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Erasing God's Name: Photo or Photocopy
You may not throw away even a photo or photocopy of one of God's names; it must be put into sheimot. You should be especially careful with children's school papers and homework!
 
Tum'a: Touching with Finger
If you touch something that has transferable spiritual impurity (tum'a) even with just one finger, that entire hand becomes impure.  In some cases, such as if you touch a dead body, your entire body will become impure (tamei).
 
Shabbat: Medicine for Non-Chronic Diseases
You may take medicine on Shabbat for non-chronic illnesses, if skipping one day will prevent cure, but not if skipping a day will just delay your cure.
Exception  If the disease affects your entire body, you may take the medicine anyway.
 
Introduction to Rosh Chodesh
Rosh Chodesh, the beginning of the Jewish (lunar) month, is a minor holiday of one or two days, depending on whether the previous month was 29 or 30 days.  When the preceding month is 30 days long, the 30th day becomes the first day of Rosh Chodesh and the second day of Rosh Chodesh is the first day of the succeeding month.
Rosh Chodesh used to be officially declared in Jerusalem each month by the Sanhedrin, based on evidence from at least two witnesses who had seen the new moon in the western sky.  For the past 1700 years or so, the new moon (and the dates for the entire Jewish calendar) have been determined by a formula prescribed by Hillel HaNasi (then head of the Jewish community in Eretz Yisrael). 
Chevra Kadisha for Males and Females
There is a “holy society” (chevra kadisha) for males and a separate one for females.
 
Grafting When Kilayim
You may not:
  • Graft two trees of different species together (grafting a branch or shoot from one tree onto the trunk of a different type of tree).
  • Pay someone else to graft a tree for you, not even a non-Jew.
Note You may use such a tree if it was already grafted by someone else.
Ketuba Process
The ketuba is written before the wedding but is not finished until just before the signing, when one or a few last words are filled in.  The ketuba is signed by two kosher witnesses after tanayim.  
Note The ketuba is read later, under the chuppa.
Shabbat: Dropping Unwanted Food
When you have food mixed with non-desired substances, you may remove the non-desired ones by picking up the entire mixture and dropping away the non-desired elements.
Sponges and Dairy/Meat
Situation You inadvertently use a brush or sponge (hotter than 120° F--49° C) of one gender on a utensil of the opposite gender.
Status The sponge or brush becomes non-kosher, but ask a rabbi about the status of the utensil.
Kashrut: Dairy/Meat: Microwave Ovens
As with conventional ovens, these factors determine kosher/non-kosher status for a microwave oven:
  • Was it clean?
  • Did the interior surfaces get hot (120° F--49° C--or more)?
  • Was it used in the previous 24 hours?
Note Microwave ovens do not have the problems of bishul akum that conventional ovens have.
Kashrut: Dairy/Meat: Baking at Same Time: Both UNCOVERED and SPICY/Charif
Situation The food in two uncovered pans (one of dairy food, one of meat) baked in an oven at the same time is spicy/charif.
Status The food and utensils all become non-kosher, even if the:
  • Pans are clean and dry,
  • Pans are not touching, AND
  • Food is non-liquid.
Kashrut: Eggs: Few or Even Numbers
You may eat even numbers of food items.
Note Some people don't cook one or two eggs by themselves, but there is no problem with doing so.
Tefilin: Fallen: Fast
If tefilin without their covers on fall onto the ground, the custom is to fast for one day. If the covers are on the tefilin, there is no custom to fast.
 
Purim: Commandments
There are four mitzvot for Purim:
1. Shalach Manot (Gifts of food to promote friendship)
Send to one person at least two readily edible foods that will be appreciated by the recipient. Sending gifts of food (mishlo'ach manot) must be done on Purim day. The earliest time to send mishlo'ach manot is after hearing the morning megila reading (so that the commandment of giving gifts to friends is also covered by the blessing of she'hecheyanu over the megila).

2. Gifts to Poor People
Give some money to at least two poor people or to a fund designated to give to poor Jews on Purim. The earliest time in the day to give gifts to the poor on Purim is daybreak.

3. Hearing the Megila Twice (evening and morning)
  • If you miss hearing a word or even syllable of the megila on Purim, say it to yourself and then catch up to the reader.
  • If you are not near a minyan and do not have a megila scroll, you should read the megila from a book.  But you will not have fulfilled the commandment of reading the megila and so you do not say any of the blessings.
4. Eating at a Purim se'uda.
  • The minimum amount to eat and drink for a Purim meal is at least 1.3 fl. oz. (39 ml, or 1/6 cup) of bread, any amount of meat (if you enjoy meat), and some wine (any amount more than you normally drink).
  • The earliest time you may eat the Purim meal is from daybreak; the latest time you must begin is before sunset.  You must eat at least 1.3 fl. oz. (39 ml, or 1/6 cup) of bread and some wine (and meat if you enjoy it) before sunset. You may continue your meal after sunset as long as you ate the bread before sunset.
 
Fasting on Yahrzeit of Parents
It is a good custom (but not halacha) to fast on the yahrzeit of one's parents, since it is a kind of repentance (teshuva).