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Baruch HaMavdil... and Birkat HaMazon at Third Meal

Situation You washed your hands, said ha'motzi, were eating your meal (this could be se'uda shlishit or even a fourth meal) and it is now dark. You want to do melacha.

What To Do If you have not yet finished se'uda shlishit, saying Baruch ha'mavdil bein kodesh l'chol after dark on Saturday night does not affect the Shabbat additions you will then say in birkat ha'mazon.  So, you may say Baruch ha'mavdil bein kodesh l'chol and do melacha, and then continue to eat your meal or say birkat ha'mazon INCLUDING the two Shabbat additions of retzei and ha'rachaman hu yanchileinu yom she'kulo Shabbat u'menucha l'chayei ha'olamim.


 
Yom Kippur: Delaying Start Past Candle Lighting
Lighting the candles starts the holiday of Yom Kippur.  If you want to start the holiday later, you must:
  • Make a condition when lighting candles that you are not yet starting the holiday (by saying “I am lighting Yom Kippur candles but not starting Yom Kippur until 7 minutes before sunset”-this may only be done in urgent situations) and
  • Omit the she'hecheyanu blessing at candle lighting.  Men say she'hecheyanu later (in kol nidre).
    Note Women then say she'hecheyanu at least 7 minutes before sunset! (One may not make a condition for she'hecheyanu!)
Note If a woman lit candles for Yom Kippur more than 7 minutes before sunset (as is normally done at 18 or even 40 minutes before sunset), but made a condition (tenai) that she would still eat or do melacha until somewhat later, she must still stop eating and doing melacha by no later than 7 minutes before sunset.
Fore-Blessing: Bread-Like Crackers
Fore-blessing for Ryvita and other bread-like crackers :
  • Ha'motzi if they are normally eaten as a meal —even if you eat only a small amount.  The after-blessing is birkat ha'mazon as long as you ate at least 1.3 fl. oz. (39 ml, or 1/6 cup) within four minutes.
    Note If you ate less than 1.3 fl. oz. or took more than 4 minutes, do not say any after-blessing.
  • Borei minei mezonot if normally eaten as a snack (after-blessing: al ha'michya) .
Situation Crackers are normally eaten as a snack, but YOU eat it as part of a meal.
What To Do Say ha'motzi (after-blessing, birkat ha'mazon).
When To Pause or Join Minyan: General Prayer Services
Here is when to pause or join the minyan during general prayer services:
  • Ashrei
 You do not need to interrupt your prayers to join the minyan for ashrei.
  • Torah Reading 
 If you are saying the amida, pause only during the actual Torah reading, not during
 the blessings.
  • Kaddish
           During kaddish, you must pause in your amida until the prayer leader finishes the
 line of da'amiran b'alma....  
  • Alenu
  If the minyan says alenu and you are at a part of the prayer service at which you
  are permitted to interrupt, you may join them.
Note It is a proper practice to say alenu with the congregation, even if you have already finished that prayer service.
Reason If you don't, it seems as if you are not accepting ol malchut shamayim.
HaMotzi: Being Touched by Unwashed Hands
Situation Someone who has not yet washed touches your hand after you have washed your hands, said al netilat yadayim, and dried your hands.
Status
  • If his/her hand is dry, there is no problem of transferring impurity.
  • If his/her hand is wet, this may have transferred ritual impurity to your hand.
What To Do
  • If his/her hand is wet, touch a normally covered part of your body and then rewash your hands and say the blessing on washing hands.
    Note If you have already said ha'motzi, don't repeat the ha'motzi blessing.
Chanuka Candles: Light Left to Right; Add Right to Left
Light Chanuka candles from left to right, as you face it, not as it will be seen from outside the window. Add the new candle from right to left.  For example, on the first night, put the candle on the extreme right of the menora.
To set up and light Chanuka candles:
  • Set up the candles starting from the right side of the menora.
  • Light the shamash candle and hold it while you say the blessings:
    • Lehadlik ner shel Chanuka.
    • She'asa nisim l'avoteinu ba'yamim ha'heim ba'zman ha'zeh.
    • (And on the first night, add) She'hecheyanu.
  • Light the left-most candle first and proceed to the next candle on the right, and so on.
  • Once you have lit the first candle each night, say ha'neirot hallalu (this is a halacha).
Note Once the menora has been lit, you may not turn or move it, even to the window.
Note Saying Ma'oz Tzur is a widespread custom but is not required.
Blessings: Rainbows: Looking and Blessing
The blessing over rainbows is zocheir ha'brit v'ne'eman bi'vrito, v'kayam b'ma'amaro. 
Note You may not gaze at a rainbow, but you may look at it for up to 2.5 seconds, then look away, and then look back repeatedly an unlimited number of times.

NOTEDon't tell other people that a rainbow is visible. But if they see you looking or hear you saying the blessing, you may tell them that there is a rainbow and you may tell them the correct blessing to say.

Al Ha'Eitz: Figuring Volume: Five Special Fruits and Regular Fruits Together
Although the Five Special Fruits do not combine in volume with non-special fruits for the after-blessing of al ha'eitz if eaten sequentially or even interspersed with each other, they DO combine for the after-blessing if:
  • They are considered to be one food, AND
  • The main component is the Special Fruit.
Example
                        Situation
You eat at least 1.3 fl. oz. (39 ml, or 1/6 cup) within four minutes of dates stuffed with almonds.
What To Do Say the after-blessing of al ha'eitz over both types of fruits.
Al Ha'Eitz: Covering Other Fruits
The after-blessing of al ha'eitz covers:
  • Eating at least 1.3 fl. oz. (39 ml, or 1/6 cup) of the Five Special Fruits within four minutes, and also
  • Any non-special fruits that you ate while eating the Five Special Fruits.
Example
Situation
You ate at least 1.3 fl. oz. (39 ml, or 1/6 cup) within four minutes of the Five Special Fruits, such as figs, and any amount of non-special fruits, such as walnuts, at about the same time.
What To Do
Say:
  • Fore-blessing of borei pri ha'eitz, and
  • After-blessing of al ha'eitz.
Sukka: Leaving: First Night: Rain, Cold, Bees
You may leave the sukka due to extreme cold or heat, rain, or bees. You should not stay in a sukka if it is raining or very cold or will otherwise make people suffer.
If it is raining on the first night of Sukkot and the rain is sporadic, wait until midnight before saying kiddush indoors.
If it is raining on the first night of Sukkot and the forecast predicts rain all evening, you do not need to wait to see if the rain will stop before saying kiddush. Instead:
  • Say kiddush in the sukka (without saying leisheiv ba'sukka), even in the rain.
  • Wash hands and say ha'motzi.
  • Eat at least 1.3 fl. oz. (39 ml, or 1/6 cup) of bread in the sukka.
  • Go inside the house and finish your meal inside. 
Note You do not need to say birkat ha'mazon in the sukka. If the rain stops, go back outside, say leisheiv, eat at least 1.9 fl. oz. (56 ml) more of bread in the sukka, and finish your meal in the sukka.
Prayer Leader of 10 Men Should Wait
A prayer service leader for a group of only 10 men including himself should (but is not required to) wait until all 10 men have finished the private amida before he begins the reader's repetition.
  • Shabbat
  • Jewish Festivals
  • Rosh Chodesh musaf.
Reason To have nine men replying amen to each blessing.
Note A minimum of six men must be finished before the reader begins the repetition. If delaying the repetition at mincha will cause the repetition to be finished after sunset, consult a rabbi.
Note If all nine other men will not (or may not) say amen, the leader should intend that his public amida be a “free-will offering” (nedava); otherwise, his public amida may be a bracha l'vatala. He may not intend to offer a "free-will offering" on days or services that this sacrifice was not offered in the Temple in Jerusalem:
  • Shabbat
  • Jewish Festivals
  • Rosh Chodesh musaf.
Introduction to Weddings and Marriage
The purpose of the rabbi at a wedding is to ensure that the extremely detailed wedding halachot, as set out by the Shulchan Aruch, are followed correctly. If not, the wedding might not be kosher.
 
A Jewish marriage includes: a written document (ketuba); a financial transaction (ring) in front of two kosher witnesses; and physical intimacy. 
 
Witnesses
 
  • The witnesses must be shomer Shabbat Jewish men.
  • The bride and groom should confirm verbally that these are the two (and the only two) witnesses that they want.  
 
Ring
  • The groom must confirm that he acquired and owns the ring.
  • The groom must say Harei at mekudeshet li ...  to the bride and place the ring on her (index) finger.
 
Ketuba
  • The ketuba must be kosher.
  • Before the chuppa, someone (anyone, including women) must fill in (no safrut is required for this):  the Hebrew names of the bride and groom; the date the wedding is taking place; the wedding location (city, etc.); and that a kinyan was made.
  • The ketuba must be signed by two kosher witnesses.
Head Tefila: How To Put On
  1. Place the tefila on your head tightly enough so it does not slip off under normal motion.
  2. Center the head tefila box on your forehead (as it appears to an average person. There is no need to look in a mirror.)
  3. Place the head tefila box with its front edge above your hairline (or where your hairline was when you were 13!), not further back than half-way on your skull from front to back.
  4. Ideally, place the knot at the back on your occipital bone (base of your skull), but you may place it lower as long as it is still on top of your hair.
  5. Say the second blessing, al mitzvat tefilin.
  6. Tighten the tefila on your head and say, Baruch shem kevod malchuto l'olam va'ed
    Reason “Al mitzvat tefilin” is a questionable blessing (safek bracha).
    Note Tefilin head straps should reach at least to your navel (left strap) and mila (right strap).
Tum'a and From What To Pour
When washing your hands using the One-Time Method, in all cases except when washing for bread, here is what to use:
  • Best: Cup that holds at least a revi'it of water.
  • Next Best: Wash hands from a spigot within 12” of the ground, turning the spigot off and on between hands.
  • Third Choice: If the spigot is more than 12” above the ground, simply hold your hands under a regular faucet in the flow of water so that your hands get wet all over.  No need to turn the water on and off.
    Note This is a b'di'avad case. 
  • Fourth Choice: If there is no water, say whatever blessings you need to say anyway (for example, asher yatzar) rather than not saying the blessing at all. You will still have the tum'a on your hands (but you should rub your hands on cloth of clothing first).
Note This does NOT apply to washing before eating bread or to any cases where you must wash using the Three-Times Method. Removing tum'a in these cases requires a cup.
Note If you need to wash your hands after using the toilet, there is no need to go 18 minutes to find the water, (unlike the requirement for washing for bread).
Kashrut: Cheese: Jew at Time of Rennet
Cheese/Gvinas Akum
 
Gvinas akum is cheese which has been made by non-Jews and by rabbinical prohibition is only kosher if a Jew was present during the cheese making OR if a Jew put the rennet into the milk.
Note If a Jew owns the milk before processing, a non-Jew can add kosher rennet as long as it can be confirmed that the rennet is kosher, even if no Jew is present during the cheese making.
 
Origin of the Problem: Chazal were concerned that the rennet used to make cheese might be from a non-kosher animal or even from a kosher animal that had not been slaughtered properly. Shulchan aruch says that even cheese curdled by kosher plant enzymes (such as fig branch sap or substances from certain thistle plants) are subject to the takana.
Note Gvinas Akum is not related to chalav yisrael; they are separate halachot.

Note Even rennet-less cheeses need hashgacha (religious supervision), but some non-hard cheeses may be an exception. Ask a rabbi.