From: Jeremy Reissman Dear Rabbi, When parents name a child, why is it permitted to give the child a non‑Hebrew name, such as Yiddish or Middle Eastern names? Thank you. Dear Jeremy, Allow me to address your question in the broader context of name giving. One category of names regards those in transliteration, by which[…]
From: Shaun Dear Rabbi, I read that pregnant women should read things that are holy, and involve themselves in other holy activities. Now, what does a pregnant woman do if she is in grad school reading books that have really bad things in them, and watching videos in class with bad things in them? Dear[…]
From: Josh in San Francisco Dear Rabbi, My family has not been religious for many generations. If maintaining tradition is important, I feel my most immediate family tradition is to be secular. The last person who was observant in my family was my great-grandfather, who I recently found out was a rabbi in a community[…]
From: Anonymous Dear Rabbi, I don’t particularly get along with my daughter-in-law. I have heard that the Torah predicts that this is normally the case. I was wondering if the Torah also teaches how to rectify this situation with practical advice how to improve the relationship between mothers and daughters-in-law. If you choose to publish[…]
From: Alli Allen in Atlanta, Georgia Dear Rabbi, I very much enjoy your weekly emails and would appreciate getting your opinion on an idea that my family is considering. For some background information: My mother was born in Germany and escaped when she was 9 years old with her parents one week before Kristallnacht. Unfortunately,[…]
From: Anonymous Dear Rabbi, My widowed paternal grandmother just passed away. I have become observant over the past few years, but my father (who is my grandmother’s only son) is not particularly religious. I would like to help, and I would like to see that the funeral takes place in the traditional fashion, but I[…]
From: Paula Sharfe Dear Rabbi, Friends and I heard that one should not allow a baby in its first year to look into mirrors. We have been unsuccessful in finding a source for this and would appreciate it if you could help us. Thank you. Dear Paula, I’ve heard this as well, with different versions[…]
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[…]