Eliezer Zalmanov

Dear Rabbi, I am curious about the order that the tefillin are put on and taken off. The box for the arm is fastened first, and the box for the head is removed first. It would seem to me that the tefillin should be placed on the head first. Also, why are ...

I’ve been asked how it is possible that a young person like me, who was raised in a Jewish religious environment, can continue with that lifestyle while living in a mostly secular community...

I’ve been reading through the prayer “v’al hanisim” – “about the miracles” which we recite daily during Hanukkah. Why is there no mention of the miracle of the oil which burned for eight days? Isn’t that the main Hanukkah miracle?

Many, many years ago my parents took my brother and me to see the Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson. He gave each of us a crisp dollar bill. Now that I am older, with a family of my own, I feel that there is spiritual value in the dollar. What ...

As I grow in my observance, I have stopped taking calls on the Shabbat. I have a friend I would always speak to on Saturday morning. I had a conversation with her and explained that I cannot speak on the phone on Shabbat. But she insists on calling at ...

Dear Rabbi, My mother’s yahrtzeit, anniversary of passing, is on the 30th day of the Jewish month of Cheshvan. I was flipping through my Jewish calendar but couldn’t find the date! Is it possible that it’s not there? What should I do? Answer: In the ...

Part of my duties was to copy and paste articles from various websites for a weekly bulletin. The CEO wants me to make as if he himself wrote all the articles. I felt that every time I sent out the mass emailing I was committing a crime. I left the ...

A rabbi speaks to a non-Jewish group about Judaism's message to all humankind -- the Seven Noahide Laws.

Can I arrange to cut my son’s hair earlier than his third birthday so that my father can be involved?

Question: I have been asked to supervise a group of people. This is a role I have never undertaken before. Can you advise me on how to best encourage and inspire those I will be supervising? Answer: A true leader is a person of integrity, dedicated to ...