From: Terry Dear Rabbi, I am a friendly and outgoing person. I get along very well with most people. It’s natural for me. I have a friend who’s upset about that. She says it’s not right that I get all of the attention. She asked me to be less outgoing, to be more “modest” as[…]
From: Odelia Dear Rabbi, I have been religious now for several years. Lately, I have felt an urge to reconnect with some old friends of mine from before I became religious. I’m not sure why this is, and whether it’s a good thing or not. On the one hand, I feel that I’m in a[…]
From: Gamliel Dear Rabbi, I was told that the coat worn by Litvish rabbis is called a “kapote”. Is there any difference between those worn by Litvaks, and those worn by Chasidim – e.g., Lubavitch, Satmar, Ger – on weekdays? While I often see lay-Chasidim wearing long coats, I’ve rarely come across any pictures of[…]
From: Name Withheld Dear Rabbi, We are a Jewish couple with a two-and-a-half year old “chewish” dog that is our only “child.” She is very clean, very lovable and pretty well-behaved. My wife wants her to sleep in our room every night with us. I don’t think it’s appropriate. I think the bedroom should be[…]
From: Miriam Dear Rabbi, We have neighbors in our building who unfortunately have a seriously disabled child. While I empathize with the family and how hard it must be for them, the child litters the building considerably but they don’t clean up after her. Since this is communal space that we all pay to keep[…]
From: Anonymous Dear Rabbi, I have a friend who seems to have everything go right for him. Whereas for me, it seems that everything that could go wrong does. Quite frankly, I’m envious of him and it’s affecting our friendship. What should I do? Dear Anonymous, I think everyone can relate to having these types[…]
From: Manny Dear Rabbi, Rabbis collect money and donations for all types of causes and charities. How do we know that the money is used properly and for the purpose for which it’s collected? Dear Manny, Your concern is certainly valid. For the record, not every person collecting money who looks like a rabbi is[…]
From: Allen Dear Rabbi, I know someone who in the past had an average income, but was very generous in many ways. Over the last 5-10 years, the person has become pretty wealthy, but he’s not nearly as generous as he used to be. I don’t understand this. If the Torah teaches to give charity,[…]
From: Monica Dear Rabbi, I have come to the realization, with the help of some of my friends, that I tend to make mistakes and then have to do things over, or I buy things that easily break or don’t suit me and then have to buy something else instead. Do you have any idea[…]
From: Zalman Dear Rabbi, When I went home after learning in yeshiva, my parents got really upset by the more religious way I dress. I think this is really hypocritical since they are the ones who are supposedly liberal and who believe in equality and tolerance. If everybody can do whatever they want, why can’t[…]