General

Dear Rabbi Simon, I hope all well. We arrived at our apartment in Jodhpur. There are various shrines and images of the Buddha… Can we stay here? (The whole country is full of Buddhas, actually.) Should we cover them up? Here is an example: Hindy in India Dear Hindy From the photo, it would seem that this is decorative rather…

Dear Rabbi Simon, I am planning a visit next week to Bath, Somerset, the UNESCO World Heritage Site famous for its Roman-era baths. But when a friend sent me photos, describing “one of the finest religious spas of the ancient world,” I began to wonder if one is actually allowed to visit this particular historical attraction, considering that the religion…

Dear Rabbi Simon, I would like to visit Hampton Court Palace while I’m in London but I’m not sure if, as Jews, we are forbidden to visit the Palace because there is a chapel there. Would it be OK to visit the palace but avoid the chapel? Thank you, Courtney Dear Courtney Thank you for your question. You may visit the Hampton…

Introductory Note: Jewish Law (halakhah) generally prohibits teaching Torah to one who is not Jewish. (Unless s/he has been formally accepted as a candidate for conversion under the auspices of a qualified Beth Din.) Yet, clarifying the errors/distortions of Christianity, for example, may be permitted, as every person is entitled to learn how to live by the Noachide laws (which…

Dear Rabbi Simon, I am learning in depth about the mitzvah of health and how the great rabbis and leaders (Rambam, Chafetz Chaim and others) focused on guarding their own health and spoke about this to their students and encouraged them to have a healthy lifestyle. Here is my question: From my personal experience, I do not see this mitzvah (of guarding…

Dear Rabbi Simon I wonder if you can help. I am writing a children’s book about the life of Daniel and the exile in Babylon. In the book of Jeremiah Ch. 29 the prophet urges the Jewish exiles in Babylon to marry and have sons and daughters. My question is – who did the men marry? I would have thought…

Dear Rabbi Simon We have a quick question for you with respect to the flu vaccination for our daughter. We received an email from the NHS, indicating that the vaccine is made of porcine gelatine. They indicate that we can request an alternative if we do not want a vaccine of porcine origin. We would like to know if we…

Note: The questioner (name anonymised) is a physician in Missouri, USA. The prohibition against abortion (for Noachides) is derived from last week’s parashah (Gen. 9:6). Dear Rabbi Simon When does life begin? I have researched this query on various Jewish sites and have found everything from conception to the moment at birth when according to some the time the body is…