Question
My father-in-law died. I was never close to him, and he was sick in a nursing home for many years. My husband is sitting shiva now. I have tickets to a concert. He says he is okay with me going. Is it permitted for me to go to the concert with a friend while my husband is sitting shiva?

Question
Dear Rabbi, I am on an airplane now as I write this. I just got up to use the facilities. When I returned, my elderly mother had fallen asleep in the aisle seat with her head on my seat. It is a full flight with nowhere else to sit. I felt I had no choice but to wake her up. She was startled but not angry. Since she did not grant me permission in advance to wake her up, did I do the right thing? Much appreciation!

Question
I am on an airplane now as I’m writing this. I got up to use the lavatory and spent a while there. When I returned, my elderly mother I am traveling with fell asleep with her head on my seat. It is a full flight and there is nowhere else to sit. I had no choice but to wake her up out of a deep sleep. She was startled but is not angry about it now. She didn’t grant me permission in advance to wake her up. Did I do the right thing?

Question
I made a new friend who has exactly the same given name as my father. Is there any problem with me calling my friend by his name?

Question
Dear Rabbi I wanted to know if women should wash mayim achronim before bentching? If women are excempt can youl Please explain the reason so I can better understand it. If there's no reason why a women shouldn't do it I would love to beautify my mitzvah with this! -bli neder. I usually only wash my hands like netails yadaim bli bracha before bentching because of crumbs or oils my hand might have gathered while eating but I was curious if I should wash more mayim achronim like my bentcher indicates. I have no family minhag as I am a giyores. Also curious regarding not leaving any utensils in the table after eating (I know the reason is more than hygiene) is there's any special reason why people are so careful about this ? I am the mother of a sweet toddler who one day will ask me this question trying to learn more so I am equipped for when that happens Iy"H I learned all this back in seminary but it's been awhile I can't remember. Thank you in advance!   Thank you in advance! ☺️

Question
How soon should one have their mezuzahs up following moving into a new home? We just moved into a new apartment two weeks ago, and our shipment of mezuzahs that we ordered online was delayed for a reason we cannot seem to ascertain. We ordered them online from a supplier who says they haven’t yet received the ones they are supposed to ship to us. It sounds like a worker shortage could be at play and it might take several more weeks. There is no local place here to buy them either and mail order is really the only option. We are embarrassed because we will be having some company the next two Shabbosim and we have no mezuzahs on our doors.

Question
This past Sunday my wife and I were on a guided tour of an art history museum with our kids. We didn’t see it coming, but the museum had in it some actual idols from an ancient civilization that they worshipped. We never would have imagined. I wanted to take my family and leave the building promptly. I asked the guide if we could leave early, and he said for security reasons, he could not let us wander around the building unescorted. We were stuck inside the museum for another half hour before we were allowed to depart. If that situation were to arise again, what am I supposed to do?

Question
It seems that the words of Chazal have absolute authority in Judaism. 'Chazal says' means 'end of discussion'. I also agree that all Chazal are outstanding tzaddikim, but a tzaddik can also makes a mistake. Chazal are also imperfect individuals like us who do human errors. Then, why does the word of Chazal have so great an authority? Isn't it a bit "dangerous"?