Is it acceptable to use corn stalks to cover a Sukkah?
By Eliezer Posner The sukkah covering must provide enough cover so that when the sun is shining overhead there is more shade than sun in the sukkah...
Jewish Holidays » Sukkot & Simchat Torah » Sukkot » Study » Q&A » Is it acceptable to use corn stalks to cover a Sukkah?
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Is Human Blood Kosher?
By Eliezer Posner Question: I know that the Torah prohibits the consumption of blood. Does this apply to my own blood as well? Answer: When the Torah tells us that we are allowed to eat the meat of kosher animals, we are warned that "…you shall not eat the blood…." ...
Jewish Practice » Kosher » Handbook » Kosher Q&A » Is Human Blood Kosher?
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Why don't we name children after living parents?
By Eliezer Posner Question: Why don't Ashkenazi Jews name their children after a living parent or grandparent? I know Sefardi Jews do have this custom and do it often. What's with Ashkenazim? Answer: Perhaps there are more, but I have found two reasons for this custom: 1. ...
Ask the Rabbi » Latest Questions » The Details » Why don't we name children after living parents?
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Which Psalms should I read daily?
By Eliezer Posner Question: In addition to the daily prayers, I find that reading Psalms helps me feel close to G‑d, and I want to start saying them every day. Is there a custom as to which Psalms I should say when? Response: Psalms is certainly a powerful book. The ...
Ask the Rabbi » Latest Questions » The Details » Which Psalms should I read daily?
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Can we get married between Yom Kippur and Sukkot?
By Eliezer Posner A couple can get married on the three days in between Yom Kippur and Sukkot. Holding a wedding on the day immediately before Sukkot is technically permitted, however Rabbi Abraham Gombiner (17th century Poland) writes that since the meal can easily ...
Ask the Rabbi » Latest Questions » The Details » Can we get married between Yom Kippur and Sukkot?
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Why do we blow the shofar so many times on Rosh Hashanah?
By Eliezer Posner There are different customs as to how many times the shofar is blown on Rosh Hashanah. In most communities the shofar is blown 100 times...
Jewish Holidays » High Holidays » Rosh Hashanah » Study » Q&A » Why do we blow the shofar so many times on Rosh Hashanah?
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What blessings should I say on rice?
By Eliezer Posner Question: What blessings should I say before and after eating rice? Answer: There are different opinions as to which is the blessing to be recited before eating rice: Some halachic authorities say it is mezonot; others say it is ha'adamah; yet others ...
Ask the Rabbi » Latest Questions » The Details » What blessings should I say on rice?
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What's up with the dots in Hebrew letters?
By Eliezer Posner Question: Why do some of the Hebrew letters have dots in them, and why do the same letters, in the same words, sometimes appear with dots and sometimes without? Answer: A prime example of this phenomenon is the name of the Egyptian king, Pharaoh, פרעה. ...
Ask the Rabbi » Latest Questions » The Details » What's up with the dots in Hebrew letters?
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The Two Talmuds
By Eliezer Posner Why are there two Talmuds? And why is the "Babylonian Talmud" concidered more authoritative than the "Jerusalem Talmud"?
Ideas & Beliefs » Questions & Answers » The Torah » The Two Talmuds
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Is it a mitzvah for a couple to remarry?
By Eliezer Posner Question: Is it a mitzvah for a divorced couple to remarry one another? Answer: Yes. The Jerusalem TalmudTractate Ketubot 11:3 learns this from Isaiah 58:7, where the prophet exhorts the Jew not to "hide from your flesh," i.e. to look out for our ...
Ask the Rabbi » Latest Questions » Advice » Is it a mitzvah for a couple to remarry?
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