From: Holly in Scotland Dear Rabbi, Who were the first Jews? If Adam and Eve, then all mankind is Jewish. If Abraham (or the other patriarchs and matriarchs), since they came from non-Jewish families, where do we find they converted? And if they did, then were Ishmael and Esau (and their descendants) Jewish? If the[…]
From: Anonymous in NYC Dear Rabbi, I have been friends with a guy since we were kids. We were brought up traditional or modern Orthodox. In high school, we were not exactly the best example of Jewish behavior. Now we go to college together and room in the same dorm. I can’t say we’ve gotten[…]
From: Ayelet in Jerusalem Dear Rabbi, Living in Israel, and in Jerusalem, like everyone else here, I feel unfortunately too close to terrorism and the possibility, G‑d forbid, of there being an attack. Since it seems that it could happen at any time and any place, I feel like I’ve developed a suspicion and fear[…]
From: Mark in Worcester, MA Dear Rabbi, According to my understanding, philosophy addresses a lot of the questions that Judaism does, so what advantage does Judaism have over philosophy? Dear Mark, Rabbi Yehuda HaLevi addresses your question very directly and cogently in his work “The Kuzari” that was written in 11th century Spain. The book[…]
From: Todd in Baltimore Dear Rabbi, Would you please share any ideas you might have about how the Torah might relate to the current situation with the war against Hamas. Perhaps more specifically, what is the Torah’s attitude toward retaliation in self-defense? Dear Todd, Ideally, a Jew would rather have peace than war. However, not[…]
From: Manny in Austin, TX Dear Rabbi, With all the discussion on the causes of the current financial crisis I can’t help but wonder if there aren’t additional reasons going on behind the scenes. Can you offer any insight into this aspect of the crises? Dear Manny, Contrary to popular belief, I am not a[…]
From: Rebecca Mark in NYC Dear Rabbi, Where does the halacha for “kiddush levana” (blessing for the New Moon) come from and have there been any Torah authorities who were opposed to it? Also, why do we bless one another during the service with “shalom aleichem”? Dear Rebecca, The source for blessing the new moon[…]
From: Jill in Toronto Dear Rabbi, What is the special connection of women to Chanuka? In particular, why do women customarily rest or refrain from work while the candles are burning even though this candle lighting, as opposed to for Shabbat, is done by the men? Dear Jill, Take 1: The reason women rest while[…]
From: Caroline in NC Dear Rabbi, I was recently at a Jewish community event attended by members of the local community of all ages, gender and denomination. I saw there an Orthodox couple that seemed friendly and nice so I went over and introduced myself. To my utter surprise, when I extended my hand to[…]
From: Anonymous Dear Rabbi, I was not raised religious. A few years ago I met a girl who was raised religious and who was religious at the time. We started a relationship that was really meaningful with a lot of promise for the future. It was very important to her that I become religious. We[…]