{"id":90,"date":"2025-09-01T05:51:33","date_gmt":"2025-09-01T05:51:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/kol-echad\/?p=90"},"modified":"2025-09-15T18:58:08","modified_gmt":"2025-09-15T18:58:08","slug":"fahq-tishrei","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/kol-echad\/fahq-tishrei\/","title":{"rendered":"Halachic FAQ’s for the Yomim Noraim"},"content":{"rendered":"
    \n
  1. <\/b> \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span>Must a single woman do <\/b>Hataras Nedarim<\/i><\/b>?<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The great halachic authorities of the last generation debate whether women are obligated in <\/span>Hataras Nedarim<\/span><\/i> or fulfill this obligation by attending <\/span>Kol Nidrei<\/span><\/i> on Yom Kippur. (<\/span>Halichos Shlomo<\/span><\/i>, Rosh Hashanah 1:10, citing Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, posits that women are not required, while <\/span>Ashrei Haish<\/span><\/i> 3:13:24\u201325, citing Rav Elyashiv, posits that women are indeed required.) It seems that the more prevalent custom is that women do not do <\/span>Hataras Nedarim<\/span><\/i> on <\/span>Erev Rosh Hashanah<\/span><\/i>, especially if they will be going to shul for <\/span>Kol Nidrei<\/span><\/i>. A woman may certainly recite <\/span>Hataras Nedarim<\/span><\/i> if she wishes and would need to have three men to serve as a <\/span>Beis Din<\/span><\/i> for this purpose.<\/span><\/p>\n

      \n
    1. Must a single woman say Selichos? If so, how should this be done if davening alone?<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      A woman is not required to recite <\/span>Selichos<\/span><\/i> but may certainly do so if she wishes. When reciting <\/span>Selichos<\/span><\/i> without a minyan, the 13 Attributes of Mercy and passages written in Aramaic should not be recited. (<\/span>Mishnah Berurah<\/span><\/i> 581:4, <\/span>Mateh Ephraim<\/span><\/i> 581:21)<\/span><\/p>\n

        \n
      1. I may have offended someone I once dated. Should I ask her for mechilah?<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        Yes, absolutely! Dating can be emotionally charged and intense. Due to the nature of the conversations, it is not uncommon to say something that can cause pain, albeit unintended. One should certainly consider if one has offended another during dating and ask for <\/span>mechilah<\/span><\/i>. Depending on the situation, it may be easier to email or text an apology as opposed to calling or meeting in person. Each situation is delicate and should be judged accordingly. This is a good question to discuss with your <\/span>Rav<\/span><\/i> before deciding how to proceed.<\/span><\/p>\n

          \n
        1. What obligation is there for a woman to hear Shofar?<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          Women are exempt from all time-bound mitzvos and are therefore exempt from hearing the <\/span>shofar<\/span><\/i>. However, some posit that women have accepted upon themselves the time-bound mitzvah of <\/span>shofar<\/span><\/i> and should therefore try to hear at least 30 <\/span>shofar<\/span><\/i> blasts. As such, many shuls arrange for a special opportunity for women to hear <\/span>shofar<\/span><\/i> if they are unable to hear it during davening. (<\/span>Shulchan Aruch<\/span><\/i> 589:3 and 6; Responsa Rav Akiva Eiger 1 in <\/span>Hashmatos<\/span><\/i>; <\/span>Mishnah Berurah<\/span><\/i> does not mention that women have accepted this upon themselves.)<\/span><\/p>\n

            \n
          1. What obligation is there for a woman to shake Lulav and Esrog?<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            Women are exempt from all time-bound mitzvos and are therefore exempt from shaking the <\/span>lulav<\/span><\/i> and <\/span>esrog<\/span><\/i>. However, some posit that women have accepted upon themselves the time-bound mitzvah of <\/span>lulav<\/span><\/i> and <\/span>esrog<\/span><\/i>. A woman is not required to purchase her own set of <\/span>daled minim<\/span><\/i> for this purpose. Sephardic women do not make a <\/span>berachah<\/span><\/i> on <\/span>daled minim<\/span><\/i>, while Ashkenazi women do. (<\/span>Mishnah Berurah<\/span><\/i> 654:1 and <\/span>Shaar Hatzion<\/span><\/i> ad loc. 1; Responsa Rav Akiva Eiger 1 in <\/span>Hashmatos<\/span><\/i>; <\/span>Mishnah Berurah<\/span><\/i> does not mention that women have accepted this upon themselves.)<\/span><\/p>\n

              \n
            1. What obligation is there for a woman to sit in a Sukkah?<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

              Women are exempt from all time-bound mitzvos and are therefore exempt from sitting in the <\/span>sukkah<\/span><\/i>. However, some posit that women have accepted upon themselves the time-bound mitzvah of sitting in the <\/span>sukkah<\/span><\/i>. Sephardic women do not make a <\/span>berachah<\/span><\/i> of <\/span>leishev ba\u2019sukkah<\/span><\/i>, while Ashkenazi women do. If there is any difficulty or challenge in being able to sit in a <\/span>sukkah<\/span><\/i>, a woman is certainly not required to go to great lengths to arrange to do so. (<\/span>Shulchan Aruch<\/span><\/i> 640:1; <\/span>Mishnah Berurah<\/span><\/i> ad loc. 1; Responsa Rav Akiva Eiger 1 in <\/span>Hashmatos<\/span><\/i>; <\/span>Mishnah Berurah<\/span><\/i> does not mention that women have accepted this upon themselves.)<\/span><\/p>\n

                \n
              1. Simchas Torah is hard for me in my shul, watching the men and children dance when I am unmarried. What is a meaningful way to spend the Yom Tov?<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

                That\u2019s a very hard question. It is difficult for me to fully appreciate how difficult this may be. Everyone is different; for some, it may be valuable to come to shul and face the elephant in the room. For others, it may be a situation to avoid, and deliberately not to do so. There is nothing wrong with using the time for rest and relaxation, like taking a walk, reading a book, or spending time with friends. You should not feel guilty doing so. A third option is to take a proactive role by doing something more meaningful during that time. I know some women who have arranged for someone to give a <\/span>shiur<\/span><\/i> during <\/span>hakafos<\/span><\/i>, or to learn something with someone else or as a group. Additionally, you can consider visiting someone who can\u2019t make it to shul altogether and lift his or her spirits. That can be very powerful and meaningful for all. Again, this is also a very good question to discuss with the <\/span>Rav<\/span><\/i> of your shul to see if he has any ideas as to what can be done for singles in your shul who are in this situation.<\/span><\/p>\n

                To sign up for the Kol Echad Limited Series E-Magazine, click here: https:\/\/www.ou.org\/kolechademail\/<\/a><\/p>\n

                \"\"<\/p>\n

                Rabbi Moshe Walter is the rabbi of Woodside Synagogue Ahavas Torah in Silver Spring, <\/span><\/i>Maryland, the executive director of the Vaad HaRabanim of Greater Washington, and <\/span><\/i>the mara d\u2019asra of Oorah\u2019s Camp, The Zone. Rabbi Walter\u2019s latest book in <\/span><\/i>his halachah and minhag series, The Making of the Siddur, will be released this Elul by <\/span><\/i>Feldheim publishers.<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Must a single woman do Hataras Nedarim? The great halachic authorities of the last generation debate whether women are obligated in Hataras Nedarim or fulfill this obligation by attending Kol Nidrei on Yom Kippur. (Halichos Shlomo, Rosh Hashanah 1:10, citing Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, posits that women are not required, while Ashrei […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":134185,"featured_media":92,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-90","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-inspiration-and-jewish-life"],"yoast_head":"\nHalachic FAQ's for the Yomim Noraim - Kol Echad<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/kol-echad\/fahq-tishrei\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Halachic FAQ's for the Yomim Noraim - Kol Echad\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Must a single woman do Hataras Nedarim? The great halachic authorities of the last generation debate whether women are obligated in Hataras Nedarim or fulfill this obligation by attending Kol Nidrei on Yom Kippur. (Halichos Shlomo, Rosh Hashanah 1:10, citing Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, posits that women are not required, while Ashrei […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/kol-echad\/fahq-tishrei\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Kol Echad\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-09-01T05:51:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-09-15T18:58:08+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/kol-echad\/files\/2025\/09\/Moshe-walter_headshot_225.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"225\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"245\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"motzeny\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"motzeny\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/kol-echad\/fahq-tishrei\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/kol-echad\/fahq-tishrei\/\",\"name\":\"Halachic FAQ's for the Yomim Noraim - Kol Echad\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/kol-echad\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/kol-echad\/fahq-tishrei\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/kol-echad\/fahq-tishrei\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/kol-echad\/files\/2025\/09\/Moshe-walter_headshot_225.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-09-01T05:51:33+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-09-15T18:58:08+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/kol-echad\/#\/schema\/person\/dbade4b8934070acd7697d4270c0e06e\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/kol-echad\/fahq-tishrei\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/kol-echad\/fahq-tishrei\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/kol-echad\/fahq-tishrei\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/kol-echad\/files\/2025\/09\/Moshe-walter_headshot_225.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/kol-echad\/files\/2025\/09\/Moshe-walter_headshot_225.png\",\"width\":225,\"height\":245},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/kol-echad\/fahq-tishrei\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/kol-echad\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Halachic FAQ’s for the Yomim Noraim\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/kol-echad\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/kol-echad\/\",\"name\":\"Kol Echad\",\"description\":\"Creating communities where every single person matters.\u00a0\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/kol-echad\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/kol-echad\/#\/schema\/person\/dbade4b8934070acd7697d4270c0e06e\",\"name\":\"motzeny\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/kol-echad\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a69ad90ee37e4b0e4da1c7214fe277bf331be9c04f8a50675b091c82a7d5f8e5?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a69ad90ee37e4b0e4da1c7214fe277bf331be9c04f8a50675b091c82a7d5f8e5?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"motzeny\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/kol-echad\/author\/motzeny\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Halachic FAQ's for the Yomim Noraim - Kol Echad","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/kol-echad\/fahq-tishrei\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Halachic FAQ's for the Yomim Noraim - Kol Echad","og_description":"\u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 Must a single woman do Hataras Nedarim? The great halachic authorities of the last generation debate whether women are obligated in Hataras Nedarim or fulfill this obligation by attending Kol Nidrei on Yom Kippur. (Halichos Shlomo, Rosh Hashanah 1:10, citing Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, posits that women are not required, while Ashrei […]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/kol-echad\/fahq-tishrei\/","og_site_name":"Kol Echad","article_published_time":"2025-09-01T05:51:33+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-09-15T18:58:08+00:00","og_image":[{"width":225,"height":245,"url":"http:\/\/www.ou.org\/kol-echad\/files\/2025\/09\/Moshe-walter_headshot_225.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"motzeny","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"motzeny","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/kol-echad\/fahq-tishrei\/","url":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/kol-echad\/fahq-tishrei\/","name":"Halachic FAQ's for the Yomim Noraim - Kol Echad","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/kol-echad\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/kol-echad\/fahq-tishrei\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/kol-echad\/fahq-tishrei\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/kol-echad\/files\/2025\/09\/Moshe-walter_headshot_225.png","datePublished":"2025-09-01T05:51:33+00:00","dateModified":"2025-09-15T18:58:08+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/kol-echad\/#\/schema\/person\/dbade4b8934070acd7697d4270c0e06e"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/kol-echad\/fahq-tishrei\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.ou.org\/kol-echad\/fahq-tishrei\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/kol-echad\/fahq-tishrei\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/kol-echad\/files\/2025\/09\/Moshe-walter_headshot_225.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/kol-echad\/files\/2025\/09\/Moshe-walter_headshot_225.png","width":225,"height":245},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/kol-echad\/fahq-tishrei\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/kol-echad\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Halachic FAQ’s for the Yomim Noraim"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/kol-echad\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/kol-echad\/","name":"Kol Echad","description":"Creating communities where every single person matters.\u00a0","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/kol-echad\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/kol-echad\/#\/schema\/person\/dbade4b8934070acd7697d4270c0e06e","name":"motzeny","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/kol-echad\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a69ad90ee37e4b0e4da1c7214fe277bf331be9c04f8a50675b091c82a7d5f8e5?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/a69ad90ee37e4b0e4da1c7214fe277bf331be9c04f8a50675b091c82a7d5f8e5?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"motzeny"},"url":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/kol-echad\/author\/motzeny\/"}]}},"acf":[],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/kol-echad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/kol-echad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/kol-echad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/kol-echad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/134185"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/kol-echad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=90"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/kol-echad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":207,"href":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/kol-echad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/90\/revisions\/207"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/kol-echad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/92"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/kol-echad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=90"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/kol-echad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=90"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ou.org\/kol-echad\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=90"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}