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Questions & answers

Common questions about Jewish law and practice, answered in plain language with sources you can check. Every answer says how settled it is — and when the right move is asking your rabbi.

These are questions we chose and published. What readers ask here is private, and is never added to this archive.

• What bracha do I make on medicine or vitamins?

  Medicine and vitamins usually take no bracha, because they are not eaten for enjoyment. The exception is anything taken for enjoyment with a pleasant taste.

• Do I make a new bracha on food that arrives in the middle of a meal?

  Food that arrives mid-meal needs no new blessing if it belongs to the meal. Dessert, and anything eaten apart from the meal, can differ.

• What bracha do I make on coffee?

  Coffee takes shehakol: "Shehakol nih'yeh bidvaro" — by Whose word everything came to be. That is the wording to say before you drink.

• How do I ask someone for forgiveness before Yom Kippur?

  Asking forgiveness before Yom Kippur works best when it is specific and sincere: name the harm, say you regret it, and ask plainly.

• Can I ask a non-Jewish neighbor to turn off a light on Shabbat?

  You may hint to a non-Jewish neighbor that a light needs turning off on Shabbat, but you should not ask them directly. That difference is the whole answer.

• Which doorways in my house need a mezuzah?

  Living spaces need a mezuzah: bedrooms, living rooms, kitchens. Bathrooms and small closets do not. It goes on the right as you enter.