In this week’s episode #2, the topics discussed by Rabbi Braun include:
Changing place while eating:
- Changing location in the middle of eating or drinking: when is a new bracha rishona required?
- Does one’s intention during the original bracha rishona to go to another room in the middle (even without intending to eat there) prevent the need for a new beracha?
Non‑Jews and mitzvos:
- May a non‑Jew perform mitzvos (e.g., shaking lulav) to receive reward, and for which types of mitzvos is this discouraged or restricted?
- Is the leniency of “not preventing him” limited to a ger toshav or someone accepting sheva mitzvos, rather than any non‑Jew?
- May we actively assist or facilitate a non‑Jew in doing mitzvos, or must we only refrain from stopping him?
Prospective converts:
- May a ger-in-process put on tefillin in order to learn how to do the mitzva?
- To what extent do the restrictions on teaching Torah or allowing mitzva performance to non‑Jews apply to someone clearly on the path to conversion?
- Is there a concern that allowing a non‑Jew (or prospective ger) to put on tefillin or similar mitzvos may lead to confusion about his Jewish status (e.g., intermarriage concerns)?
Shortcuts through shul:
- Does the prohibition of using a shul as a shortcut apply when passing through one room of the shul only to reach an adjacent room of shul (when there’s an alternate, less direct route to the second room)?
- What about walking across the bimah to get to the other side?
Eating from broken dishes:
- Is there any real halachic basis for avoiding eating from broken dishes because of forgetting one’s learning, and if so, what type of break is included?
- Would such a concern apply equally to women?
Hearing krias haTorah:
- To what extent must one hear all of krias haTorah to be yotzei their obligation?
- When may someone who partially heard the leining join or count for a second minyan’s krias haTorah, and how many full listeners are required?
Determining the time of passing:
- In a case of cardiac arrest where attempts at resuscitation continue into the night, which calendar day is halachically considered the person’s time of passing?
Hiddurim beyond one’s level:
- Is there a source for the minhag of reading shema from a mezuza while wearing Rabbeinu Tam’s tefillin? And is it advisable to adopt such a minhag?
What is Lemaan Yishmeu - Rabbi Braun?
A weekly halacha podcast from the Lemaan Yilmedu Institute, featuring Rabbi Yosef Y. Braun, Mara D’asra of Crown Heights, who shares fascinating, real-life halachic questions that reach his desk—together with the clear rulings he gave in each case.