Question: Our father has been hospitalized for an extended period and we have been taking shifts to be by his side to assist him. This has become a great burden and we are considering hiring a caregiver to be with him...
Yom Kippur 5780
Rabbi Yosef SprungSweet Brachos
The Shulchan Aruch rules (O.C. 196:1): A person who eats a forbidden food – though it may only be Asur mid’Rabbanan – cannot be included in a Zimun, nor does he recite a Bracha on the food before or after. According to...
From the Rabbi’s Desk: Is There a Doctor In the Sukkah?
Dear Rabbi Sprung, I am an anesthesiologist, and when I am on-call, I divide my time between the various operating rooms in the hospital and the delivery rooms. As the leader of the on-call team, I direct a group of...
From the Rabbi’s Desk: A Shift Sh’eila: Shofar or Shabbos?
Question: Dear Rabbi Sprung, This question is relevant both personally and to many physicians. I am a resident in a hospital in Chutz la’Aretz and cannot opt out of working on Shabbos and Yom Tov. For Rosh Hashana, I...
Accepting Yisurim – Chodesh Elul
As we enter the Yemei haRachamim, it is time to reflect upon our spiritual condition and our relationship with Hashem. These days are dedicated to Teshuva and Selichos. Looking back on the past year, both as a community...
From the Rabbi’s Desk: Shabbos Scales
Question: Dear Rabbi Sprung, I have Type 1 diabetes, and I am meticulous about the amount of carbohydrates that I consume at each meal and use a scale to weigh my portions. During the week I use a digital scale but I...
Hands Off – Part 2
In last week’s essay, we quoted the Rema’s ruling (E.H. 195:16) that a husband may attend to his sick wife when she is a Nida if nobody else is available and she greatly needs it. Many other Poskim concur. In this...
Hands Off
There is a fundamental Machlokes between the Mechaber and Rema regarding the Harchakos between a man and his wife when she is a Nida. The Shulchan Aruch rules (Y.D. 195:15 & 16): If he is ill and there is no one to...
Do It Again?
[This is the second essay in a series on Halachic ramifications of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).] We will begin this week’s essay with the powerful words of the Steipler zt”l (Orchos Rabbenu 4, p53): You must...
Selected Halachos for Cholim on Tisha b’Av
Seuda Mafsekes Even if a Choleh will not be fasting on Tisha b’Av he should still eat a Seuda Mafsekes because it is one of the Minhagim of Avelus. He is obligated to observe the Avelus even if he cannot fast. He may...
