From: Mordechai in Jerusalem Dear Rabbi, Please give me a clue about how the patriarchs found out the details of the Torah before it was given at Sinai. Dear Mordechai, In G‑d’s promise to give the Land of Israel to Isaac and his offspring, G‑d explained the reason is “Because Abraham obeyed My voice, and[…]
From: Ira in Florida Dear Rabbi, Here in Florida the husband of a woman in a persistent vegetative state won the right to ‘pull the plug’ and allow her to die. Her parents opposed this request. What is your position on the right to die and living wills in which a person leaves instructions for[…]
From: Shirley in Denver Dear Rabbi, The Torah says that man must return to dust. Does this necessarily mean burial, or could cremation also be acceptable? Dear Shirley, In the previous segment I discussed the obligation of Burial. In this segment I’ll discuss the prohibition against cremation. In Judaism, burning of the human body is[…]
From: Shirley in Denver Dear Rabbi, The Torah says that man must return to dust. Does this necessarily mean burial, or could cremation also be acceptable? Dear Shirley, Your question involves two issues, burial and cremation. In this segment I’ll discuss burial; in the next segment, Cremation. The requirement to bury the dead is from[…]
From: I.E. Dear Rabbi, If someone is sick and knows that he is going to have to eat on Yom Kippur, why not do so through intravenous? It’s my understanding that since intravenous is not the normal way of eating, it’s not technically a violation of the requirement to fast. If you tell me that[…]
From: I. in VIC Dear Rabbi, I have enjoyed your column for a number of years. I have a question. I recently organized a surprise party for my mother. We decided to make it a surprise, as we knew she would never agree to a party. To get her to our house nicely dressed I[…]
From: A.A. Dear Rabbi, Rosh Hashana will soon be with us, and this year we will not be blowing the shofar on the first day because it is Shabbat. I would like to understand more deeply why we have this custom. Is it because we don’t use ritual objects on Shabbat? But we read from[…]
From: E.T. in Denver Dear Rabbi, Is it permissible to ask for “mechila” (forgiveness) over an email network rather than in person? I know it’s not preferable, but many of us work in large networked environments. We considered the option of sending it receipt-requested to a specific address rather than an all-points broadcast. Thanks! Dear[…]
From: Joy Dear Rabbi, I’d like to know if and why vegetarianism may be a positive ethical choice for an observant Jew. Even if eating meat is permitted, could it be morally better to abstain? Dear Joy, G-d initially intended that people be vegetarians: “Behold, I have given you every seed-bearing plant on the face[…]
From: E.M. Dear Rabbi, I am a young woman who has been religious all my life. When I was a teenager, I had several burning questions about Judaism, such as the age of the earth, free will, etc. Although I sought and received answers to some of these questions, as I got older and became[…]