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24 Aug 0Comments 0Likes

Mother’s Yahrzeit

Dear Rabbi Simon The yahrzeit for my mother is on a Monday. There is no daily minyan in my community. Should kaddish be recited on the Shabbat before or after? If I can get a minyan together on Sunday, is that preferable. Or what does halacha say? What do you suggest? Many thanks, Joseph Dear Joseph, First, I wish you “long…

10 Aug 0Comments 0Likes

Using a Toaster in a Rental Property

Dear Rabbi Simon We plan to stay in a rented cottage in Devon. Is it OK to use their toaster if we put it on once with nothing in? Many thanks, Meir Dear Meir, Sorry I cannot endorse using the toaster in a holiday rental. Very difficult to clean thoroughly and the bread comes into direct contact with the interior…

20 Jul 0Comments 0Likes

Am I Jewish? (2)

Dear Rabbi Simon My maternal grandmother was a practicing Jew and ethnically Jewish, but I was raised and baptized Catholic. I’ve researched Judaism for years and would like to pursue a deeper connection with it. My question is that do I count as Jewish/ethically Jewish due to my maternal line being Jewish? And if not then would I be allowed to one day…

13 Jul 0Comments 0Likes

Kol Sasson

Dear Rabbi Simon Is there a correlation or commentary on Jeremiah 7:34 and the wedding song that uses the same words? Susan Dear Susan, Thank you for your question, which is very apropos to my son Yehuda’s wedding earlier this week. There is indeed a correlation. The prophet Jeremiah seems to have coined (or more likely, immortalised) the phrase “kol…

04 Jul 0Comments 0Likes

Don’t get Cross

Dear Rabbi Simon I am a practising Roman Catholic very committed to my faith in God. I am engaged to marriage a Jewish man. We both have symbols of our faiths and if we get a house together want to share these. Would the crucifix, the symbol of my faith, be allowed in our home? My boyfriend has decided to have…

29 Jun 0Comments 0Likes

Gong Bath

Dear Rabbi Simon I would like to know if a ‘gong bath’ is permissible from a halachic perspective. A gong bath is a type of sound therapy where the participants lie on the floor and someone hits a gong, and the frequency/sound waves “wash” over you as a form of meditation. Many people who attend this sort of event are…

22 Jun 0Comments 0Likes

Saying a Beracha in the Lavatory

Dear Rabbi Simon As I understand it, we say berachot (blessings) such as asher yatzar (recited after using the privy) outside of the toilet room itself. But in Tractate Berachot the gemara discusses in detail where we can/can’t say berachot and it seems more lenient i.e if there is waste/foul smell then we don’t say Keriat Shema etc. If that…

15 Jun 0Comments 0Likes

Biblical Meditation

Dear Rabbi Simon Are there any specific examples of meditation among biblical personalities? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Ed Dear Ed, Thank you for your question. Many commentators regard meditation as a propaedeutic to and potentially a means of achieving prophecy. In this view, the great prophets would have practiced meditation as a means of achieving prophetic inspiration. For…

08 Jun 0Comments 0Likes

Holiday Plans: Tefillah in a Chapel

Dear Rabbi Simon We are planning to rent a large house with a few families this summer. There is a chapel in the house. Are we permitted to Daven in the chapel?  From what I understand, there are no crosses (Christian icons) in it. Thanks, Holly Dear Holly, Since the house (stately home/mansion) you are renting is available to the public as a…

01 Jun 0Comments 0Likes

Number Crunching

The Parashah BaMidbar describes a detailed census of the Jewish People one year after the Exodus. Here is a related Q&A. Dear Rabbi Simon Regarding Parashat Bamidbar and Shavuot, I had a question on the number of people during Yetziat Mitzraim (the Exodus). The numbers we most find is that 600K men over the age of 20 (and under 60)…

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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