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14 Feb 0Comments 0Likes

Retribution

Dear Rabbi What punishment can my parents face for neglecting me for decades? What punishment can my cousin face for treating me with extreme cruelty and indecency and thus ruining my life? I would love to see justice and the people responsible for ruining my life pay a price for what they have done to me. Thank you for replying.…

07 Feb 0Comments 0Likes

Negative Commandments

Dear Rabbi Simon, I notice in the Bible the terms “I command” and “I forbid” are mentioned numerous times. What is the difference between not doing something you are commanded and doing something you are forbidden. Especially in terms of punishment. Many thanks, Barri Dear Barri The phrases you cite actually do not appear in the Torah in the original…

30 Jan 0Comments 0Likes

Relative Value of Mitzvot

Dear Rabbi Simon, I was wondering if you could please recommend a book that addresses the concept of the spiritual “economics” of Mitzvot, that is, how to gain merit in Hashem’s eyes? I listened to a rabbi yesterday and he mentioned Ishmaelites as having the merits of circumcision, tefilah etc. [ie, he was circumcised, and his name is associated with…

10 Jan 0Comments 0Likes

Techelet

Dear Rabbi Simon, The third paragraph of the Shema commands us to place a thread of techeilet on each corner of tzitzit (Num. 15:38). So why don’t we find at least one string with a light blue dye on all tzitziot? These days, as far as I can tell, most tzitzit are all white. Why don’t we dye one strand…

03 Jan 0Comments 0Likes

Free Will

Dear Rabbi Simon, G-d told Moses that He will harden Pharaoh’s heart. As a result, he did not listen to Moses. Now that there are many wicked people on the earth, does G-d make them like Pharaoh so that they do not choose the path of righteousness? Many thanks, Prittom Dear Prittom Thank you for your question. The answer, according to Maimonides,…

20 Dec 0Comments 0Likes

Which Beracha?

Dear Rabbi Simon, If you eat a meal of pasta or cereal, do you say birkat ha-mazon (full grace after meals) afterwards? How do you know if it’s benching (that is, birkat ha-mazon) or beracha me-‘eyn shalosh (the shorter, one-paragraph “condensed” blessing; see Artscroll siddur p. 200)? Baruch Dear Baruch Pasta, ravioli, spaghetti, porridge, many cereals, etc are mezonot before…

07 Dec 0Comments 0Likes

Mincha-Maariv Mash-up

Dear Rabbi Simon, I attended a shiva house and there was a liberal service which may be charitably described as “interesting”. It was more like a sermon where the person leading read out a mash-up of parts of Shema, jumping between Hebrew/English, and then parts of the Amidah which felt so far away from our version with things chopped out…

29 Nov 0Comments 0Likes

Checking Mezuzot

Dear Rabbi Simon, I have heard that mezuzos should be checked twice every 7 years.  I’m certainly happy to do that if it is required.  But just wanted to check – because it seems to me that at least for those that are inside of the house, if they are correctly written then they should pretty much stay that way…

23 Nov 0Comments 0Likes

Oral Law

Dear Rabbi Simon, I was wondering, is it true that the Talmud (which I understand contains the Jewish law) was written down after 0 AD, and that the Jewish law practiced by the Prophet Elisha for example was never written down but he followed the orally preserved Talmud and Jewish law? Thanks Ali *** Dear Ali Thank you for your…

13 Nov 0Comments 0Likes

Electric Shavers

Note: This Q&A derives from the Torah prohibition (Lev. 19:27) for a man to shave his beard (using a blade). However, the Talmud distinguishes between a razor blade and a scissors (the latter is permitted). What about contemporary electric shavers? Read on. Dear Rabbi Simon, Do you have any guidance on which shavers are OK to use, or a list…

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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