From: L. Froehlich in Gaithersburg, MD Dear Rabbi, Several years ago, I took a class in Aikido, one of the Eastern martial arts. Like its counterparts, Aikido is premised on the concept that a “force”, in this case known as “ki” or “chi”, flows through the universe and the body and can be focused by[…]
From: Martin in NJ Dear Rabbi, First, I enjoy reading your very logical responses to questions. I have been reading about Jewish life for many years trying to understand what it means to be a Jew. I think I am beginning to understand. One item that will help me fit the pieces together is a[…]
From: Devorah Hagar Dear Rabbi, My last name is Hagar. I am buying a bird and have named him Ishmael. Ishmael ben Hagar. Though I am Jewish, Sephardic, (my real father is an Arab-American), I figured the bird could be Muslim. Can a Jew own and care for a Muslim bird? I’m not joking. I[…]
From: Alan L. Dear Rabbi, I am a 49-year old Jewish man with a very large hole in his heart. I was raised a Jew and still think of myself as a Jew. But I really don’t know what it is to be a Jew. I was Bar Mitzva’d and confirmed. I went to Hebrew[…]
From: Dan Blum Dear Rabbi, Hi. I was hoping you could help me with a wedding question that I have. In a Jewish wedding, the groom gives the bride a ring. I was wondering if this has always been the case? Does this tradition go back as far as Abraham? If this is a more[…]
From: Earnest Allen in Arkansas Dear Rabbi, I own Stone Brook Fudge Company. We supply fudge for Candy Bouquet franchisees and many of them need kosher fudge and your blessing. My question is this…I live approximately 2 hours from Little Rock, Arkansas (Mt. View, Arkansas). How do I have a priest bless us and how[…]
From: Allen in Atlanta Dear Rabbi, In response to your weekly question/answer Angle on Angels, I was wondering why G‑d needs angels in the first place. Is their job solely to carry out G‑d’s orders? If so, why does G‑d need assistance when He’s capable of doing everything Himself? Also, how do angels become angels?[…]
From: Josh in NY Dear Rabbi, If a person does a mitzva in a dream, does he get the reward? Can the Gemorra about being excommunicated in a dream have anything to do with this? Are there any other sources you can recommend? Thank you for this great service. Dear Josh, The Talmud and Shulchan[…]