Judaism

In last week's column, I published a letter from a young family who had started life as secular Jews and later became ba'alei tshuva.

According to the Bach, Rosh Hashanah is referred to as moed, festival, the same term the Torah uses to describe Pesach, Shavuot and Sukkot.

Is handmade always better?

Often in life we become stuck – stuck in the morass of our habits and the rote of our comfort level.

Question: I understand that at a minyan, the chazzan is required to repeat Shmoneh Esreh out loud so that people who may not know how to daven can fulfill their obligation to daven with the chazzan’s repetition. What, however, should the chazzan do when he reaches Kedushahh and Modim? I hear some chazzanim say every word of Kedushahh out loud and some only say the last part of the middle two phrases out loud. As far as the congregation is concerned, I hear some congregants say every word of Kedushahh and some say only the last part. Finally, some chazzanim and congregants say Modim during chazaras hashatz out loud and some say it quietly. What is the source for these various practices? A Devoted Reader (Via E-Mail)

There was a subtlety in which Shlomo was lacking.

If mourning is incompatible with Yom Tov, why is it not incompatible with Shabbat?

On Purim we read Megillas Esther twice, once by night and once by day. It is uncertain what the nature of the obligation is.

"Boruch's vort [engagement celebration] is tonight," Chaim said to his friend, Yoni. "How are you getting there?" "I'm not sure," said Yoni. "I'm looking for a ride with someone. Any chance you're driving?"

Performing ketores outside the Beis Hamikdash, and at the wrong time is an aveirah.

Without Warning ‘But You Were With Us…’ (Makkos 2a)

The three weeks period between the 17 of Tammuz and Tisha b’Av, besides being a time to remember and mourn the destruction of the Beis HaMikdash in Yerushalayim, is a very special time to focus on love. The spiritual root cause of the churban and all the other tragedies of Jewish history that resulted from it was sinas chinam, disliking and hating each other for no good reason. So it only makes sense that the way to remedy this is to go out of our way, especially during these three weeks, to try to like and love each other -- even for no good reason.

QUESTION: I see that some people refer to the month of Cheshvan as Marcheshvan. Which is correct?Nachman M.(Via E-Mail)

Rav Akiva Eiger is assuming that the logic of the halacha that both the son and his mother are obligated to honor his father and therefore he must honor his fathers wishes first, is a mathematical equation.

For once, it seemed, we were all prepared. I had announced several times that we were catching the 12:15 bus to Jerusalem to celebrate the Pidyon HaBen (Redemption of the Firstborn ceremony) of our new grandson.

Chanukah commemorates our victory over the Syrian-Greeks and the Hellenists – Jews who betrayed their own people in order to curry favor with the gentiles.

In the end, I reluctantly moved into the widow’s home on my own, and somehow managed to pull through, despite my acute disappointment and frustration.

My mother had a difficult pregnancy. Some doctors said it was a miracle I was born and came out as good as I did.

The biblical covenant has the same literary structure as ancient near eastern political treaties.

Why should a person be rewarded for not doing something he wouldn’t have done anyway?

It is known that the chassidishe boys marry young, while the Livishe boys marry a little older.

If the merit of Avraham protected an entire nation, surely it will protect us, his direct descendants.

Question: I am a single mother of young children. Their father has shirked all his responsibilities to them. I do my best for my children, but it isn’t easy. Isn’t their father in serious violation of the Torah by neglecting his children and not making any effort to provide them an education? No Name Please (Via E-Mail)

Question: Are there limitations to the mitzvah of chinuch?

The Baal Shem Tov was the founder and the visionary of chassidus, but the architect who built and spread the movement was Rabbi Dov Ber, the maggid of Mezeritch.