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28 Jul 0Comments 0Likes

Love the Proselyte

Dear Rabbi Simon Here is an awkward one: I have a friend who converted to Judaism through non-Orthodox channels (not in the UK). He subsequently moved to Israel, where he lives in a community in the area known as Yehuda and Shomron, ie the Administered Territories (or what the UN calls the West Bank). He loves the Land of Israel…

15 Jul 0Comments 0Likes

Special Kadish for Siyum?

Dear Rabbi Simon, Looking ahead to the siyum at Se’udah Shelishit this week, do we say the special kaddish designated for a siyum? I heard that when the Siyum takes place on Shabbos, the expanded kaddish is replaced by the regular Kaddish D’Rabbanan. Is this correct? Sam *** Dear Sam, Thank you for your question. There are indeed different minhagim…

17 Jun 0Comments 0Likes

New Tallit

Dear Rabbi Simon, Quick question. I bought a new Tallis for Shabbat use. Should I recite the shehechiyanu blessing (on acquiring or wearing a new garment) on Shabbos when I use for first time? Many thanks, Baruch Hi Baruch Thank you for your question. Since the blessing of שהחיינו is on the new garment rather than the mitzvah per se,…

10 Jun 0Comments 0Likes

Kosher Bread Machine

Hi Rabbi Simon, A neighbour gave us an old bread machine, and I was wondering if we can use it.  Can it be kashered or do we need to give it away? Thanks Chani Dear Chani, Thank you for your question. Second-hand breadmakers cannot be reliably koshered due to the Teflon coating and other considerations. Best to move it on.…

03 Jun 0Comments 0Likes

Tevillah Question

Hi Rabbi Simon, If you buy a glass bottle of water and want to reuse it afterwards for holding other drinks is that OK or does it need tevillah (immersion in a mikveh, as required for glass and metal utensils generally)? Thanks, Mikki Dear Mikki, Thank you for your question. There is no need for tevillah, as the bottle was…

27 May 0Comments 0Likes

Jews and Alcohol

Hi Rabbi Simon, Is it kosher to drink alcohol? Many thanks, Winston Hi Winston Thank you for your question. Drinking alcohol per se is “kosher”, in the sense that it is not forbidden to do so, and indeed many Jewish rituals involve (moderate) wine consumption. Moreover, wine (and to a lesser extent other alcoholic beverages) is discussed extensively in rabbinic…

13 May 0Comments 0Likes

Martini Trouble

Hi Rabbi Simon, Someone asked me a question to which I do not know the correct answer. He went out for drinks recently, and he thought cocktails were kosher—and so he told his friends. They had martinis which contain vermouth, so they definitely drank stam yeinam [that is, wine produced unsupervised for general consumption—forbidden by rabbinic law]. Now he feels…

06 May 0Comments 0Likes

Tasty Cereal?

Dear Rabbi Simon, What do we do if for instance, you’re eating a bowl of cereal and a small bug lands in your bowl? Does one need to calculate the volume of the insect against that of the contents of the bowl, re 1:60 threshold? Thanks Cyril Hi Cyril Thank you for your practical (if slightly unappetizing) question. The answer…

27 Apr 0Comments 0Likes

Party Time

Dear Rabbi Simon, Now that I am finished geirus, should I or am I allowed to celebrate my secular birthday, or should I only mark it by the Hebrew birthday milestone date (which I am assuming is the date of my Mikvah)? Thanks, Mikki Dear Mikki Thank you for your question. It is nice to mark/celebrate the anniversary of your…

15 Apr 0Comments 0Likes

Polymarket

Dear Rabbi Simon, I wanted to ask a halachic question. There currently exists a platform known as Polymarket, a prediction market where people trade stock on the outcomes of real-world events (from the direction of currency markets to political happenings), by buying and selling shares that represent different possible results. Prices in the market fluctuate like stock rather than like…

Questions & Answers
this week

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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