Rabbi Alexander Seinfeld
91 answers
Rabbi Alexander Seinfeld graduated from Stanford University with degrees in Classics and Anthropology. Having exploring numerous traditions, he began his return toward a Jewish path after living for two years in rural Mississippi, “surrounded by folks who knew my people’s book better than I did!” He eventually journeyed to Israel, where he studied for seven years and was ordained. After three years in Northern California, he relocated with his wife and children to Baltimore in order to launch a national project of revitalizing Jewish education. Rabbi Seinfeld engages audiences from all Jewish backgrounds with his humor and depth of insight into spiritual and philosophical topics.
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Blood and Organ Donation
Can Jews donate blood? Or would this be a no as it might be viewed along the similar line of an Orthodox Jew donating an organ? According to my teacher, organ donations are not permitted because the way G-d made…
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Nisan and the New Year
If the first month of the Hebrew calendar is Nisan, why is Rosh Hashanah, which I understand to be the New Year, observed during the month of Tishri? Good question. Nissan is the first month because that’s when the Exodus…
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Sabbatical Years and the Year of Jubilee
Why have the Jews stopped counting the sabbath years and the years of jubilee? We lost count. š We actually do count the Sabbatical years – next year for instance is one. However, this current counting is of Rabbinic origin…
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Passover Greeting
I have no religious affiliation but would like to offer Passover greetings to my close Jewish friends. What would be a proper greeting? “Happy Passover” would be appropriate. If you want to sound really with-it, say “Happy Pay-sach” (“sach” rhymes…
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The Only True Torah
Where in the bible does it say the Torah is the only true Torah? I was asked this question by someone and I am shamed I was unable to give a response. The answer, typically, is not so simple. In…
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Leap of Faith
Does Judaism require a leap of Faith? Both Christianity and Islam require a leap of faith in order to believe, but this is an anathema to Judaism. We base our belief on a priori evidence and reason, in the same…
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How Intermarriage is Perceived
I’m doing some research on Judaism. Could a Jewish man marry outside the religion, like marry a Baptist, and still be considered a practicing Jew? No, for an educated Jew to do so would be akin to throwing a Torah…
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Meditation
How exactly do I meditate? What do I meditate about and why?There are different kinds of meditation and each one has a different purpose, so your latter questions are impossible to answer “in a nutshell”. I would start with the…
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Death By Sneezing
Where in the Torah does it discuss sneezing & dying? Where did it originate? I was going to send you the simple references but found this answer on the web written by Rabbi Moshe Bogomilsky: “Behold, your father is sick.”…