Search results for: ""Jewish festival""

Refraining from Distracting Work
You may not do any work or get involved in any project that might distract you from preparing for a Jewish festival, beginning from twice the duration of plag ha'mincha.  So allow 2 1/2 halachic hours (sha'ot zmaniyot) before sunset to prepare for the Jewish festival.
Jewish Festivals: Children and Melacha
As on Shabbat, you may not have a child, even younger than gil chinuch, do melacha for you on a Jewish festival.
Jewish Festivals: Ending: Before Havdala: Baruch HaMavdil and Birkat HaMazon
Saying Baruch ha'mavdil bein kodesh l'chol after dark at the end of a Jewish festival or of Rosh Hashana does not affect the additions you will then say in birkat ha'mazon.
Situation On a Jewish festival afternoon, you washed your hands, said ha'motzi, and started eating.  It is now dark and the end of the Jewish festival.
What To Do 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 ya'aleh v'yavo and ha'rachaman hu yanchileinu yom she'kulo tov.
Blessing the Children: When To Bless
Bless children on:
  • Friday night,
  • Saturday night (this is so we start the new week with a blessing), and
  • Jewish festival nights.
Note This is a non-binding custom, not a halacha.
Introduction to Separating Challa
Although challa refers to the two loaves of bread (or matza) over which we say the ha'motzi blessing at Shabbat and Jewish festival meals, challa also means the portion of dough or bread that we are obligated to give to the cohen/priests during Temple times.  Today, we burn a token portion (“challa”) of dough.
Note Burning the challa is not considered to violate bal tashchit (needless destruction), since the challa is separated and destroyed to fulfill a mitzva.
Jewish Festivals: Tearing Paper and Plastic Wrap

You may tear paper, plastic, foil, or other wrappers around food in order to eat that food on a Jewish festival.

You may tear plastic and foil (but not paper) around napkins, plasticware, etc., that you need on Jewish festival.

But you may not:

  • Do so if you will inevitably tear through any words or pictures on the package.
  • Use scissors.
     
Except for wrappers for food or eating utensils, do not tear paper, foil, toilet paper, parchment paper, plastic wrap, paper towels, etc., on a Jewish festival.
Note If there is a perforation, that makes the tearing worse.
Note If you do not have any torn toilet paper, tear it is an unusual way:
EXAMPLES
  • Tear using the back of your hand.
  • Spread the toilet paper across your knees and then spread your knees apart.
Kabbalat Shabbat and Jewish Festivals
Kabbalat Shabbat is mostly omitted when Shabbat falls on:
  • Jewish festivals,
  • Chol ha'moed, and
  • Right after the last day of a Jewish festival. 
On these days, only Mizmor shir... and Adonai malach... are said.
 
Jewish Festivals: Asking a Non-Jew To Do Melacha D'Oraita
Although you may not normally tell a non-Jew to do melacha d'oraita on a Jewish festival, even for the purpose of doing a mitzva, the non-Jew is not forbidden from doing melacha if he/she wants to do so.
Note To save a life, even a Jew may do melacha d'oraita.
Brit Mila: Delays: Shabbat/Jewish Festivals: Special Births
Situation A baby boy is born by caesarean section. The eighth day after the birth is Shabbat or a Jewish festival.

What To Do The brit mila must be delayed to at least the next day following that Shabbat or Jewish festival. (If the mohel or doctor says the baby is not healthy enough for a brit, the brit must be delayed even more.)
Chol HaMoed: Exceptions for Shaving
It is best not to shave during chol ha'moed.  You MAY shave if:
  • You normally shave every day, and
  • You shaved before the Jewish festival began.
Note Even if you only shave 2 or 3 times per week instead of every day, it is still considered as if you shave regularly.
Note You may shave during omer if not shaving might cause you to lose your job or otherwise incur financial loss. A large financial loss is subjective to the individual's actual wealth and also to that person's perception of what is a large loss.
Jewish Festivals: Selling Tickets for Flights
If you are a travel agent, you may sell airline tickets during a weekday to a Jew who will fly on a Jewish festival (even though Jews are not allowed to fly--except in some emergencies).
Being an Onen: Saying Kaddish
Some communities have the custom of an onen's saying kaddish.
NOTE When a person's parent dies on or just before (erev) Shabbat or a Jewish festival, a daughter of any age should not be told until after Shabbat or the festival is over. A son should only be told if he is 6 years old and above and the custom in that community is to say kaddish as an onen.
Jewish Festivals: Covering Motion Detectors
Situation A motion detector will light up when you move.
What To Do You must cover the detector or turn off the device before the Jewish festival begins.
Jewish Festivals: Squeezing, Dabbing, Smearing
As on Shabbat, you may squeeze a tube of cream on Jewish festivals, but you might not be able to use the cream on the Jewish festival for other reasons—consult a rabbi.
Note Smearing creams or ointments is permitted only in life-threatening situations. Otherwise, you may not smear cream on skin on a Jewish festival (or Shabbat) even using a shinu'i such as using the back of your hand or a toe.
Dabbing is permitted, but only when you are permitted to use medicine. 
Example
You may use cream on a Jewish festival (and Shabbat) by dabbing (you may ONLY dab--you may not SMEAR cream) for a bee sting if it will affect the entire body. You may not use cream for a mosquito bite, since it is only a local irritation.
Jewish Festivals: Moving Cut Flowers
You may move cut flowers in a vase or other utensil on Jewish festivals if they were in the vase or utensil since before the Jewish festival started.
Note If there are still some unopened buds on the stems, you may not put the cut flowers into direct sunlight.