A Purim Name
Question: My name is Sharon. What is the spiritual meaning of the name "Sharon?" Answer: Dear Sharon, The Talmud tells of Rav Meir, who was able to derive and understand a person's nature, abilities,...
View ArticleMonetary Commandments Related to Purim
Question: Regarding two laws for the holiday of Purim: 1. Can you give me a precise definition for Matanot La'Evyonim and Machatzit Hashekel? 2. How does a woman accurately observe these commandments?...
View ArticleGift Bags on Purim?
Question: Is there a traditional "gift bag" that is given to friends on Purim, and what is in it? Answer: On Purim, Jews have a commandment to share gifts of food with each other, as a way of...
View ArticleIs a Conversion Offering Required?
Question: From my understanding, today's conversions are considered incomplete. The basis is that conversion consists of circumcision, immersion in the Mikvah (ritual bath), and bringing a special...
View ArticleA Modern Look at Animal Sacrifice
Question: Why are there so many details about animal sacrifice in the Torah? How should a modern Jew view animal sacrifices? Answer: Animal sacrifices are indeed difficult to comprehend in the context...
View ArticlePassover - Back to Back Celebrations
Question: I'm familiar with the Passover festival that begins on the 15th day of the Jewish month of Nisan. Yet, the Bible (Leviticus 23:5-6 and other places) seems to indicate that Passover is on the...
View ArticleAtonement Without Blood
Question: I have a question about the Holiday Yom Kippur: I thought according to the Torah, there is only one way to receive atonement for our sins- through the blood that makes atonement for our sins....
View ArticleJudging Judaism by Jews
Question: I've been told by a survivor of the concentration camps of the holocaust, that certain Kapos brutalized their fellow inmates. He even told about the evils perpetrated by a kapo from a...
View ArticleCommunal Offerings and Synagogue Dedications
Question: In Numbers, ch.28, the laws of the Mussaf offerings [a form communal sacrifices] are discussed. How were the animals, flour, oil, and wine paid for? From Temple funds, or did people 'bid' on...
View ArticleUnderstanding “Love Your Neighbor”
Question: I have to write an essay on a few of the famous quotes in Leviticus. I am having a particularly troubling time on chapter 19, verse 18 and understanding the meaning of the different...
View ArticleWigs, Makeup, and Modesty
Question: My understanding is that the reason for women covering their hair is modesty. So why are wigs permitted? I know a religious woman who got married recently and now wears a wig that is exactly...
View ArticleWhy don’t we visit Mount Sinai?
Question: If Moses received the Torah on Mount Sinai by G-d himself why is this Mountain not visited by Jewish people or tourists around the world? Answer: We would not want people to worship the...
View ArticleConnection of Shavuot to Mt. Sinai
Question: How did the Rabbis of the Rabbinic period justified making a historical connection between the holiday of Shavu'ot and the giving of the 10 commandments at Mt Sinai/Horeb when ALL references...
View ArticleShavuos in Context
Question: I know that the holiday of Shavuos is coming up soon. What does that word mean in English? What does the holiday commemorate? What season of the year does it come in? Answer: The word...
View ArticleCalculating the Years Since Mt. Sinai
Question: When was the Torah written? By whom? Answer: The Torah was shown in its entirety to Moses at Sinai, who wrote it precisely as shown. G-d himself penned the "Ten Statements" on the two...
View ArticleTorah Given in Installments
Question: I was wondering what exactly we received at Mt Sinai. I know that we heard the Ten commandments. I am also aware of the fact that there is a dispute in the Talmud as to how the parts in the...
View ArticleMt. Sinai and the Burning Bush
Question: What was the difference between G-d's revelation to the Jews at Sinai and His revelation at the burning bush. Answer: There are several differences, but the main differences are: Moshe...
View ArticleMen with Long Hair
Question: Are men allowed to grow their hair long for locks of love? Answer: Some Rabbinic authorities maintain that long hair for a man poses an issue of "chatsitsa" or separation between the scalp...
View ArticleThe Blessings from the Kohanim
Question: We learn in the Torah portion of Naso about the 3 blessings that the Kohanim (the Jewish priestly class) gave to the Jewish people. Why is there no blessing for health and physical well...
View ArticleThe Shamir
Question: What was the shamir, and why was it used in building the Temple? Answer: The shamir is one of the things created at sundown on the sixth day of Creation (Mishnah Avos 5:6). The Talmud...
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