Question
Hi, I have a relative who does not keep shabbos, we know this because of her instagram after shabbos, and it’s a known thing in my family. Her kitchen is kosher, is it a problem for Pas Yisroel and Bishel Yisroel?

Question
Hello I was reading about orlah fruit which are considered un-kosher if the fruit is beared within the first three years of the fruits life. Citrus fruit such as oranges can bear fruit within the first 1-2 years of the trees life. So if I bought a orange from the grocery store (U.S),would it be considered treif?

Question
I always thought a 6-hour waiting period before eating dairy is not necessary after eating pareve food off fleishig dishes. But I recently was over the home of a rabbi who told me a 6-hour wait is required after eating pareve food that was cooked in pots or pans that were previously used to cook meat, even if there is no meat present at the meal. What’s up with that?

Question
We have become vegetarians (who eat cheese, eggs, fish) and would like to use our fleishig dishes, pots, and pans with milchig recipes. We have incomplete sets of both fleishig and milchig dishes and cookware, so we thought it would be much more economical to combine both sets. We know that we can can boil the silverware, but what about dishes, pots, and pans?

Question
Traditionally, tips in a restaurant are not legally required, but it is rude not to pay them. Common etiquette says if you can’t afford to tip, don’t eat at that restaurant. I find that hard because of social pressure. What does Halacha say about tipping? I am not well off, but I often find myself forced by social circumstances to eat in a restaurant and pay for my own meal. Affording a tip no matter how small is a struggle for me.

Question
If a Jew were to eat at a non-kosher restaurant, is it preferable that he not wear a kippah while doing so in order to not mislead others? The reason I am asking is because I personally know a couple like that. They wear the costumes of Orthodox Jews (the husband wears a kippah and the wife wears an orthodox style hair covering and long skirts). But they dine out at non-kosher vegan restaurants. They are not intentionally being rebellious. This is just the level they are at. The first time I met them, I saw them entering a non-kosher vegan restaurant in a shopping center I frequent. Seeing what appeared to be an orthodox couple entering this restaurant, I asked them if the restaurant was kosher because I wasn’t familiar with it being on the list of kosher restaurants in town. They explained to me that it has no supervision, but they are comfortable eating at almost any vegan restaurant. This encounter led to a friendship with this couple in which I learned they also drive to synagogue on Shabbos when the weather is not conducive to walking. When non-orthodox Jews enter non-kosher restaurants, we think of this as normal behavior on their part. But the very sight of a man in a kippah entering a non-kosher restaurant might confuse others into believing it is kosher. So wouldn’t it be better if a Jew who plans to eat there remove his kippah before doing so?

Question
I grew up keeping strictly Cholov Yisroel. My parents did and still do keep CY, and in their minds, any non-CY dairy or any kelim that have been in contact with non-CY are just as good as treif. They never ate or allowed me to eat at the homes of anyone who is not strictly CY. The local orthodox rabbi our family follows stands by all of this. At the same time, 90% of the orthodox community where I live does not follow CY, including most of my friends. I’m talking about strictly Orthodox Jews. I feel really constricted and like I am missing out on so much by this CY restriction. I’ve had enough of it and can’t take it anymore. I am a fully grown independent adult now with my own job, home, and social life. I want to give it up and eat Chalav Stam, but I know my parents would be angry at me and our rabbi would also disapprove. How terrible would it really be if, despite all this, I stopped following my family custom? Would it be a violation of Torah law? Would you, as a rabbi, apply the word ‘sin’ to the act of abandoning CY when most Orthodox Jews already don’t follow it, and when widely respected kashrus organizations like the OU approve lots of non-CY foods.