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25 Jun 0Comments 0Likes

Hanukkah on the Road

Ask the Rabbi: Hanukkah on the Road     Dear Rabbi Simon I shall be on holiday in Israel please G-d over part of Chanukah, staying with different friends. Am I included in their candles? Or do I need to light my own each night? Many thanks, Orah Dear Orah, Thank you for your question, and kudos to you for thinking…

25 Jun 0Comments 0Likes

More Music to my Ears on Shabbat

Dear Rabbi Simon, Interesting Ask the Rabbi entry in last week’s KC [click Kesher Connections newsletter to see the Q&A]. Would whistling be OK or is this too close to a musical instrument? Peretz Dear Peretz TY for your Q. Always nice to see that people read the KC. Whistling is allowed on Shabbos, including whistling through the agency of one’s fingers…

24 Jun 0Comments 1Like

Persian Evidence of Purim?

Dear Rabbi Simon, At a certain point in antiquity, there was extensive deliberation over whether Megillat Esther should be included in the Bible.  Detractors of the idea argued that it could unnecessarily antagonise those not favourably disposed towards Jewry.  However, proponents of its inclusion maintained that the events were already widely known throughout the civilised world; the chronicles of the…

24 Jun 0Comments 0Likes

Koshering Granite Countertops for Pesach

Dear Rabbi Simon Do you have any information on koshering granite work surfaces in the kitchen for Pesach? Thank you Grant Hi Grant See https://www.thekosherchannel.com/passover-cleaning.html#step and particularly #7, Marble Counters. Granite is the same. Covering them is popular in many circles but not actually required. If the “granite” is actually composite, ie not a single slab of polished rock but actually pieces…

24 Jun 0Comments 0Likes

Travelling over Pesach

Dear Rabbi Simon, Can you please remind me and those travelling over Pesach, does one have to clean the home etc if one’s travelling before Yom Tov and not returning until after the Chag? Also, what happens to bedikat chametz? Many thanks, Daniel Dear Daniel, One who will be away for all of Pesach should adopt either of two approaches: a. Arrange…

24 Jun 0Comments 0Likes

Cup size, Kitniot

Dear Rabbi Simon, I hope you don’t mind me contacting you, but I have a couple of Pesach related questions that I would be grateful if you could answer for me please. The first is regarding the 4 cups for the seder-I just wanted to know what was the minimum requirement for these? I’m assuming the normal ‘l’chaim’ cups that…

22 Jun 0Comments 0Likes

Shabbat Delivery

Dear Rabbi Simon, I placed an online order on Thursday lunchtime, where it said estimated 2-3 days for delivery. The company is usually efficient and the orders normally arrive on Day 2. This was the case on this occasion, with the parcel being left outside my front door on Shabbat afternoon. Is there any issue with me using/benefiting from the…

22 Jun 0Comments 0Likes

La Rafle

Dear Rabbi Simon, You may have seen advertising for the French film “The Round Up”, a story based on the arrest and detention of Parisian Jews in Nazi-occupied Paris in 1942. Would one be able to go to see such a movie during the 3 Weeks / 9 Days? As an aside, the film has received rather average ratings, but…

22 Jun 0Comments 0Likes

Purchasing property in the 9 Days

Dear Rabbi Simon, We may have found a property to purchase. The property has tenants in who vacate on Friday 20 July and my lawyers are aiming to complete the purchase on this day. This is of course Erev Tisha B’Av. Would your advice be to complete on this day or to delay, and if so would completing on Monday 23 July…

Questions & Answers
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Questions and Answers

Ask the Rabbi: Quinoa on Pesach
Dear Rabbi Simon,
Where do you stand on quinoa (and the kitniyot ban) for Pesach?
Many thanks,
Tzippy
***
Dear Tzippy,
In line with other American authorities, I am in favour of quinoa. Although I reject completely the voices (mostly from Israel) seeking to abolish the ban on kitniyot entirely, IMO we do not need to include in the prohibition pseudo-grains that were unknown in the Old World until modern times. Best to buy with a Pesach hechsher though, to be free of any possible wheat contamination.
Rabbi Rashi Simon
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