Yisroel Cotlar

I read in the Passover Haggadah reader that had G‑d not taken us out of Egypt thousands of years ago, we would still be slaves today. Do we really believe that?

I’m studying for my Bar Mitzvah and really need some motivation for learning to read Hebrew. I'd rather stick to English...why should I bother reading Hebrew? Besides, I don't really understand it.

At times my mind wanders off and I imagine myself committing crimes. I’ve always felt that there is nothing wrong with these thoughts because I do not actually follow through and commit the crime. What do you think?

My teenage daughter would like to honor my mother by getting a tattoo of her Auschwitz number. We are quite divided on this issue. Can you please help?

The word yad (Heb. יד) means “hand.” It can also refer to the pointer used during the public reading of the Torah scroll. The traditional shape of the pointer is a long arm topped with a closed fist and the index finger pointing. The pointer helps the ...

I have been feeling guilty since Yom Kippur. Rather than spend the day in synagogue, I was forced to rush a friend of mine to the emergency room and spend the day in the hospital. It was a true medical emergency, and I did fast, but I still feel bad that ...

I sinned and repented—now what?

I do not observe many of the Jewish traditions including the kosher dietary laws and the complete observance of the Sabbath. Can I still cover my head with a kippah (skullcap)?

There is one person in my synagogue whom I feel the need to rebuke. Are there any sources in Jewish law that I can show him to convince him that his behavior is inappropriate?

I can’t help but wonder why a person like me, who loves Judaism, was born a gentile. Why wasn’t my soul worthy enough to be born into the Jewish nation?