From: Nathan Dear Rabbi, What is the source of matrilineal descent in Judaism? Dear Nathan, The Mishna (Kidushin 66b) states that if a child’s mother is not Jewish, the child is not Jewish. The ensuing Gemora (Kidushin 68b) explains that this is derived from a verse within the Torah’s prohibition of intermarriage: “And you shall[…]
From: Kenneth Dear Rabbi, I have seen people pray at the Western Wall, and I’ve noticed they seem to step back or step forward during prayer, and I’m wondering if you could explain to me that aspect of the Jewish prayer. With all due respect, thank you. Dear Kenneth, Most of the formal Jewish prayer[…]
From: Alison Dear Rabbi, On Tu b’Shevat we celebrate the bounty of the Land of Israel. But If the Land of Israel is supposed to be flowing with milk and honey, why don’t we see that kind of abundance in the Land of Israel today? Dear Alison, First of all, while Israel may not be[…]
From: Maya Dear Rabbi, What is the Jewish perspective on perfume for women or cologne for men, and when, or when not, are they considered appropriate? Dear Maya, From the Jewish perspective, the use of “perfume” in its many forms is considered simultaneously feminine and sensual. That means that it is considered appropriate only when[…]
From: Andrew Dear Rabbi, My uncle recently passed away after a prolonged illness and many of those who were close to him who accompanied him throughout his illness, hospice and death noticed an elevated, spiritual “feeling” that surrounded him which strangely seemed to increase as he got more and more sick. Another thing we noticed[…]
From: Gavriel Dear Rabbi, I am wondering when it is appropriate to act upon “chumrot” [stringencies] and when it is not. Is it ever forbidden to be stringent even though being lenient would compromise one’s standard of observance? Dear Gavriel, Following “chumrot” (stringencies) and being “machmir” (being stringent) is a very delicate matter. For one,[…]
From: Ryan Dear Rabbi, Is it OK to use the non-Jewish system of counting years, or must we use specifically the Jewish year? Dear Ryan, The Jewish year is based on the Torah’s reckoning of the passage of years from Creation. Using this system of counting the years thus recognizes the existence of G‑d, the[…]
From: Chaim Dear Rabbi, We are told that the main miracle of Chanuka was that even though the one vial of pure oil that they found was enough only for one day, it miraculously lasted for eight days until they could produce new, pure oil for use in the Menora. The question is, why was[…]