We’re pleased to share a new episode of “Lemaan Yishmeu,” the weekly halacha podcast with Rabbi Yosef Yeshaya Braun, Mara D’asra, and member of the Crown Heights Beis Din, brought to you by AskTheRav.com in partnership with the Lemaan Yilmedu Halacha Institute.
Each week, Rabbi Braun addresses intriguing halachic questions on a wide range of practical topics — real questions that have come to his desk, along with his clear and insightful responses.
You can listen to the podcast on all major platforms, including Spotify, Apple Podcasts, 24Six Amazon Music and Pocket Casts
In this week’s episode, the topics discussed by Rabbi Braun include:
Bris and baby naming
- If a bris needed to be done by a frum mohel surgeon in a hospital, is it better to name the baby immediately with just the parents present, or to delay a few hours in order to name him at home with a minyan and a cup of wine?
- How closely must the bracha of “asher kideish yedid” be to the actual bris?
Brachos for parents after birth
- What are the guidelines for the brachos made by the parents following the birth of a child?
- And is this in fact the proper minhag despite rumored reports that this isn’t practiced among chassidim?
Shehecheyanu on new fruits
- When eating a new seasonal fruit, which bracha should be recited first: Shehechiyanu or ha’eitz, according to Chabad minhag?
- Is there any evidence from the Rebbe to reverse the order?
Women and birkas hagomel
- Should a woman who has given birth recite hagomel after recovery?
Answering devarim shebikdusha during pesukei d’zimra
- During pesukei d’zimra, which devarim she’bikdusha should one answer, and which instances of amein during kaddish are included in the allowance?
Removing snow on Shabbos
- May one shovel snow on Shabbos in an enclosed area (where carrying is permitted) when there’s a concern for people getting hurt?
- Is fresh snow considered muktzah?
- Is spreading salt on ice and snow permissible on Shabbos?
- What can be done about snow in areas where carrying isn’t allowed?
Adding a name for a choleh
- Under what conditions is a name added for a dangerously ill person?
- Does the added name become the person’s permanent name for all halachic purposes, and what factors can affect this?
Bracha of al mitzvas tzizis on a tallis gadol
- If one mistakenly recites the bracha of al mitzvas tzitzis on a tallis gadol, is the bracha valid b’dieved, or must it be repeated?
- What changes to the nusach constitute being “meshaneh matbei’a shetav’u chachamim”?
Switching rooms while eating cake and coffee
- If someone makes a mezonos on cake and a shehakol on coffee, and then leaves the room and returns, does the requirement to come back for al hamichya on the cake keep the original shehakol in force also for the coffee?
- How does this compare to the case of a bread meal, where the ha’eitz made on fruit eaten in the meal remains in force even if one left and returned?
