Answer: Rest assured that you can keep your pajamas, as well as your Hanes. There is no “holy underwear” in the Jewish tradition. The only thing that we do wear is called tzitzis. This is a garment that Jewish men wear that has fringes on the four corners and is usually worn under the shirt. It is to be a constant reminder of the commandments that we are obligated to do, and it facilitates a constant awareness that we must live according to Torah precepts.

I hope that this helps. I wish you success in all of your endeavors.

Be well,

Rabbi Litt

Answer: The Kabbalah recognizes two separate issues which shed light on the souls of animals: 1. the concept of the animal spirit, 2. the concept of reincarnation.

1. The animal spirit is the life-force that G-d has placed in both animals and people. The difference is that people contain a soul that is higher than the animal spirit. My Rabbis taught that the animal spirit is “almost physical”, and may eventually be identified through science in some way; as opposed to the concept of the soul, which is on a higher level and is only knowable through revelation. In a practical sense, the soul has free will, whereas the animal spirit is run by instinct. Since we, as humans, choose freely, our soul will be rewarded for the proper choices we have made in our lives (i.e. the choices to follow the Torah). On the other hand, animals live by instinct and are not rewarded for their choices. This is because they do not make moral choices, but rather are governed by instinct. When an animal passes away, its spirit returns to the place in heaven where it comes from, not for reward or punishment, but rather it simply returns to its source. However, through interaction with humans, a “tikkun“, or spiritual rectification, can take place for the animal. This leads us to the next concept.

2. Reincarnation—I remember that I was once a counselor in a day camp in a Chasidic hotel. The Rabbi of the hotel at the time is a well respected Dayan (judge of Torah law) in the Chasidic community in Brooklyn, NY, and his father is one of the great Rabbinical leaders of this generation. The children of the day camp went on a trip to a zoo, and the Rabbi came along with us. When we stopped to sit down for a lunch break, we sat at some picnic benches next to a pen holding an exotic (and rather large) species of deer. The Rabbi told the children in Yiddish, “When you recite the blessing on the food, do so loudly, with much concentration and devotion. This animal here contains the reincarnated soul of a Jew who needs a rectification, and the animal was waiting for some Jewish children to recite a praise to G-d in its presence so that the soul could be redeemed in the merit of your blessings over this food.” (more…)

Answer: The phrase was used to describe the Promised Land when the Jews were still in Egypt (Exodus 3:8,17;13:5), and many times when they were in the desert (Exodus 33:3; Lev. 20:24; Numbers 13:27;14:8;16:14; Deuteronomy 6:3; 11:9; 26:9,15; 27:3; 31:20). When the phrase is used for the first time, Nachmanides explains that it’s a way of dramatizing the fertility and productivity of the land: The abundance of milk indicates that the cattle thrive on the good air, water, and pasturage; and that the fruit is so rich and sweet that its juices drip like honey.

Rabbi Azriel Schreiber

Answer: Simply speaking, you cannot convert under these circumstances. A Jew must live in a community of Jews with access to synagogue life, a mikveh, kosher food, and opportunities for Torah study.

However, you can commence a conversion process by reading books such as “To Be a Jew”, by Rabbi Hayim Donin, and “This is My God”, by Herman Wouk. You can also do some long distance Torah study. However, any Orthodox rabbi will require you to live within walking distance of a synagogue and live through a year of Jewish Festivals.

Best wishes,

Rabbi Michael Katz

Answer: Thank you for your question. This issue is discussed in the Shulchan Aruch (Even HaEzer 69:4). A husband must provide for his wife’s and family’s needs, and, in return for doing this, he is entitled to keep her salary. However, a woman can opt out and say, “I prefer my salary and will provide my own needs.” Yet, although the husband cannot say, “You keep your salary and I won’t support you,” he can tell her, “Use your salary towards your expenses, and, if it isn’t enough, I will provide you with whatever extra is necessary.”

Rabbi Aaron Tendler

Now, after a messy divorce, I am returning to my roots. Yet, when I recently told a Rabbi about the baptism, he frowned and told me that I no longer was considered to be a Jew. My jaw dropped and I could not believe my ears. I have never once accepted Jesus as my lord and savior, and only agreed to be baptized to satisfy the pastor’s policy. He never once told me that Baptism equals conversion from Judaism to Christianity!

Can you provide me with the true nature of my status and what I must do in order to become reinstated (if, in fact, I had been duped out of my faith)?

Answer: The rabbi to whom you spoke was mistaken. While there is a custom that one who leaves the faith should go to the mikvah upon returning, other than that you remain today what you always were—my Jewish brother.

Rabbi Yosef Friedman

Answer: That is a jam packed question. The answer is yes: Any job that would require you to violate a Jewish Law would be prohibited. For example, any job that requires working on the Sabbath, or some jobs dealing with non-kosher food, etc.

Another example of this is that a kohen cannot become a doctor. The reason for this is that Jewish law prohibits kohanim from coming in contact with the dead (with few exceptions). A doctor (at least in his training, if not professionally) has to regularly come in contact with the dead. This would be yet another example of a profession that is forbidden (at least to kohanim) by Jewish law.

Please let me know if there is something more specific that you had in mind.

Take care,
Rabbi Landis

Answer: First, a serious relationship like marriage cannot be determined by merely examining names. Marriage is about sharing, caring, and giving to each other. The marriage would be shallow if it depended on the coincidence of certain names.

Second: You shouldn’t be asking using the past tense, but rather using the future. That is, you shouldn’t ask, “Was this marriage decreed?”, but rather, “How will I make this marriage perfect?”

Notice, that even a marriage made in heaven like that of Adam and Eve can be marred. Eve ruined her marriage and caused the expulsion of man from Paradise. It can be inferred from Biblical nuances that Adam separated from Eve for a long time (after which they got back together).

Thus we see, that the important thing in a marriage is, as indicated above, sharing, caring and giving to each other. As a couple continuously practices this, their marriage becomes more and more ideal.

Respectfully
Russell Jay Hendel

Answer: The custom is to be lenient and allow glass (which is not used in the oven or other similar place) to be used for both meat and dairy. One needs to make sure, though, that it is perfectly clean. In fact, many are careful not to use it for both meat and dairy, even when clean.

All the best,

Rabbi Yirmiyahu Benyowitz

Answer: When Rashi (Leviticus 26:35) points out that the seventy years of Babylonian exile were in response to failure to keep the Sabbatical year, he adds that this means that there were seventy Sabbatical years that weren’t properly observed. Now, that’s a minimum of 490 years of prior history, one every seven years. I would assume that he means that in their entire history, from coming into the land until the destruction of the First Temple, there were 70 Sabbatical years that were not kept properly. The final punishment for all of them was the exile to Babylon.

Best wishes,
Michoel Reach