Prayer/Berachot

Dear Rabbi Simon We are hosting a meal where I know one man and two women will respond to a Zimun (ie, a group of three or more men [or women], who are “invited” by one member of the group to recite the birkat ha-mazon together)  but I am unsure if the other two men will. Do I still make…

Dear Rabbi Simon, I hope you are well.  I’ve been asked to say the prayer for the State of Israel at a bar mitzvah. Do you have a copy of the most appropriate prayer to say at the moment? Or do I use the version in the Koren siddur (strong on Israel)? Thanks Yisrael Thank you for your question, Yisrael.…

Dear Rabbi Simon, I have question. After two weeks working in a temporary job and finding random empty offices in which to daven Mincha, I discovered a ‘multi faith room’ and went in there to daven today. But it reeked of some kind of incense. There was a Muslim prayer mat and some kind of necklaces on the side. I…

Dear Rabbi Simon, We are living in Yerushalayim for the year, in a neighbourhood called Givat HaMivtar. There is a vantage point, on a path off a side road, from which one can see the Dome of the Rock. [Editor: The significance of this is that the prominent Moslem shrine is built on the Har HaBayit, the Temple Mount, site…

Dear Rabbi Simon I have a question regarding bread/pita which I eat with most meals. I understand that we generally say borei minei mezonos and Al Hamichyah for Mezonos, but that if we eat ‘a lot’ of mezonos we are then required to treat the grain product as bread, ie, ha-motzi and birkat ha-mazon (bensch). My question is, when I…

Dear Rabbi Simon Having moved to Israel many years ago, as far as I can recall this is my first time back in London specifically on the 7th of Heshvan [today, 29 October 2025]. I am returning to Israel in a few days. Should I include the reference to tal u-matar, “dew and rain”, in my prayers, as we do…

Dear Rabbi Simon The muesli I eat has grain (majority ingredient) and dried fruit ( about 30%). How do we determine if this grain is sufficiently improved/processed to become a Mezonot beracha, rather than maintain its Ha’adama status? The marketing blurb on the box says ‘toasted and malted wheat flakes’ amongst other grain flakes. Implies that it needs some form of…

Dear Rabbi Simon Here is a delicate question for you: It was brought to my attention that there may be a Halakhah about including someone in the Minyan who has married out. We were discussing this today as there is someone who davens with us frequently who has married out of the Jewish faith. He seems to take his davening…

Dear Rabbi Simon What is the “best practice” in a case where the 10th man in the minyan leaves after the Amidah at Maariv when Shabbos ends? Should the shaliach tzibur still say the kaddish which follows the Amidah (even though there are only 9 left in the room)? What about the further “complete” kaddish after the short additional prayers…

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,…