he has trouble breathing from his nose may inhale "Vicks" or any other such product, since its purpose is not to heal but to open one's nasal passages. A person who is so congested that his whole body feels affected may have drops put into his nose to get rid of the congestion and the pressure. The drops can even be put in by a Jew. However, if it does not affect the rest of his body and he is up and about, he may still have a non Jew put the drops in. If he is unsure whether or not he has reached the point that a Jew may put in, he can be lenient and have the Jew put them in.


The DSH is brought to you in memory of Rabbi Mordechai ben Daniel. Please visit us online at sephardichalacha.org

Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Haircuts During the Three Weeks

Haircuts During the Three Weeks
Day: Wednesday
Date: July 8, 2015
Parshat: Pinhas
Yalkut Yosef: 551


The Ashkenazi custom is for men to refrain from getting haircuts or shaving during the three weeks. Sephardim are lenient in this regard and may get haircuts and shave up until the the week of Tisha Be'av. Children are also included in this prohibition. Even if the Sephardic person is around Ashkenazim most of the time it is still permissible for him to cut his hair before the Shevua Shehal Bo. If such a person decides not to cut his hair in order to not differentiate himself from the people around him, that is commendable. However he should say that he's doing it without accepting this custom upon himself. It is permissible for a person during this time to trim his mustache if it interferes with his eating.


The DSH is brought to you in memory of Rabbi Mordechai ben Daniel. Please visit us online at sephardichalacha.org

Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Saying Shehehyanu During the Three Weeks

Saying Shehehyanu During the Three Weeks
Day: Tuesday
Date: July 7, 2015
Parshat: Pinhas
Yalkut Yosef: 551


It is proper to not say the beracha of shehehyanu on new fruits or new clothes during the three weeks. If a person wishes to eat a new fruit or wear a new garment that would require him to say shehehyanu, he should wait until Shabbat and eat the fruit or wear the garment then. During the nine days however one should not wear the new garment even on Shabbat. If a person said a beracha on a fruit not realizing that it was a new fruit and then remembered before biting into it, he should say shehehyanu and then eat from the fruit. One should refrain from saying shehehyanu on the tenth of Av as well. If the fruit will not be available after Tish'a Be'av or it won't be good anymore he may say shehehyanu during the three weeks. If possible he should wait and say it on Shabbat.


The DSH is brought to you in memory of Rabbi Mordechai ben Daniel. Please visit us online at sephardichalacha.org

Monday, July 6, 2015

Listening to Music During the Three Weeks

Listing to Music During the Three Weeks
Day: Monday
Date: July 6, 2015
Parshat: Pinhas
Yalkut Yosef: 551


During the three weeks we do not listen to music, whether live or recorded. However one may listen to music at a celebration that falls out during that time, like a Brit or a Bar Mitzvah that is being celebrated on the day of the birthday itself. It is also permissible to listen to music at a celebration being made for finishing a masechet. Ashkenazim do not listen to music at all during the three weeks, even at a celebration. A Hazan may sing the prayers and one may sing his Torah learning. However aside from these one should refrain from singing songs that will cause him to become overly happy.


The DSH is brought to you in memory of Rabbi Mordechai ben Daniel. Please visit us online at sephardichalacha.org

Sunday, July 5, 2015

The Fast of the Seventeenth of Tammuz

The Fast of the Seventeenth of Tammuz
Day: Sunday
Date: July 5, 2015
Parshat: Pinhas
Yalkut Yosef: 549


Yesterday was the seventeenth of Tammuz, which marks the beginning of the "three weeks." Since it was Shabbat the fast was pushed off to today instead. The fast commemorates five tragedies that occurred on this day. The five tragedies are:
1. The first Luhot were broken when Moshe Rabenu saw the sin of the golden calf taking place.
2. The Korban Tamid, an offering that was brought twice daily, was discontinued when it became impossible to obtain the animals necessary due to the siege.
3. A siege was set in place around Yerushalayim (during the time period of the second temple) and the walls were breached on this day.
4. A Roman general named Apostomos, may his memory be erased, set a precedent for the rest of history by burning a Sefer Torah.
5. An idol was erected inside of our Holy Temple in direct defiance of all that is precious to us as Jews.
The prophet Zacharia tells us that this day as well as the four other fast days will one day be turned into a day of celebration. May we see that day soon, amen.


The DSH is brought to you in memory of Rabbi Mordechai ben Daniel. Please visit us online at sephardichalacha.org

Friday, July 3, 2015

Taking a Suppository on Shabbat

Taking a Suppository on Shabbat
Day: Friday
Date: July 3, 2015
Parshat: Balak
Yalkut Yosef: 328


It is forbidden for a person suffering form constipation to take a suppository on Shabbat in the normal way. However, if it is done with a shinuy, such as with one's left hand instead of right, or two fingers instead of one, it may be used. It is permissible for such a person to eat specific fruits that would help him, even though he is eating them only to relieve his constipation. However, he should not eat too many of them as that would take away from his Oneg Shabbat. On the same note, a person with a loose stomach should not eat too many constipating fruits, such as bananas, as that will also take away from his Oneg Shabbat. It is also permissible for such a person to take something to help his situation. A baby that has a very loose stomach, or even an adult that is in danger of become dehydrated due to a loose stomach, should be taken to a hospital immediately.


The DSH is brought to you in memory of Rabbi Mordechai ben Daniel. Please visit us online at sephardichalacha.org

Thursday, July 2, 2015

One Who Has a Stomachache on Shabbat

One Who Has a Stomachache on Shabbat
Day: Thursday
Date: July 2, 2015
Parshat: Balak
Yalkut Yosef: 328


A person with a stomachache who is still able to walk around and is more or less okay may not take anything to relieve the pain on Shabbat. It is permissible however for him to put a hot water bottle on his stomach and try to relieve the pain that way. If he's in pain to the point that he thinks he may have an appendicitis or an ulcer Shabbat must be broken to help him since those can become life threatening situations. A person with a bad stomachache may take a shot of arak or whiskey or drink tea with honey, lemon, ginger etc to try to relieve the pain since even fully healthy people drink such things. However if after trying that the pain doesn't go away a doctor should be consulted, even by breaking Shabbat if necessary, since it can be something more serious. When it comes to children under nine one should consult with a doctor right away since it can be a more serious issue.


The DSH is brought to you in memory of Rabbi Mordechai ben Daniel. Please visit us online at sephardichalacha.org