A Glimpse into our Ask-The-Rabbi Service

Our Ask the Rabbi Service receives hundreds of questions a day in close to a dozen languages.

Some people have very specific questions (“Is there a Chabad center in the Himalayan Mountains?”), often related to halachic issues (“Is yak milk kosher?”). Others are looking for advice or guidance in their personal struggles.

Our Hebrew language team shared the following two incidents that really impressed them. We trust that you will find them interesting as well.

House for Sale

We heard from a couple that was having a hard time selling their home. The apartment had been on the market for a long time, and they had not had a single serious bid.

They wrote to us asking if there is a blessing or prayer to say that would help them sell their house.

“Did you check your mezuzahs lately?” we responded. When people turned to the Lubavitcher Rebbe, of righteous memory for blessings, he would often advise them to check their tefillin and mezuzahs to make sure they were still valid. We also suggested that the couple write a letter to the Rebbe describing their predicament, which would be delivered to the Ohel, the Rebbe’s resting place in Queens, NY.

They wrote back just a few days later:

We closed the deal today. From the moment that we changed the mezuzahs, everything changed… Just four days later a wonderful couple showed up, and they were an absolute pleasure to deal with. We sold them the apartment, and we are, thank G‑d, very satisfied with the deal.

Thank you for your support.

An Unexpected Pregnancy

On a much more serious note, we received this heart-wrenching question from a young mother:

I became pregnant a few weeks ago. I already have several small children, and I cannot take care of another baby . . . Can I pray to G‑d to terminate the pregnancy?

Our moderator passed on the question to Mindi Schmerling, who serves as a community leader and Chabad shluchah in Tel-Aviv.

After thinking, Mindi formulated her response:

I understand your predicament very well. Thank G‑d, I am a mother of five children, and I know what it takes to raise children. It is not easy. Still, to bring a Jewish child into the world is a great merit, which, to our sorrow, not everyone gets a chance to have!

I want to suggest that you take a break for a moment, breathe deeply, forget about all the chaos, and imagine yourself and your family in 20 years. Picture yourself a little older, surrounded by a warm and loving family, sons and daughters, sons-in-law, daughters-in-law, grandsons and granddaughters. Try to feel those emotions.

You did it? You experienced it? You felt the excitement? Now, try and remove some of the family members standing next to you from the picture.

Can you do that? I think that you can’t—it is nearly impossible. It is not possible in your dreams, and it’s also not possible in reality!

Mindi’s letter concluded with some practical advice on surviving and thriving during the difficult first months of pregnancy. (Read the full response here.)

Months later, Mindi received the following note:

Dear Mindi,

You deserve to know that I gave birth to a little boy. We named him Oshri (happy).

I want to thank you so much for your letter, which allowed me to put things in perspective, and lovingly accept my new reality. You helped me eradicate those destructive thoughts.

Thank G‑d, Oshri is a precious little angel, and I would not trade him for anything in the world. Thank you for saving me—and for saving Oshri.

May you be blessed!

Hundreds of questions every day, thousands each week. We helped one little baby into this world, and that alone makes all our efforts worthwhile.

All names and identifying details have been changed to protect the identity of the individuals involved.