Administrator, Baltimore Bais Din

Reviewed By Rabbi Mordechai Shuchatowitz, Head of the Baltimore Bais Din

As we approach Yom Kippur, we hope to spend our attention contemplating the theme of the day and how we can each better ourselves. One of the prominent aspects of the davening of Yom Kippur is the Viduy, when we admit to Hashem what we have done wrong throughout the year. Many of the wrongdoings mentioned in Viduy relate to different forms of improper speech.* While we often think of improper speech as being lashon hara or ona’as devarim (comments intended to hurt another), there is another, more subtle aspect to being careful with one’s speech: the obligation to keep one’s word and verbal commitment.

This subject is discussed in halacha, which gives direction as to when one must keep a verbal commitment.  Halacha views giving one’s word with seriousness. We will examine this topic through three situations that often come up in daily living.

Reviewed By Rabbi Mordechai Shuchatowitz, Head of the Baltimore Bais Din

In past articles[1], we explored various scenarios that arise relating to carpools and what guidance we can learn from the appropriate halachos. We will now explore a different scenario, that of bullying, and see how it impacts the obligation of a carpool group.

The unfortunate reality is that bullying exists among our children.[2] It is obvious that the optimal situation is where the bullying can be stopped. But the goal of this article is to explore one specific angle of this issue: When the bullying persists within a carpool setting, may the other carpool families expel the bully from the carpool? We will illustrate this situation through a fictitious case study.

Reviewed by Rabbi Mordechai Shuchatowitz, Head of the Baltimore Bais Din

Any member of the Baltimore kehilla who has school-aged children is well aware of the fact that there is no busing service for private school children. It is the responsibility of the parents to transport their children to and from the schools they attend. The most common method by far of getting one’s children to school is by forming a carpool with neighbors.

It is obvious that every parent has certain hopes: that

Administrator, Baltimore Bais Din

Reviewed by Rabbi Mordechai Schuchatowitz, Head of the Baltimore Bais Din

In last month’s issue of Where What When, Mrs. Schor wrote an article about situations in which someone went above and beyond to return a lost object to its owner and thereby do the mitzva of hashavas aveida. Mrs. Schor had communicated with me and wondered whether these people actually had a halachic obligation to return the lost objects. The question is an important one since many of us, as Torah-observant Jews, often encounter an object and wonder whether we should bother ourselves to bring it home and attempt to find the owner. This article will explore the parameters of this mitzva, with the hope that it will give some practical guidance.

We will start by depicting two scenarios. In each scenario, we will give an A and B version in which one detail is changed. That detail will change the halacha. Let’s begin:

Reviewed by Rabbi Mordechai Shuchatowitz, Head of the Baltimore Bais Din

We are all aware of the many areas that technology has altered the way we live and the challenges that it presents to Torah-observant Jews. One area in which technology has brought about change throughout the entire world is the way we make purchases. Go back just 20 years, and anyone wanting to buy food, clothing, personal items, or business items would enter a brick-and-mortar store to examine what was available for purchase and then buy the desired items. In the world we currently live in, online purchasing has become a normal way of shopping, which has put pressure on brick-and-mortar stores trying to compete.

This phenomenon leads to a halachic question. Yet the question applies not only to online transactions. The technology may be new, but the halachas surrounding ethical behavior between customer and businessperson are not.

As Torah-observant Jews, we try to live up to the Halachos of lashon hara, which guide us in what is appropriate speech, especially in regards to derogatory information. However, there are numerous situations where Halacha defines what we may or may not say, even if no derogatory information is exchanged. This can especially be relevant in business.

In a previous article, we explored the Halachos of lashon hara as relating to business situations. This article will explore speech where lashon hara is not an issue. Let’s consider the following case study: