Business Halacha Daily

Questions? Comments? We love feedback! Email us at info@baishavaad.org Rav Yosef GreenwaldQuestion: Is it permitted to take a shortcut through someone else’s property without permission? Can a homeowner block people from walking through his property, or would this fall under the category of “middas Sodom” because the homeowner isn’t losing anything by having people walk through his yard?Answer:...

Questions? Comments? We love feedback! Email us at info@baishavaad.org Rav Yosef GreenwaldQuestion: Reuven pays for two seats in his shul. He uses one for himself and the other one is meant for his son. However, his son prefers to daven elsewhere and rarely sits in his seat. Shimon notices the empty seat and begins to sit there every week. Eventually, Reuven tells him that since he is using the...

Questions? Comments? We love feedback! Email us at info@baishavaad.org Rav Yosef Greenwald, Rav of K’hal Dexter ParkQuestion: I subscribe to a newspaper that is delivered to my house early every morning. I started to realize that the newspaper doesn’t seem so fresh when I bring it into my house. One morning, I looked out my window and spied my neighbor reading my newspaper. I realized that he has...

Questions? Comments? We love feedback! Email us at info@baishavaad.org Rav Yosef Greenwald, Rav of K’hal Dexter ParkQuestion: If someone offers someone else a ride, and they don’t make up anything beforehand, is the passenger obligated to chip in towards the expenses of the trip? Answer: There is a rule of “zeh neheneh v’zeh lo chaseir.” If one person derives benefit from someone else, but the...

Questions? Comments? We love feedback! Email us at info@baishavaad.org Rav Yosef Greenwald, Rav of K’hal Dexter ParkQuestion: Reuven and Shimon are business partners. Due to a clerical error on behalf of the IRS, Reuven’s personal taxes were charged to the partnership. Can Shimon demand that Reuven reimburse the business for the money that he should have paid individually? Answer: The Gemara...

Questions? Comments? We love feedback! Email us at info@baishavaad.org Rav Yosef Greenwald, Rav of K’hal Dexter ParkQuestion: A gift package of food is delivered to someone’s office. Assuming it’s for him, the person eats it. Afterwards, he discovers it was meant for the office next door. Does he have to pay for the food he ate?Answer: If it was an honest mistake that was no fault of his own, he...

Questions? Comments? We love feedback! Email us at info@baishavaad.org Rav Shmuel HonigwachsQuestion: Reuven lives in a development where the houses are situated fairly close together and everyone has windows that face each other’s yards. One day, he decides that he wants to install a swimming pool in his backyard. Can he force all of his neighbors to either seal their windows or contribute...

Questions? Comments? We love feedback! Email us at info@baishavaad.org Rav Shmuel HonigwachsQuestion: In the last segment, we discussed a case where one neighbor purchases a home from a non-Jew. What if both neighbors bought their houses from non-Jews? How would that impact issues of hezek riya?Answer: If both neighbors originally purchased their homes from non-Jews, as long as the window existed...

Questions? Comments? We love feedback! Email us at info@baishavaad.org Rav Shmuel HonigwachsQuestion: Reuven has a pool in his backyard. His neighbor, John, is a non-Jew, who obviously has no reservations about being the cause of hezek riya. John is now selling his house to a Jew. The new neighbor, Feivel, moves in and Reuven tells him that because his window faces Reuven’s pool, there is a...

Questions? Comments? We love feedback! Email us at info@baishavaad.org Rav Shmuel HonigwachsQuestion: Chaim is building a pool in his backyard. His neighbor has an existing window that faced his yard. Now that the swimming pool is being built, the window will overlook the pool. Until now, when it just provided a view of the backyard, the window was no big deal. Now that he is making a pool,...