R' Chizkiyah da Silva (Pri Chadash)

If a community has a minyan but no one knows how to read Torah precisely with correct cantillation, may they still read Torah with blessings?

Where no one is capable and errors that change the meaning are inevitable (e.g., reading 'chelev' as…

Does partial resemblance of a letter to another letter (only part of the letter resembles a different letter) invalidate STaM?

Partial resemblance does not invalidate; only full resemblance to another letter does.

Is the 13-cycle (machzor) calendar table (iggul of Rav Nachshon Gaon) reliable for determining calendar fixings?

The 13-cycle table is not universally valid; certain specific years do not conform to the pattern. T…

Is the Blessing of the Torah (Birkat HaTorah) obligatory from Torah law or only rabbinic?

Birkat HaTorah is from the Torah. If in doubt, repeat all three blessings.

Are bird feathers permitted to be moved on Yom Tov?

Feathers may be moved for any purpose, as they are suitable for use

Is it preferable to daven with the tzibbur even if it means skipping parts of Pesukei D'Zimra, or to daven in order without skipping even if alone?

When one is late to synagogue and finds the congregation praying, one should skip in order to pray w…

Must one recite the morning blessings (birkhot hashachar) even when arriving late and davening with the congregation, and can they be said after prayer?

The blessing of Elokai Neshamah (Mechayyeh HaMeitim) should not be recited after prayer, since one h…

Should Elokai Neshama be recited if one wakes, plans to sleep again, and has not yet reached the final waking?

One who knows he will sleep again need not recite Elokai Neshama at all until the final waking, base…

If one forgot to recite Elokai Neshama until after completing the Amidah (which contains 'Mechaye HaMeitim'), may one still recite Elokai Neshama afterward?

If one forgot Elokai Neshama and already recited Mechaye HaMeitim in the Amidah, one may not recite …

If one intentionally (b'mezid) skipped a verse in Shema, does one return to it as one would for an unintentional error?

One who intentionally skipped returns to the beginning of the section, just as with prayer (Tefillah…

Is one permitted to fast on the day before and after Chanukah and Purim?

One should not fast before Chanukah

May a man recite Shema while lying next to his minor children without a cloth separation?

Face-to-face with one's minor children does not require turning; the Or Zarua's more lenient positio…

Does the requirement for a cloth separation (or face-turning) when reciting Shema also require covering the heart to prevent 'libo ro'eh et ha-ervah' (the heart seeing the nakedness)?

The requirement that the cloth must separate all the way to the end of the body (not just to the wai…

If a person cannot restrain himself from flatulence through the entire Shema and Amidah, should he skip prayer entirely and make it up at Mincha, or should he pray despite the interruptions?

One with a chronic condition causing constant flatulence should pray, pausing when necessary until t…

What is the halachic status of the requirement for a clean body (guf naki) during prayer — is it biblical or rabbinic, and does that affect when it can be overridden?

Confirms that the flatulence prohibition during prayer is d'rabbanan and therefore does not override…