Landlords, Tenants and Emes: Volume 5, Issue 42, Shoftim

August 30, 2025; 6 Elul, 5785 Sponsored anonymously for the Refuah Shleimah of Yair Nissan Ben Sara

QUESTION: I am a landlord in New York City (the “City”) and find myself involved with a dishonest tenant. We have signed a lease, and he has paid me my first month’s rent and refuses to pay me any further. He is purposefully taking advantage of the fact that the City's landlord / tenant laws are highly skewed against landlords, and he knows the difficulties that I face and the time it will take to evict him under City law. However, I do have one card I can play. I am somewhat certain that he has not retained a copy of the lease. May I lie to the City authorities and claim that we never had a lease and that my tenant was renting, “month-to-month?”....

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Lying for Peace: Volume 5, Issue 41, Re'eh

August 23, 2025; 29 Av, 5785 Sponsored anonymously for the Refuah Shleimah of Yair Nissan Ben Sara

We know that at times, it is permitted to say a falsehood to keep or create peace (Mutar L'Shanos Mipnei HaShalom). What follows is a famous story that illustrates the foregoing beautifully.

The parents of a child with special needs approached Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach ZT”L for guidance on institutionalizing their son, who was causing unbearable difficulties for the family and the community. The mother was initially reluctant, wanting to keep her child at home. Rav Shlomo Zalman gently convinced the mother that the institution could provide the best care for the boy, benefiting him, his parents, and the community...

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Drugs from Canada: Volume 5, Issue 40, Eikev

August 16, 2025; 22 Av, 5785 Sponsored anonymously for the Refuah Shleimah of Yair Nissan Ben Sara

QUESTION: I take some very expensive medications which cost me a lot of money even after my health insurance kicks in. My co-pay for Brilinta costs $418.54 for a month worth of pills and my Farxiga is $365 per month.

However, I have a significantly cheaper way of obtaining it. I can have my American doctor call the prescription in to a Canadian pharmacy and the pharmacy can ask a Canadian doctor to review the prescription. After the review, the pharmacy can then ship it to me here in the USA. The price for buying the medications in Canada in this manner is only $122.89 for the Brilinta and only $99.76 for the Farxiga...

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