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How Can a Coffee Addict Survive Yom Kippur? Pills, suppositories and other quasi-medical treatment to ease the Yom Kippur fast.
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Is Human Composting Permitted in Judaism? While seemingly akin to traditional burial, human composting presents numerous issues.
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Chai: Why Do Jews Give in Multiples of 18? Discover the ancient roots and mystical interpretations of the number 18 - a symbol of life, blessing, and mercy.
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Why the Five Hebrew “Final Letters”? Discover the mystical meaning behind the “final letters“ of the Hebrew alphabet.
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Why the Bread and Egg in Ash Before 9 Av? Right before the fast, we eat the seudah hamafseket, bridging deep mourning with the promise of Redemption.
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Why Does the Shomer “Watch” the Dead? Discover the role of a shomer, safeguarding the dignity of the departed and ensuring they are not abandoned.
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Can My Neighbor Make Me Move My BBQ or Bonfire? One is liable for both fire and smoke damages; however, sporadic events like BBQ smoke are permissible if unopposed.
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Can AI Replace Rabbis? Although AI can provide Torah knowledge and data, it will never replace the function of a rabbi, a human being who possesses a heart and soul, and is assisted by G-d.
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Shehecheyanu Before or After the blessing? In practice, we first recite Shehecheyanu, but it's also acceptable to do it the other way around.
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How Many Mitzvahs Are Really in the “Ten Commandments?” The Aseret Hadibrot actually contain 11-15 commandments, depending on how you count.
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What Is the Jewish View on AI and Intellectual Property? The emergence of AI technology raises new questions and challenges for Jewish law to consider.
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What Is the Septuagint? The Septuagint refers to the (Koine) Greek translation of Scripture, thus named because Scripture was rendered by a group of seventy (or 72) elders into Greek.
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Why Taste Shabbat Food on Friday Afternoon? There is a time-hallowed custom to taste the Shabbat food on Friday afternoon to ensure it properly spiced and not burned.
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Why Do We Break the Matzah? It is important to tell the story of Exodus with broken bread over the table, like poor people.
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Who Composed the ‘Kadesh Urchatz’ Rhyme? On the inner significance of the simple-seeming 15-step Seder song
This classic poem is attributed to Rashi. The Kabbalists, including Rabbi Yitzchak Luria (Arizal), saw deep, esoteric meanings and lessons embedded in its seemingly simple words.
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Matanot La’evyonim FAQs One of the four mitzvahs of Purim is to give matanot la’evyonim, “presents to [two] poor people.”
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Can a Telemarketer Use a Fake Name? At first glance, this seems to be a simple question of whether one is permitted to lie. But is it so simple?
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Who Were the Khazars? An overview of the history and mystery of the warrior tribe whose leaders chose to adopt Judaism
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What Happened at Marah? Following the Parting of the Sea, Moses sweetened water for the people to drink, and they were given some of the first mitzvahs. Or were they?
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Why Are Tefillin From Animal Hide? Here are two explanations that the mystics give as to why tefillin needs to be made of leather.
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The Fascinating History of Coffee and the Jews This drink was so strongly associated with the Jewish people that the chief rabbi of Egypt referred to it as the “Jewish beverage.”
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Why Celebrate a Baby Girl With a Shabbat Kiddush? There is an old custom that, after a baby girl is born, the parents host a kiddush reception when people bestow blessings on the child.
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Why Is Chanukah 8 (Not 7) Days Long? 13 answers to an age-old puzzle
The 8 days are because it either took 8 days to become pure or to travel to Tekoa to get new oil. But why is the first day celebrated? Here are 13 reasons.
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Joseph and the Coat of Many Colors What is it and why did Jacob give it to him?
Jacob loved his son Joseph more than all his other sons and made him a ketonet passim, commonly translated as a “coat of many colors.”
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Chanukah & Playing Cards, a Complicated History As early as the 15th century, Jewish people were playing cards on Chanukah and rabbis were decrying the practice.
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Why Are Torahs Written With Black Ink Only? What is the reason behind this rule? Here are some of the explanations found in classic sources,
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Why Seven Aliyot on Shabbat? The sages outline the number of aliyot for the Torah reading based on the uniqueness of the day on which the Torah is read.
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When Does the Soul Enter the Body? Traditions vary from the moment of conception or 40 days thereafter, to various childhood milestones. They can be synthesized by understanding the nature of our two souls.
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Why Not Read Tehillim and Other Mikra at Night? The custom of not learning Scripture at night is sourced in the Midrash and boldered by the teachings of Kabbalah.
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Why Did Eve Listen to the Snake? Eve had just one commandment: not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge. Yet she ate and invited Adam to do the same. The classic commentators discuss why she ever listened to the snake.
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Is Rain on Sukkot a Bad Omen? The Mishnah analogizes rain on Sukkot to a servant who comes to pour wine for his master, and the master pours a jug of water in his face. Here is what this means for those of us who experience rain almost every Sukkot
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Why Ask for Lekach (Honey Cake) Before Yom Kippur? It is customary to ask for and receive "lekach" (sweet cake -- signifying a sweet year) from someone (usually one's mentor or parent) on the day before Yom Kippur.
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Dip the Apple in … Sugar!? Here’s Why The widespread custom is to dip the challah and then an apple into honey on Rosh Hashanah. However, select Sephardic communities have the custom to specifically use sugar.
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Why Yibum (Levirate Marriage) and Chalitzah? When a man dies without children, there is a mitzvah for his brother and widow to marry. If they don’t want, there is an alternative called chalitzah.
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The Mysterious Eglah Arufah (‘Decapitated Calf’) The eglah arufah (“decapitated calf”) was performed when a murdered stranger was found out in the field and the killer was unknown.
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Is Cleromancy (and Divination) Kosher? Cleromancy is defined as “divination by means of casting lots.” Is it a Jewish concept, and is it permitted?
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The Nearly Extinct Friday-Afternoon Jewish Wedding The custom of (not) celebrating Jewish weddings on Friday afternoon has a fascinating history.
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Who Authored the Kinot Said on Tisha B'Av? Some of the authors are well known, some are known by name only, and others are anonymous.
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How Were the Priests Divided? On the 24 Clans of Kohanim
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Can Animals Sense the Paranormal? From being able to detect certain illnesses to
exhibiting
strange behaviors days before an earthquake, animals
exhibit extraordinary senses.
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Why Cover the Head With a Tallit During Prayer? One should make preparations before praying, including preparing special garments, as if one were meeting an important dignitary.
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Why the Notes at the Kotel (and Gravesites)? Once upon a time, visitors would carve their names into the walls. That has since been replaced by placing papers.
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Why the Fast on 20 Sivan? What is Tach veTat?
The
20th of Sivan commemorates a number of tragedies that befell the Jewish people
over the centuries.
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Kosher to Leave Negative Reviews Online? There are times when not only are you allowed to leave a negative review, but it would be your obligation to do so.
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Why Tikkun Over Deep Learning? Why is it that we read the Tikkun rather than delve deeper into Torah study?
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Do Dates Coincide Every 19 Years? Did I somehow miscalculate my Jewish birthday or is my friend wrong?
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Why No Touching Food Before Morning Handwashing? When a person sleeps his soul ascends heavenward to recharge, leaving only the most basic soul-powers.
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Why the (Four-Headed) Shin on Tefillin? Although the ultimate reasons behind these laws aren’t necessarily knowable, commentaries offer a number of possible explanations for both the regular and the four-headed shin.
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