נ"לע

ל"ז דוד בן אלעזר אברהם' ר

ה"ע דוב משה' ר בת ריזל מרים החשובה האשה

HALACHA FOR TODAY

PRACTICAL HALACHA FOR EVERY JEW, FOR EVERY DAY SHUL WEEKLY; ISSUE #96; PARASHAS CHAYEI SARAH 5777

Please Refrain From Reading During Davening and Krias HaTorah.

HALACHOS OF WOMEN

…Continued from previous week

1) One who is in a room with a window that faces the street, and people from

the street can see in to the room (i.e. There is no window shade or other means of obstructing the view), is not subject to the prohibitions of Yichud while in

that room, as we consider it like an open door to the street. (see Shu"t Noda

B'Yehuda Mahadura Kama Even HaEzer Siman 71 and Shu"t Or Sameach Vol. 1 Siman 4 Dibur Hamaschil Ata)

The above is true even if the door to the room is closed.

However, if there is any part of the room that cannot be seen from the street through the window, the prohibitions of Yichud will apply to those areas that

cannot be seen.

Thus, if it is absolutely necessary for a man and a woman (e.g. patient and

doctor) to meet [and thus be alone] in a building that does not have a door that opens to the street, they must meet in a room, where they will be clearly

visible through the window to any passersby on the street.

2) Likewise, if one lives in a high-rise building and their window is opposite the

window of a neighbor, as long as the windows are not obstructed and each neighbor can see into the others home, it is considered like a door that is open

to the street and there would be no Yichud prohibitions [in the areas that can be seen in to] (Rav Yaakov Ephraim Forchheimer shlita quoting Sefer Dvar Halacha

Siman 3:12)

נ"לע

ל"ז דוד בן אלעזר אברהם' ר

ה"ע דוב משה' ר בת ריזל מרים החשובה האשה

3) It is permissible, in cases of necessity, for a woman and a man to be in a car

[alone] together, since any passersby can see in through the windows and thus it is considered like a door open to the street. (Psak of Rav Shlomo Zalmen

Auerbach Zatzal quoted in Sefer Dvar Halacha page 185. See also Shu"t Shevet Haleivi

Vol. 5 Siman 202:1. Rav Moshe Feinstein Zatzal does not allow this L'Chatchilah, and only B'dieved does he allow it in cases of great necessity)

However, if the windows of the car are tinted, or if they are driving at a time

and/or in a place where no people are around (e.g. During the night in a quiet neighborhood where there are no people or other cars around, or even during

the day while driving on a remote street) according to many Poskim the prohibition of Yichud applies to them and they may not be in the car [alone]

together.(See Igros Moshe Yoreh Deah Vol. 2 Siman 82 and Even HaEzer Vol. 4 Siman 65:3)

4) Even in cases when it is permitted for a man and a woman to be in the same car together, it is best if the passenger sits in the back seat. (ibid.)

…To Be Continued next week B’Ezras Hashem

The best angle from which to approach any problem is the TRY-angle.

Halacha For Today sends a FREE daily email received by thousands of Jews across the world, which contains practical Halacha and Chizuk for

everyday life. To subscribe, send a request to Ben@HalachaForToday..com or sign up via the website www.HalachaForToday.com. To sponsor the

daily email or this Weekly Shul sheet please email Ben@HalachaForToday.com

The Halachos are based on my personal understanding of the Halachic texts quoted, and are for learning purposes only, NOT for Psak Halacha. If you have questions or require further source information, please email Ben@HalachaForToday.com and I will try to respond as soon as I can. For

a Halacha L’Ma’aseh Psak, please contact your local Orthodox Rabbi.

CHIZUK CORNER