Rabbi Aaron Tendler
95 answers
Rabbi Aaron Tendler serves on the faculty of the Ner Israel Rabbinical College and is the Rabbi of the Etz Chaim Center of Valley Village, in Owings Mills, MD.
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Price Gouging
How does Jewish law approach the issue of price gouging? Thank you for your question. Jewish law has a concept called Ona’ah, which basically means taking financial advantage of your customer. If someone engages in a transaction with you, they…
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Not Just One Rosh Hashana
I am studying Jewish holy days and became interested in Rosh Hashana. Can you please give me the Biblical reference to the celebration of this New Year? I would also be interested in viewing a Jewish religious and civil calendar…
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Length of a Generation
What is the time period that the word generation refers to? Is it 100 years, 1000 years, longer? The term “generation” (“Dor” in Hebrew) is used in a Biblical and Talmudic sense in many different contexts. There are two primary…
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Food Products With Just a ‘K’
Is the K designation a sign of kosher food? Thank you for your question. Although a K might be a sign of a company claim that their product is Kosher, since it is not a registered copyrighted symbol, any company…
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Veal and Inhumane Slaughter
My future mother in law would like to have veal served at our wedding. However, from what I have learned veal is raised in an inhumane fashion, different from other animals. They are raised in small crates unable to move…
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Tombstones
Is there anything in the Torah or Talmud about the necessity of having a headstone on a grave? Did the Sages comment on the importance of such memorials? Thank you for your question. The concept of having a headstone or…
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Maimonides’ Letter of Martyrdom
I would like to get information on Maimonides’ (The Rambam) Igeret Hashmad (Letter of Martyrdom). Thank you for your question. I’m quoting the following from the preface of a translation of this work in my possession by Rabbi Avraham Yaakov…
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Bride Walks Around Seven Times
What is the origin of the custom that a bride walks around her groom seven times during a wedding? The custom of the bride walking around the groom seven times is from the Kabbalah. See Tikunei Zohar (6, 23a) in…
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Biblical Reference to the Afterlife
What specifically does the Torah say about the afterlife? Thank you very much for your question. Interestingly, there are no explicit references to the afterlife in the Written Torah. Many commentaries offer various reasons why this is so. However, the…