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13 Aug 0Comments 0Likes

Accepting Charity & the World to Come

Dear Rabbi Simon, Shalom. I have a question. Does accepting money or other benefits from the [Israeli] government, in regards to making Aliyah, reduce my portion in the World to Come? Also does accepting tzedakah in general, when I have no money, reduce my portion, if I don’t actually need the tzedakah because my essential needs are provided by the…

08 Aug 0Comments 0Likes

Children at a Cemetery

Dear Rabbi Simon, I have a question about bringing a child under bar or bat mitzvah to a cemetery for a funeral or stone-setting. What is the halacha (or minhag)?  In South Africa it is not done but is this just a custom?  I am also aware that at a cemetery there is a whole lot of stuff happening in…

10 Jul 0Comments 0Likes

Non-Kosher Medication

Dear Rabbi Simon, I wonder if you can help with this query. My daughter has been given a medication for anxiety around flying. Apparently it contains grape juice – it’s a liquid medication (homeopathic). It’s not marked kosher, so wondering if she would be able to use it? Many thanks, Julie Dear Julie, Liquid homeopathic medication with a grape juice…

02 Jul 0Comments 0Likes

Calling an Avel to the Torah (Aliyah)

Note: This question is from a Gabbai [from another city]: Dear Rabbi Simon, Sadly, a member of the community was buried today [Sunday]. Is the avel (brother of the deceased) allowed to receive an aliyah this coming Shabbos in shul? Avner Dear Avner, Torah study (reading) is forbidden during the Shiva, as reading the Torah is a source of joy,…

25 Jun 0Comments 0Likes

Tallit and Tzitzit

Dear Rabbi Simon, I make a Bracha on my tallis gadol to cover my tallis katan too (as per the Halacha). But if I take my tzitzit off during the day for a while (for legitimate reason like exercise) do I make a Bracha on it when I put it back on? Tal Dear Tal, In my view, you should.…

19 Jun 0Comments 0Likes

Parev Washing Up

Dear Rabbi Simon, My wife bought two plastic jugs. There are a few plastic cups which came with them. She intends to use them for water and fruit juice and treat them as parev. We would like to know if we can wash them in either the milky sink or in the meaty sink. Would they always have to be…

11 Jun 0Comments 0Likes

Mitzvah of Living in Israel

Dear Rabbi Simon, Given the focus on the Land of Israel in all our prayers and the constant yearning the Jewish people have for the country, how can we justify not living there? Izzy Dear Izzy This is a conundrum acknowledged already in The Kuzari by Rabbi Yehudah Halevi in 12th c. Spain, and more recently addressed by the Hassidic…

04 Jun 0Comments 0Likes

Hungry Eyes

Dear Rabbi Simon, How do you guard your eyes in this world? Ira Dear Ira Thank you for your question. Your recognition of the challenge is the beginning of the solution. Temptation borne of straying eyes is a feature of the human condition since time immemorial (think of the Garden of Eden), but the lure, availability, and consequences are probably…

28 May 0Comments 0Likes

Nighttime Call of Nature

Dear Rabbi Simon, What is the halacha with saying the Asher Yatzar blessing (after using the facilities) in the middle of the night? I read in (the musar classic) Orchot Tzadikim in Sha’ar ha-Zerizut [Gate of Alacrity] that he mentions this topic. While this work of righteous conduct is not a halakhic source, it was interesting to me that he…

07 May 0Comments 0Likes

Late Arrival

Dear Rabbi Simon, I have a question I’m sure you’ve been asked before: If I arrive late for Mincha, what is the best approach… Start Amidah on my own, but say it fast so I can finish in time to respond to Kedusha with everyone else? Wait until the shaliach tzibur (aka ba’al tefillah or chazan) starts the repetition and…

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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