Q & A: Joshua Marries Rahab (Conclusion)
QUESTION: I recently attended a lecture where the speaker discussed great Jewish women in history. He specifically singled out the biblical heroine Rahab who, he said, married the great leader and prophet Joshua.I had previously heard that Rahab was a woman of ill repute, a harlot, who surely was not suitable for a righteous person like Joshua. Also, when Rahab is mentioned (Joshua ch. 2), there is no indication that she married Joshua. How do we know it?Sandy Hart(Via e-mail)
Q & A: The Ten Sons Of Haman
QUESTION: 1) Why were the ten sons of Haman hung with their father on the same gallows?2) The listing of the ten names of the sons of Haman has three Hebrew letters printed in smaller size. What does that indicate? These two questions have been bothering me for some time.Yitzchak Green(via e-mail)
Q & A: Arabs Circumcise At 13 (Part XIX)
Question: If Abraham was commanded to circumcise his descendants on the eighth day, why do Arabs – who claim to descend from Abraham through Yishmael – wait until their children are 13 to circumcise them? I am aware that this is a matter of little consequence to our people. Nevertheless, this inconsistency is one that piques my curiosity.
M. Goldman
(Via E-mail)
Q & A: Shir HaShirim On Pesach
Question: Why do we read Shir HaShirim on Pesach? Also, why do we generally read it on the Shabbat of Chol HaMoed as opposed to the first days of Pesach? Finally, why don’t we recite a blessing over the reading of Shir HaShirim as we do for Megillat Esther?
Menachem
(Via E-Mail)
Q & A: Traveling And Missing Menorah Lighting (Part I)
Question: I am contemplating traveling to Israel. My flight will take place during Chanukah, which means that I may miss one night’s candle lighting. What are my options?
Yaakov J
(Via E-Mail)
Q & A: Yahrzeit And The Two Adars (Conclusion)
QUESTION: In a leap year when there are two months of Adar, during which month is a yahrzeit observed? Do the rules of yahrzeit precedence apply in regard to Kaddish? Finally, can you discuss the precedence regarding leading services during the year of mourning?M. BermanLos Angeles, CA
Q & A: Who Was Achashverosh?
Question: We read in Megillat Esther that the name of the king of Persia who ruled a vast empire that extended from India to Ethiopia was Achashverosh. Who was he? Where did he come from?
Fran Hager
Brooklyn, NY
Q & A: Tal U’matar – Why December 4 or 5? (Part I)
Question: Why do we begin saying Tal U’matar on the evening of December 4 or 5? Why is the secular date relevant? Also, what should an American Jew do if he is in Eretz Yisrael (where people start saying Tal U’matar earlier) and then returns home before December 4 or 5?
Zelig Aronson
Q & A: Three Chanukah Divrei Torah
Rabbi Senter is the founder of KOF-K Kosher Supervision, one of the largest kosher certification agencies serving the Jewish community worldwide.
Q & A: Saying ‘Amen’ Right Before Shema (Conclusion)
Question: Should the congregation say “Amen” after the berachah of “habocher b’amo Yisrael b’ahavah” (right before Shema)? I have seen different shuls do different things.
M. Goldman
Q & A: Yom Kippur Katan
QUESTION: What are the origins and customs of Yom Kippur Katan, lit. "the lesser Yom Kippur?"Ben GlassmanBrooklyn, NY
Q & A: Getting Married During Sefira (Conclusion)
QUESTION: My friends are getting married on Rosh Chodesh Sivan. I tried to convince them to do otherwise, as many people have a minhag (custom) not to attend weddings until three days before Shavuot. They told me they spoke to rabbis who allowed it. Is this right? May Iattend?Name Withheld by Request
Q & A: Folding A Tallit On Shabbat
Question: I notice that in some synagogues I visit on Shabbat, some people do not fold their tallitot but rather leave them in their place unfolded. Others do fold them. I asked one person why he doesn’t fold his tallit, and he responded that doing so is not permitted. Is that true?
I. Hager
Brooklyn, NY
Q & A: May A Girl Share Her Mother-In-Law’s Name?
Question: I am seriously dating a girl who has a similar name to my mother. My mother’s name is Pischa and the girl’s name is Pesha. Since both names arguably derive from the word Pesach, would it be a problem for me to potentially marry this girl?
Name Witheld
Via E-Mail
Q & A: Arabs Circumcise At 13 (Part IV)
Question: If Abraham was commanded to circumcise his descendants on the eighth day, why do Arabs – who claim to descend from Abraham through Yishmael – wait until their children are 13 to circumcise them? I am aware that this is a matter of little consequence to our people. Nevertheless, this inconsistency is one that piques my curiosity.
M. Goldman
(Via E-mail)
Q & A: Crowns On Letters Of The Torah
Question: We find coronets on top of certain letters in the Torah – namely shin, ayin, tet, nun, zayin, gimmel and tzaddi. What purpose, if any, do they serve?
Menachem
(Via E-Mail)
Q & A: Tying Knots On Shabbat (Part I)
Question: My son recently stopped wearing a necktie and lace-up shoes on Shabbat. He explained that he doesn’t want to transgress the prohibition against tying knots on Shabbat. Is tying a necktie or shoelaces really forbidden?
“A Mother in Israel”
(Via E-Mail)
Q & A: A Bar Mitzvah During Sefirah
Question: Should a boy continue counting the omer with a berachah once he becomes bar mitzvah?
A Reader
Chicago, IL
Q & A: Forgetting Al Hanissim On Chanukah
Question: If someone forgot to recite Al Hanissim in Shemoneh Esreh or Birkat Hamazon on Chanukah, does he have to go back and repeat them?
Moshe Jakobowitz
Brooklyn, NY
Q & A: Do Women Count The Omer?
Question: Are women supposed to count Sefirat HaOmer?
S. Feldman
Q & A: The Difference Between Mention And Request (Part II)
Question: Can you explain the different starting times of Mashiv haruach u'morid hagashem and Ve'ten tal u'matar livracha as opposed to Morid hatal and Ve'ten beracha, and why they are said as part of particular berachot in the Amida, as found in the siddur?
S. Dorman
Via email
Q & A: Should I Wear Tefillin On Chol HaMoed?
Question: My custom is not to don tefillin on Chol HaMoed. What should I do if I go to a shul that has the opposite custom?
M. Jakobowitz
Q & A: How Does One Observe Pesach Sheni? (Part I)
Question: Why do some people eat matzah on Pesach Sheni?
Harry Koenig
Q & A: How Could Jacob Marry Two Sisters?
Question: If the Patriarchs kept the entire Torah before it was given on Mount Sinai, how could Jacob have married two sisters?
S. Friedman
Q & A: Hot Water Thanks To A Shabbos Clock (Conclusion)
Question: Is one permitted to use an electric hot water urn controlled by a Shabbos clock to boil water on Shabbat?
Yisrael W.
Q & A: Why Do We Read Shir HaShirim On Pesach?
Question: Why do we read Shir HaShirim on the Shabbat of Passover? Also, why don’t we recite a blessing before reading it as we do before reading Megillat Esther?
Menachem
Q & A: Leap Year Yahrzeit Observance
Question: I just read your wonderful article on which Adar to observe a yahrzeit in a leap year. Would one make a hazkara in both months or only during the first Adar? Thank you for your time.
Q & A: Internet Filters For The Orthodox Jew
In light of all the attention that the recent Internet Asifa garnered, we thought it wise to offer this analysis on the subject by Rabbi Gil Student, founder of TorahMusings.com and former managing editor of OU Publications.
Q & A: Was The Torah Ever Forgotten?
Question: The Gemara (Sukkah 20a) states that the Torah was forgotten for a period of time. This seems to be quite difficult to understand. Weren't the people of earlier generations greater than those of later generations?
Zvi Simon
(Via e-mail)
Q & A: Where To Light Shabbat Candles? (Part I)
Question: My husband and I are frequent Shabbos guests at our children’s homes nearby. Where should I light Shabbos candles – in my home or theirs?
Name Withheld