Rabbi Yehuda Spitz

In this week’s parshah, Parshas Mishpatim, we find the first of the three times that the Torah mentions the prohibition of bossor becholov, mixing...

Although we live in a world of technological advancements and achievements, and their impact on halachah can seem complicated and confusing, Klal Yisroel has been blessed through the ages with poskim who have enlightened us as to the practical application of halachah in these areas. Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach zt”l, in particular, among other gedolim and poskim, was known to relish hearing about technological advances and demonstrating how the halachah still applied to it, for as we know, “ain kol chodosh tachas hashemesh, there is nothing new under the sun” (Koheles 1:9). In this spirit, this article will focus on the intricacies and the issues the poskim deal with in deciding the halachic status of a not-so-recent technological advancement: the dishwasher.

Have you given any thought to how you are going to make Havdallah this Motzoei Shabbos? The proper way to perform Havdallah on Motzoei Shabbos Chazon, the Shabbos preceding Tisha B’Av, is one annual issue that seems to always have disparate approaches. The main problem is that the very essence of Havdallah is ending Shabbos, resulting in the fact that it is actually recited during chol, weekday. That is fine for an ordinary week, but Motzoei Shabbos Chazon is halachically part and parcel not only of the Nine Days, but shovuah shechal bah Tisha B’Av. This means that even the Sefardim, who are generally lenient with the Three Weeks’ and Nine Days’ restrictions,1 are still required to keep them this coming week. And one of these restrictions prohibits drinking wine,2 the mainstay of Havdallah.3 So how are we supposed to synthesize making Havdallah while not transgressing this restriction?