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If you have any question regarding Halakhic observance, please email me directly and I will try my best to answer your question in a timely fashion. 

לא הביישן לומד - "A Person Who Is Shy Does Not Learn" (Pirkei Avot)

Rav Bendavid

Rabbi@wsssynagogue.com

Is it permitted to Lower the Height of the Mezuzah so that Children Can reach it?

Dear Friends

Here is a response to a question that Noam posed to me. 

Question - Is it permitted to Lower the Height of the Mezuzah so that Children Can reach it?

Rambam (hilchot Mezuzah 6:12) and Shulchan Aruch (Yoreh Deah 289) write that one should ideally place a Mezuzah no more than ⅓ down from the frame of the doorpost. However, it is still kosher if it is placed at least 1 tefach (handbreadth) from the top. The author of the Turei Zahav (Yoreh Deah 289:3) argues that both the Shulchan Aruch and Rema believe that if one places the mezuzah lower than ⅔ height of the doorway, it is invalid.

Read more

May one ride an elevator on Shabbat?

Answer - This issue has been heavily debated by Rabbis over the last fifty years, most notably Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach (RSZ) and Rabbi Yitzchak Levi Halperin.

To read a summary of what is permitted and what is not, click here.

 

Thu, March 28 2024 18 Adar II 5784