Printed from
ChabadofDowntown.org
Ask the Rabbi
Contact
Home
About
Donate
About Chabad
Meet the Rabbi
Photo Gallery
COD in the News
Support Us
About
Us
Lunch n' Learn
Adult
Education
Chaplaincy
Bar & Mat Mitzvah
Seniors
Israel Tours
Community
Videos
Jewish.tv
Magazine
Parshah (Weekly Torah)
Library
Jewish Holidays
Audio Classes
Online Resources
The Rebbe
ChabadU
Parshah
Inspiration
Short Insights
Lectures
Torah Classes
Yeshiva
Women’s Learning
Documentary
Conversations
Kosher Food
Israel
Holidays
DIY
Inside Chabad-Lubavitch
Kids
Jewish Music
CTeen
Foreign Language
Current Issue
Past Issues
Current Parshah
Parshah Text
Haftarah Text
Parshah in a Nutshell
Haftorah in a Nutshell
Aliyot Summary
Parshah in Depth
From the Chassidic Masters
Parshah Columnists
Parshah Videos
Parshah Audio Classes
Family Parshah
Complete Parshah List
All Parshah in a Nutshells
Torah Texts
Classic Texts
Chassidic Texts
Chassidic Works
Featured
Tanakh - The Hebrew Bible
The Tanya
Torah Texts
High Holidays 2026
Sukkot & Simchat Torah 2026
Chanukah - Hanukkah 2025
Asarah B'Tevet (Tevet 10) 2025
15 Shevat 2026
Purim 2026
Passover (Pesach) 2026
Pesach Sheni 2026
Lag BaOmer 2026
Shavuot 2026
Sefirat HaOmer
Tisha B’Av and the 3 Weeks 2026
15th of Av - Tu B’Av 2026
Features
Special Years
Eruv Tavshilin
Spirituality
Jewish Practice
Ideas & Beliefs
Living
Lifecycles
Parshah
Torah Study
Holidays
History
Mayanot Audio Channel
Related
Jewish Music (Audio)
Listen to Liturgy
Chabad.org Live Radio
Magazine
Parshah (Weekly Torah)
Jewish Calendar
Jewish Holidays
Community & Family
Mitzvahs & Traditions
Lifecycle Events
Essentials
Chassidic Thought
The Jewish Woman
JewishKids.org
Audio Classes
Chabad.org Video
Texts & Writings
Knowledge Base
Ask the Rabbi
Chabad Centers and Synagogue Directory
TheRebbe.org
Jewish News
Resources
Donate
Contact
Us
ב"ה
Jewish Practice
Mitzvahs & Traditions
Halachah for Life
Halachah for Life: A Day in the Life of a Jew
What You Need to Know About Buying Clothing
By Yehuda Shurpin
Shatnez
, modesty, crossdressing, and the time of year you may purchase clothing.
7 Comments
What If You Are Alcohol-Free for Kiddush, Havdalah, and the Four Cups of Wine?
By Yehuda Shurpin
While wine is ideal, grape juice is a valid substitute.
9 Comments
What You Need to Know About Tevilat Keilim (Immersing Utensils)
By Yehuda Shurpin
Learn which utensils need immersion, how to do it, and alternatives when it's not possible.
3 Comments
What You Need to Know About Enjoying Wine, the Jewish Way
By Yehuda Shurpin
Wine has its own unique set of blessings and customs, as well as rules about who may handle it and with whom we drink.
5 Comments
What You Need to Know if You Said the Wrong Blessing
By Yehuda Shurpin
How to avoid the prohibition of taking G-d's name in vain.
11 Comments
What You Need to Know About Haircuts in Halacha
By Yehuda Shurpin
At first glance, a haircut seems like an ordinary task, but the Torah turns even a barber visit into a chance for mitzvahs!
1 Comment
What You Need to Know About Kosher at Work
By Yehuda Shurpin
With a bit of planning and some cooperation, you should be able to make things work.
1 Comment
What You Need to Know About the Laws of “Yichud”
By Yehuda Shurpin
A comprehensive guide to the intricate laws governing the seclusion of unmarried men and women.
3 Comments
What You Need to Know About Hiring Babysitters
By Yehuda Shurpin
Learn how to avoid potential
yichud
situations, keep your kosher kitchen intact, and make payments in the biblically mandated way.
4 Comments
What You Need to Know About Baking
By Yehuda Shurpin
Learn when you must separate challah and how to bake parve bread in a meat or dairy oven.
4 Comments
What You Need to Know About Wearing a Kippah
By Yehuda Shurpin
Who must wear one, when and where must it be worn, and what can it be made from?
28 Comments
What You Need to Know About Visiting the Sick
By Yehuda Shurpin
More than just showing care. The Talmud says that a visitor can actually take away 1/60th of the illness.
2 Comments
What You Need to Know About Washing for Bread
By Yehuda Shurpin
Did you know that your hands must be completely clean before
netilat yadayim
?
1 Comment
What You Need to Know About Animal Cruelty
By Yehuda Shurpin
Every creature has inherent value and purpose, and we are forbidden to destroy or waste resources without reason.
105 Comments
What You Need to Know About Going to Bed Like a Jew
By Yehuda Shurpin
If we go to sleep with purpose, we’re more likely to wake with clarity, energy, and readiness to serve our Creator.
14 Comments
What You Need to Know About Maaser (Tithes)
By Yehuda Shurpin
2 Comments
What You Need to Know About Non-Jewish Household Help
By Yehuda Shurpin
Kosher,
yichud
, Shabbat, and timely payment of workers are some of the potential issues to be aware of.
5 Comments
What You Need to Know About Birkat Hamazon
By Yehuda Shurpin
How much one must eat, where Birkat Hamazon must be recited, and what to do if one is unsure whether it was recited.
1 Comment
What You Need to Know About Washing Hands (Not for Bread)
By Yehuda Shurpin
Throughout the day, there are many situations that require different methods of ritual handwashing.
3 Comments
What a Kohen Needs to Know About Ritual Impurity
By Yehuda Shurpin
Practically, a Kohen must be careful not to become ritually impure through exposure to a dead body.
7 Comments
What You Need to Know About Blessings Before Eating
By Yehuda Shurpin
Making a blessing before eating is how we acknowledge the creator who provides us with the food; now that you know the why, read of the what and how
3 Comments
Mitzvahs & Traditions
Kosher
Shabbat
Tefillin
Mezuzah
Prayer in Judaism
Brachot: Blessings for Food & Other Occasions
Tzedakah: Charity
Mikvah
Tallit and Tzitzit
The Synagogue
Honoring Parents
Kiddush Levana: Sanctification of the Moon
More Mitzvahs & Traditions
What to Expect at . . .
The 613 Commandments (Mitzvot)
Ten Mitzvahs
Mitzvah Minutes
JewishWoman.org: Acts of Transformation
Halachah for Life
The Jewish Calendar
Travel & Leisure
Lifecycles
A Day in the Life of a Jew
Prayer & Synagogue
Shabbat
The Rebbe’s Call to Build Holy Home Libraries
Donate
Video Shiurim
Adult Education
Lunch n' Learn