Ask The Rabbi... November 28, 1993 Issue #1 Premier Issue! ========================================================================= This edition contains: 1. Lighting Chanukah candles and crossing the International Dateline. 2. What is "Ask The Rabbi" and how to submit a question. ========================================================================= Stu@lovelace asks: >I will be traveling from Los Angeles, California to Melbourne Australia. >I leave at 7:10pm on Monday 13 December and arrive in Melbourne at 1:00pm >on Wednesday 15 December. I can light candles for the 6th night of >Chanukah before I leave. The question is where do I light candles for the >7th night? I do not know if it will be light or dark when I cross the >International Dateline. * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Dear Stu, For someone traveling on Chanukah who will be unable to light the menorah, the halacha is as follows: You may appoint a "shaliach" (agent) to light a menorah for you in your own home. Any adult Jew (a male over 13 years or a female more than 12 years) may serve as an agent. If you are married, it is best to ask your spouse to light the menorah in the home, if possible, but any adult Jew is acceptable. When your agent recites the brachot when lighting his own menorah, he should have in mind that these brachot are also for the sake of his lighting of your menorah which he will do afterwards. If your agent is not lighting any menorah for himself, then he should recite the brachot when he lights your menorah. I would not recommend trying to light your menorah on the airplane! In the unlikely event that you are unable to find an agent, you are exempt from fulfilling the mitzvah. ========================================================================= "Ask The Rabbi" is a newsletter that answers questions you've always had about Judaism or Jewish practice but never had a chance to ask. Selected questions from our readers will be chosen and answered by a certified Rabbi in our newsletter. To submit your questions, please address them to: ohr@jer1.co.il Set the subject to "Ask The Rabbi" to speed entry and response. ========================================================================= SUBSCRIBE! to one of the many weekly "lists" published by Ohr Somayach Institutions: dafyomi - Rav Mendel Weinbach's insights into the Daf Yomi Shiur. ask - The Rabbi answers YOUR questions on Judaism. weekly - Summary of the weekly Torah portion. parasha-qa - Challenging questions on the weekly Torah portion. os-special - All the SPECIAL publications produced by Ohr Somayach. os-alum - "Yachad" - the Ohr Somayach Electronic Alumni Newsletter. judaismo - Spanish-Language newsletter on Parsha & Judaism. Sho'el U'meshiv - Join our "virtual Beis Medrash" (NOTE: Not a list) There is NEVER a charge for any of the above lists (though your local information provider, such as Prodigy or CompuServe, might charge a nominal fee). To subscribe to any of these lists, send the message: subscribe {listname} {your full name} to: listproc@jer1.co.il This address is only for SUBSCRIPTIONS. If you have any comments, questions and suggestions, we'd love to hear them! Send them to: ohr@jer1.co.il ========================================================================= Dedication opportunities are available for Ask the Rabbi. Please contact us for details. ========================================================================= Jewish L EEEEEEEE Prepared by Ohr Somayach Institutions J L E 22 Shimon Hatzadik Street, POB 18103 J L Exchange Jerusalem 91180, Israel J J L E Tel: 02-810315 Fax: 02-812890 JJJJ Learning EEEEEEEE Internet: ohr@jer1.co.il ========================================================================= (C) 1993 Ohr Somayach International - All rights reserved. This publication may be distributed to another person intact without prior permission. We also encourage you to include this material in other publications, such as synagogue newsletters. However, we ask that you contact us beforehand for permission.