Question
Where I live (and in many other places), it is not unusual for people to sell merchandise that is highly in demand on the streets for a small fraction of the price the identical goods are customarily sold for in a retail store. I have no proof that any of these vendors have stolen their wares, only the ‘too good to be true’ suspicion on the basis that there is no way I know of to obtain this merchandise for such a low price. Even retailers pay more from wholesalers than these vendors are selling these items for. What is the Halacha when it comes to buying from these street vendors?

Question
Hello, Thank you so much for taking the time to read this. I come from a mainstream frum, yeshivish family. My older 30-year-old sister is unfortunately not religious. She lives out of state but comes to visit on occasion. Around a year or two ago she came for a weekend and told me that she was in a relationship with a non-Jew. I have a very hard time with conflict and uncomfortable situations, and so I acted interested and happy for her. I've never spoken to her spouse, and she only mentions him infrequently. She also told my parents about her relationship, and it broke their hearts. They maintain loving contact with my sister and speak to her often, but refuse to mention her husband and will not interact with him. At this point I believe my sister has been with him for 5 or more years. I call my sister and stay in contact with her, which is important to me because I value family and because I genuinely like her as a person. When she mentions her husband, I don't know what to do. I feel sick at the thought of telling her "what you've done is very bad and you shouldn't talk to me about it." I also feel bad being dismissive or ignoring any mention of him. She recently invited my younger sister and I to visit her, but that would raise new complications regarding her husband. I want to do the right thing. I have very strong hashkafos but simultaneously feel compassion for my sister and I don't know how to balance the two. What is the appropriate way for me to deal with this situation? If you can include practical guidance, that would be much appreciated. I would like to know what the Halachic and Hashkafic approaches to my situation are. Thank you so much again for your time. Sincerely, Sara I.

Question
I have a friend I’ve been close to for the past two years. She and her husband like to have us over for Shabbos meals often, just as much as we like to have them. The problem is, she is the worst cook in the world and her food is absolutely disgusting. So much that I’d rather eat dog food (if it were kosher; I mean it figuratively) than her own cooking. She does not recognize this and she feels she is a master chef. And I don’t have the heart to tell her how I feel about her cooking. Whenever my husband and I are over, we have to physically force ourselves to eat her food, all as we feel like vomiting with each bite. And we feel compelled to praise her for it in order to be polite. She doesn’t get it how we feel. We feel very close to her and her husband, but we don’t feel comfortable insulting her over her food. We don’t know how to handle this. We look forward to socializing with this couple, who are one of our best friends, but dread their food. As a rabbi, what is your advice?