Paying a Babysitter for Work on Shabbat

We need a babysitter for a few hours on Shabbat. Is there a problem paying her for Shabbat work?

Responsive Baby Bassinet

There is a special bassinet that provides motion and soothing noise and reacts to an infant’s crying by intensifying them. Is it permitted to use this bassinet on Shabbat, and if so, are there special instructions?

Raffle on Shabbat

May one hold a raffle on Shabbat?

Batim of Tefillin on the Floor on Shabbat

The “retired” tefillin batim (in which the parshiyot go) I keep in a closet fell to the floor on Shabbat, inside a flimsy plastic bag. I intuited that it was better to pick them up than to leave them in disgrace on the floor. Was that correct?

Warming Food on Shabbos

May I warm food on Shabbos by putting it near the stove?May I take a kugel from the refrigerator on Shabbos morning and place it on the cholent pot to warm?

Using Hot Water on Shabbat

May I use my hot water on Shabbat since I have the boiler on a timer to go on every morning before I wake up? If this arrangement is unacceptable, please suggest a permitted one.

Staining Matters

On Shabbos, must I try not to stain my clothes? May I freshen my lipstick on Shabbos? Does bleaching out color violate the Melacha of dyeing?

Taking Medicine to Facilitate Mitzvot

Last Friday, I developed minor nasal issues, resembling my allergies. I figured that if I take my allergy medicine and wake up symptom-free, I can assume it was allergies. Was I permitted to take it (nasal spray) on Shabbat?

Food Coloring and Shabbos

May I mix red and white wines on Shabbos? May I decorate a cake on Shabbos?

Playing Darts on Shabbat

Can we play darts on Shabbat? The darts are classic ones that pierce the board’s surface; the board hangs loosely from a nail in the wall; in between uses, the darts often stay on the boar

How Not to Desecrate Shabbos

The story of the mekosheish, the man caught gathering wood on Shabbos, in Parshas Shelach, contains a host of conflicting and unusual midrashim. The story also serves as a springboard for many halachic and hashkafic issues.

Can there be Smoke Without a Fire?

May I place cold frankfurters on top of a hot pot to warm them on Shabbos? May one derive benefit from a cheese dog, which is a grilled hot dog with added cheese and chili sauce? I will be traveling overseas for Yom Tov and Shabbos, and it will be difficult for me to have cooked food ready for an eruv tavshillin. May I use lox as my eruv tavshillin?

Adding Salt to Hot Food on Shabbat

If I cook with less salt, may people add salt to their soup or cholent on Shabbat?

Pulling Teeth

May I pull teeth on Shabbos? Does clipping fingernails on Shabbos involve a Torah prohibition? On Yom Tov, may I dig up earth to perform the mitzvah of kisuy hadam?

Borer on Plates

We set our Shabbat table with a larger "charger" plate under the main plate. At the end of the meal, we clear off the dirty dishes and leave the charger plates. Is there a problem with borer (selecting)?

Carrying Nitroglycerin on Shabbos

Is there a way whereby a person suffering from angina or other heart disease may carry his medication on Shabbos through a public thoroughfare?

Carding, Combing and Disentangling

Trapping and Releasing on Shabbat

A couple of weeks ago, we saw a mouse in the house and put out a cage trap. A mouse was trapped last Shabbat. Because we felt bad for the mouse, we took it (on Shabbat) to an isolated area and let it out. Did we violate anything by trapping the mouse on Shabbat, or by letting it out (like some melachot that come in pairs, like tying and untying)? Was the cage muktzeh and, if yes, did tza’ar ba’alei chayim justify taking it out?

A Priceless Mitzva

At the Shabbat Table

At the Shabbat Table

Erasing on Shabbos