Rabbi Daniel Travis

Rabbis in Bais Din Question I am the rabbi of a large shul in America. Recently, I was summoned to bais din by some of my congregants who were upset with me, and I feel that the head of the bais din spoke to me with a tremendous lack of respect. He called me “adon,” a colloquial term for “Mr.,” and did not show even the slightest drop of respect for me. I understand that the dayanim are supposed to be impartial, but I really feel hurt by the way I was treated in bais din. Is there anything...

Benefiting From Withholding Tzedokah Question I have a relative who is struggling financially and needs a significant amount of money each month just to get by. I have a certain amount of money that I give every month, and if I take care of his needs, I will not be able to give to anyone else. Since relatives come first, I would like to know if I am obligated to give him all of my tzedokah money and not give to any other tzedakos. While we are on the subject of tzedokah, I have the following...

Hot Dog Eating Contests Question I am running a camp this summer, and we are trying to decide which activities we should plan. One person suggested that we have a hot dog eating contest, i.e., a contest to see who can eat the most hot dogs within a ten-minute span of time. My question is: If a person eats a massive number of hot dogs all at once, e.g., 20 hot dogs in buns within ten minutes, does he need to recite Birkas Hamazon afterward or is this included in what Chazal call achilah gasah?...