CM Questions

Mel Hoffman was shocked that his mother had given nearly all her possessions to his sister Dina in her halachic will. "I understand your disappointment, Mel, but mother wanted it this way." Mel looked at the will and saw it was witnessed by Morty Howard and Alan Greene, two friends of their late father. After making a few calls, he told his sister, "You know that the will is invalid because Mr. Howard and Mr. Greene did not publicly keep Shabbos - and I even have two witnesses to prove that!" Dina pushed back. “Mel, they were both religious men. If they were alive today, they would certainly be able to defend their status in Beis Din.” When Mel and Dina present their arguments in the Boca Beis Din, how would it rule?

1. The Beis Din will side with Mel and invalidate the will. Mel has living witnesses who testify that the original witnesses were not Shabbos observant in public and, therefore, the original witnesses are invalidated. The fact that Morty and Alan are deceased and cannot defend themselves does not affect the ruling.
2. The Beis Din will side with Dina and uphold the will. Had the original witnesses been alive, they would have been able to defend their religious status before Beis Din.

"Harry, why can't we do something like this?" said Leah Brochstein to her husband, as she pointed to the beautiful kesuva prominently displayed on the wall in Mel Hoffman's home. Harry came over to view the kesuva, but soon noticed that one of the witnesses signed at the bottom was Tom Goldberger! Harry knew that Tom drove his car on Shabbos, and decided to tell Rabbi Goodman about this. Rabbi Goodman approached Tom, who said "Rabbi, I only drive to the synagogue on Shabbos. I know I'm not supposed to drive on Shabbos, but it is too far to walk. It's just one small sin so I can do a mitzvah of attending synagogue on Shabbos - it doesn't turn me into a non-kosher Jew!" What is the status of Mel Hoffman's kesuva?

1. Since Tom did not realize that driving on Shabbos would result in him being designated a rasha and an invalid witness, the kesuva is still kosher and nothing further needs to be done.
2. Since driving on Shabbos makes Tom a rasha - regardless of what he thinks - the kesuva does not have two valid signatures on it and must be rewritten and rewitnessed by two kosher witnesses.

When Rabbi Goodman finished speaking with Tom Goldberger and Arnold Sunenshine, the designated witnesses for Mel Hoffman's wedding, Harry Brochstein came over and whispered in the Rabbi's ear. "Rabbi, you need to know that I have gone to the Town Center Mall several times and have seen Tom Goldberger in the Capital Grille. But he wasn't just sitting. I saw him eating lobster a few times, and another time he was eating oysters! There was no doubt, Rabbi, because he sat right next to the window, which was next to the mall's entranceway." Rabbi Goodman thanked Harry for this information and then returned to Tom and broached the subject. "Tom, do you ever eat non-kosher food?" Tom vehemently denied it. "Only Kosher, Rabbi!" Can Tom still be a witness for Mel's wedding?

1. Yes. The testimony of just one witness (Mr. Brochstein) cannot invalidate an otherwise kosher witness (Tom Goldberger).
2. No. Since this one witness (Mr. Brochstein) is kosher, his testimony that Tom eats non-kosher food is accepted and thereby invalidates Tom as a witness to the wedding.

While Rabbi Goodman was interviewing Tom Goldberger and Arnold Sunenshine as potential witnesses for Mel Hoffman's upcoming wedding, Tom innocently brought up how he was devastated when he watched the Yankees' loss in game 1 of the World Series. As this game was played on a Friday night, Rabbi Goodman asked, "Tom, you watched it live?" Tom was a bit shaken, as he realized what he had just admitted to the Rabbi, and he quietly responded, "Rabbi, I only watch 'important' sports games on Shabbos, but I do it in my private office in my home. No one knows that I do this, Not even my family!" As Tom has just admitted that he violates the Shabbos, can he be a witness for Mel Hoffman's wedding?

1. No, and if he already was a witness, the wedding would not be valid.
2. No, but if he already witnessed the wedding, the wedding would still be valid.
3. Yes. Since he does this in private, he still has fear of Hashem and his ability to be a witness would not be invalidated.

The Yeshiva of Great Neck was looking for a new 3rd grade Rebbe, but they only managed to get two applicants, Mr. Adler and Mr. Baum. But as the board of trustees was reviewing these candidates, Mr. Wold, a board member, said, "These candidates can't be in our school, because the three of us went to Peter Luger's last week for lunch. And trust me, the Maine lobster we all ate was not kosher!" The other members of the board investigated, and Mr. Adler denied that they ate lobster, while Mr. Baum admitted that they all did. Since these men are otherwise qualified for the job and there are no other candidates, which one should get the job?

1. Mr. Adler (who denied eating lobster).
2. Mr. Baum (who admitted eating lobster).

During the first course at Mel Hoffman’s wedding, Harry Brochstein approached Rabbi Goodman and said, “Rabbi, I want you to know that I saw Tom Goldberger — one of the two witnesses — eating non‑kosher food at the Capital Grille in the Town Center Mall. Not just once; I saw him several times eating things like lobster. And he was in plain sight in the window as I entered the mall!” Rabbi Goodman thanked him but took no action, since one witness alone cannot invalidate someone’s status. However, right after the first dance, Moshe Glick pulled the Rabbi aside and said, “Rabbi, I need to tell you that Tom Goldberger is not a kosher witness. Last year I desperately needed a business loan, and although he kindly lent me the money, he charged me interest and refused to sign a heter iska.” Given this new information, what should Rabbi Goodman do?

1. Nothing. Since the two reports concern different sins, the testimonies do not combine, and Tom Goldberger remains a valid witness for Mel Hoffman’s wedding.
2. Replace the witness. The two testimonies (from Mr. Brochstein and Mr. Glick) combine to invalidate Tom Goldberger, so the Rabbi should appoint a kosher witness to replace Tom Goldberger, and have Mel give the ring again in front of the two kosher witnesses.

Tom Goldberger felt genuinely remorseful after being disqualified as a witness at Mel Hoffman’s wedding. He especially wanted to repent for charging Moshe Glick interest — as well as the dozens, perhaps hundreds, of others to whom he had lent money improperly. He approached Rabbi Goodman seeking guidance on how to complete his teshuvah. Please select which of the following actions might Rabbi Goodman instruct him to take:

1. Return all interest he collected to the rightful owners.
2. If he cannot identify the owners, use the money for a Jewish communal need.
3. In addition to refraining from lending to Jews with interest, he should not even lend to non‑Jews with interest.

Tom Goldberger appeared before the Boca Beis Din to testify about a loan he witnessed two years earlier. As he stroked his beard and prepared to speak, the plaintiff suddenly objected: “Tom is an invalid witness! Even if he looks religious now, two years ago he was completely non‑observant. Any testimony he gives today about what happened then should be rejected!” One of the dayanim turned to Tom. “Is this true?” “Yes,” Tom admitted. “Back then I publicly violated many mitzvos — Shabbos, kashrus, and more. But I have been fully observant for over a year now, and I certainly remember what I saw two years ago.” Should the Beis Din accept Tom’s testimony? Match each posek (Shach and Be’er Heitev) with the correct ruling (Yes or No).

Tom Goldberger was stunned to learn that someone who gambles for a living is disqualified as a kosher witness — among other halachic problems. For years he had been playing poker at several legal casinos near Boca, as well as in the living rooms of many Jewish friends and acquaintances, earning enough to support his family in Boca. After discussing the matter with Rabbi Goodman, who confirmed the halachic concerns, Tom reluctantly decided to repent and committed to stop gambling for money. “But Rabbi,” he asked, “I really enjoy playing cards with the guys. If we don’t play for money, can I still join them?” How will Rabbi Goodman respond?

Esther Goldberg arrived at the Yorkville Ladies’ Mikveh for the first time since her beautiful wedding at Terrace on the Park. But something went wrong, and she ended up in a heated argument with the balanit (the woman who oversees the mikveh). Esther came home in tears, and when she described what happened to her husband, he insisted on bringing a case against the balanit before the Yorkville Beis Din. Esther came to the hearing accompanied by two other women who had witnessed the balanit’s behavior. Will the Beis Din accept the testimony of these women and give it the same halachic weight as the testimony of two men?

Fifi had been missing for just over three years, and Mr. Feldenkranz had nearly given up hope. But one afternoon in Central Park, he heard a familiar bark behind him. He turned around — and there was Fifi on a leash, with Lenny (the “louse”) holding the other end. “FIFI!” Mr. Feldenkranz cried out in joy. “What are you talking about? This is my dog, Gigi!” Lenny shot back. Mr. Feldenkranz quickly snapped a photo, summoned Lenny to the Yorkville Beis Din, and began searching for witnesses. But none of his friends or neighbors could positively identify the dog as Fifi — except for Mrs. Rosenberg and Mrs. Arons, who both recognized the dog and also remembered seeing an unidentified man take her over three years ago while Mr. Feldenkranz was out. Will the Beis Din accept the testimony of these two women?