Snowa Whitestein’s Yichud ​Farher ​(quiz): Do you know Hilchos Yichud?

*​Note: Not all Halachos here are mentioned in the story. Also note that all Halachos follow
Ashkenazi practice. ​Answers: 1b, 2h, 3c, 4g, 5f

1. Yichud is generally defined as seclusion between one (​kosher​1​) man and

up to
a. One woman
b. Two women
c. Three women
2. Yichud does not apply if the woman/women is/are the man’s
a. Sister
b. Daughter
c. Mother
d. Grandmother
e. Granddaughter
f. Aunt
g. Niece
h. a, b, c, d, & e
i. All of the above
3. Some situations require an extra person in order to not violate Yichud.
These include:
a. Nighttime (specifically, when people are going to sleep)
b. Travelling in a secluded area
c. All of the above
1
​Kosher h​ ere is defined roughly as someone pious; religious Jews are assumed to generally have the
status of ​kesherim. ​If a man is not ​kosher, ​then he may not be secluded with any number of women, nor
may any number of “​non-kosher”​ men be secluded with one woman.
Note also that if a man is an ​osek im hanashim, m ​ eaning he works in a job that deals primarily with
women and is therefore more comfortable around them, he also may not seclude even with a large
number of women. The same applies if it’s a situation of ​libo gas bo -​ when the man is particularly friendly
with the women he’s being secluded with.
4. In which of the following situations in Yichud permitted:
a. In a situation of ​pesach pasuach lirishus harabim ​(where there’s a
reasonable chance somebody might walk in on you from outside at
any moment and you’re concerned with this possibility)
b. Where the woman’s husband is in the city and either the woman is
at home or her husband knows where she went but didn’t give her
permission to go there (​baalah bair​)
c. Where there are two women and one of them is the other’s
stepmother, mother-in-law, sister-in-law, or one of them is a child
under the age of 9 but old enough to understand what’s going on.
d. Where everyone present is under bar/bat mitzva
e. Where the man is under the age of nine or the woman/women
is/are under the age of three
f. Where the man’s wife, mother, grandmother, sister, daughter, or
granddaughter is with him
g. All of the above
5. The leniency of “​b​” above does not apply if
a. The woman’s husband is an accountant
b. The man currently secluded with the woman has the status of “​libo
gas bo” ​(he’s known her a long time/is very comfortable around her)
c. The woman’s husband warned her against being secluded with the
man she’s secluding with
d. The woman knows for a fact there’s no way her husband would
show up (he’s at work and can’t get away, he’s across town, etc.)
e. The man currently secluded with the woman is under Bar Mitzva
f. “b”, “c”, and “d”