Prayer/Berachot

Note: The following correspondence via our website has been anonymised (as usual) and expanded for informational purposes. Dear Rabbi Simon, I wanted to find out if you offer virtual shacharit services during the week. I’ll be vacationing in Switzerland this coming week and am looking for a virtual minyan so that I can say Kaddish for my dad. I live…

Dear Rabbi Simon, What is the most appropriate berachah (if any) upon observing a full solar eclipse? Happening on Wednesday in London at 7:12pm! Many thanks, Sol Dear Sol Thank you for the timely question. As the solar eclipse was regarded, in antiquity, as an ominous indicator, the Sages did not formulate a berakhah upon observing it. (Cf the historical…

Dear Rabbi Simon, Looking ahead to the siyum at Se’udah Shelishit this week, do we say the special kaddish designated for a siyum? I heard that when the Siyum takes place on Shabbos, the expanded kaddish is replaced by the regular Kaddish D’Rabbanan. Is this correct? Sam *** Dear Sam, Thank you for your question. There are indeed different minhagim…

Dear Rabbi Simon, Quick question. I bought a new Tallis for Shabbat use. Should I recite the shehechiyanu blessing (on acquiring or wearing a new garment) on Shabbos when I use for first time? Many thanks, Baruch Hi Baruch Thank you for your question. Since the blessing of שהחיינו is on the new garment rather than the mitzvah per se,…

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…