Dear Rabbi Is there a law concerning drinking wine after the burial of a family member? I have seen this done and wonder whether there is a source for it? Ronnie Dear Ronnie, There is a custom to give mourners some wine after the burial. The source is the verse in Proverbs (31, 6),[…]
Dear Rabbi I am not Jewish but I wonder if it is true that Jewish people do not get out of bed in the morning without washing their hands first? How are you supposed to do this unless you have a sink next to your bed? Yvonne Dear Yvonne, You’ve obviously never visited a[…]
Dear Rabbi I attended a synagogue recently for a Bar Mitzvah. I noted how some of the Jews rock when they pray. Why? Vera Dear Vera, We don’t just rock – we roll! Some of the suggested reasons are as follows: 1. There is a verse in Psalms (35:10) which says, All my bones[…]
Dear Rabbi I have a large storage shed which is used to store bicycles. Does it require a mezuza? David Dear David, The guiding principle for this is that if the storage area has a door frame (however thin) or a structure with two uprights and a lintel then it requires a mezuzah. The[…]
Dear Rabbi Why does the Torah refer to converts as strangers? Doesn’t this imply inferiority? Are they not considered fully-fledged Jews upon conversion? Dasa Dear Dasa, In Judaism, a convert is called a “stranger” for two reasons: because he comes a foreign culture and foreign beliefs, and because he comes outside the socio-ethnic and[…]
Dear Rabbi 1) You once claimed that you have a family-tree going all the way back to King David. This is a very strong claim. Could you provide some evidence for this? 2) You once also ridiculed the assertion that there would have been records of Israels tribes in the temple. As you regard this[…]
Dear Rabbi I recently learned that the reason that married women immerse in the mikvah every month is not for purification following her monthly cycle (as many believe) but more because of the spiritual impurity caused by her failing to conceive a baby that month. If some methods of contraception are permissible should that mean[…]
Dear Rabbi I have a very close friend whose grandmother is on the verge of death. She asked me to attend shiva with her one night once the inevitable occurs. As an Irish (non-practicing) Catholic, traditions I am used to are very different when someone dies (think Guinness and Whiskey). I know that more than[…]