Miscellaneous

Dear Rabbi Simon I am an Orthodox Jew. I was raised in Chabad, I learn frequently, I practice consistently. Yet recently have been curious about Ásatrú (a sect of Norse paganism) and have been dedicated to doing much research on it, slowly developing a connection to it. I am torn on what I should do about it. Do you have any…

Dear Rabbi Simon, Do the Jewish holy books tell followers of Judaism to excel in their work and profession, as we have seen many Jews reach the very top of all areas like business, science, arts, cinema, entertainment, etc, as well as Nobel laureates? Many thanks, Raj Hi Raj Thank you for your interesting question. While there are passages in…

Dear Rabbi Simon, The first of the Seven Noachide Laws is not to worship false gods.  As Christians worship Jesus (who is a false god according to Jewish law) would they have no place in the World to Come? Thanks, Dominic Dear Dominic, This rather fundamental question is subject to divergent positions in the rabbinic tradition. While the straightforward view…

Dear Rabbi Simon, Hi. I would love to have a clarification about some things related to Far Eastern traditions, sometimes partly derived from, or with connections to their religions. I am specifically enquiring about yoga and Thai or other related form of massage. Thanks very much. Joel Dear Joel, Than you for your question. In general, one should be cautious…

Dear Rabbi Simon, Isn’t it possible that Jews have assimilated into other religions such as Buddhism in China? Therefore, could there be more than a million Jewish people in the country of China alone? Luke Dear Luke TY for your speculative question. Inevitably, Jews have indeed assimilated over the centuries. Rather, it is remarkable that any have remained at all,…

Dear Rabbi Simon I came across the most beautiful album of Jewish songs, Adon Alam, Lcho Dodi, Avinu Malkenu etc. that I recommended to my Dad. He did research on the album and discovered that it is sung by a Seventh Day Adventist, a Christian sect. How bizarre. Should I not listen to it anymore? Shira Dear Shira With plenty…

Dear Rabbi, I have a question about Rashi’s (the commentator) birth and death dates, and you seemed the right person to ask 🙂 I just heard a shiur from Rabbi David Blackman from the JLC in Sydney, Australia who shared the following: – Daf Yomi [the worldwide study of one folio page of Talmud per day] isondaf [folio] 29 of…