From: Marsha in Australia Dear Rabbi, Is the familiar six-pointed star called the Star of David indeed associated with King David, or for that matter is it an original Jewish symbol at all? Dear Marsha, There is no mention of this symbol in the Torah or any of the Talmudic literature. In addition, unlike the[…]
From: Shira in Chicago Dear Rabbi, I was wondering if it’s OK to do Valentine’s Day or if there’s anything about the day which is against Judaism? Dear Shira, First of all, formally the day is called Saint Valentine’s Day, which clearly shows the Christian, non-Jewish character of the day. Furthermore, like other Christian holidays,[…]
From: Anonymous Dear Rabbi, I own and run a kosher bakery in a small but growing religious Jewish community. I thought initially that the business would be a lot more lucrative than it has turned out to be. Sometimes it gets me down that I have to work such long, difficult hours to barely make[…]
From: Ben in Baltimore Dear Rabbi, Is giraffe kosher – and if so, why don’t we eat it? Does it have anything to do with the long neck? Dear Ben, The Torah clearly delineates the physical criteria for determining whether an animal is kosher or not. These are that it be a ruminant and have[…]
From: Olga in Odessa Dear Rabbi, Global warming seems to be a hot issue on the international scene. What does Judaism say about the human role in the problem, and our responsibility for preventing or correcting it? Dear Olga, Allow me to clear the air for our readers regarding what global warming is and its[…]
From: Gary in Boston Dear Rabbi, Is there some connection between the covenant to circumcise and the Jewish People’s right to the Land of Israel? If so, since the Muslim Arabs also circumcise, do they also have a similar right to the land? Dear Gary, There is definitely a connection between the commandment of circumcision[…]
From: Martin Appel Dear Rabbi, What is the Jewish perspective on birthday celebrations? The Torah refers explicitly to only one such celebration, that of Pharaoh. Do we have a tradition for birthday celebrations, and if so, what is it? Dear Martin, The Talmud Yerushalmi (Rosh Hashana 3:8) relates that when the Amalekites attacked the Jewish[…]
From: Sarah J. Dear Rabbi, I have a question. I was born into a family with a religious Christian father and a not so religious Jewish mother. Of course my mother taught me to follow Judaism and to only “help” my father celebrate Christmas, etc. When they were still together, my dad would teach us[…]
From: Stephanie in RI Dear Rabbi, I enjoy listening to classical music. Particularly if I’m upset, or want to relax, or even if I just want to tune out what’s going on around me and concentrate on things I’m doing like reading, studying or whatever. Is this OK? Is there any problem with listening to[…]
From: Mike in Madison, WI Dear Rabbi, Jews are prohibited from worshiping idols. They also have to destroy them. Does this mean that we should be breaking archeological artifacts of great value, or destroy idols we encounter in restaurants or during travel? I don’t think that would go over so well with those who value[…]