Rabbi Daniel Fleksher
58 answers
I am an open-minded person with a great love and respect for the Torah, our traditions, and our leaders. I also see great value in secular knowledge and am always looking to synthesize the two.
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Gid HaNasheh – The Sciatic Nerve and Chickens
I understand it is not permissable for jews to eat the area around the hip of a chicken, is this true and why? Answer: You are on the right track but not exactly right. The law of “*Gid Ha’nashe”*, commonly known…
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Tzaraas, the Biblical Skin Blemish
Is the Torah’s description of Tzaraas, skin blemishes, related to our own negative impurities, pertaining to our character and behavior, in which we need to purge from our soul, in preparation for following the Torah? Answer: It’s an interesting thought.…
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Understanding the Sacrifice of Isaac II
What is the importance of the akeidat Yitzchak (binding of Isaac) in Judaic thought? Answer: Let us put this event in the context of Abraham’s life. Abraham was called “Ish Ivri” (“man of the side”) because he went against the…
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“It’s Not Easy Being Green”
It is medical consensus that consuming high levels of mercury directly causes various health problems (e.g. neurological defects in babies, increasing cancer rates in adults, etc). It seems that tuna fish are being found with exceedingly high levels of mercury,…
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Age of Isaac and Rebecca
How old were Isaac and Rebekah when Jacob and Esau were born – 63 and 23 years? Answer: The verse (Gen. 25:26) explicitly records Isaac’s age at the birth of his two sons to be 60 years old. In Gen.25:20…
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G-d Has Faith ..in Us!
What does the “faithful” mean in the phrase said before the Shema prayer – “El melekh ne’eman” – “Mighty, King, Faithful” ? The word “faithful” is also at the end of the first prayer Jews say when they rise –…
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Taking Care of Yourself
I have to plan a program where we talk about taking care of ourselves. I was wondering if there is any information in the Torah about taking care of oneself. Answer: One of the central sources for taking care of…
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Akeida: Isaac and Ishmael
When Abraham speaks with God after the aborted sacrifice God says (and I’m paraphrasing), “Isaac was your son, your only son.” Why state that Isaac was his only son if he also had a son, Ishmael, from Hagar? Answer: Good…
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Rosh Hashana Greeting
What is the proper greeting for Rosh Hashanah? Answer: In the period of time leading up to Rosh Hashanah we typically wish each other that our being written and inscribed (i.e. in the Book of Life) be for the good.…