A Project Genesis website

Rabbi Mordechai Dixler

33 answers

Rabbi Mordechai Dixler serves as the Program Director for
Project Genesis in Baltimore, MD. He devotes much of his time to the
development and management of such websites as Torah.org, TorahMedia.com, JewishAnswers.org, and eKiruv.com.

Basic Values and Morality, Family and Relationships

The Spiritual Dimension of Work

I work with undergraduate students who are in the process of finding their first professional job after graduating college. One often unarticulated, but clearly present, issue for them is what one might call the spiritual dimension of work e.g. what…

Rabbi Mordechai Dixler
Passover

Elijah and Passover

Would you explain the tradition of the empty chair for Elijah at the Passover table? Answer: The most common tradition is to have a cup for Elijah the Prophet at the table that is usually filled with wine near the…

Rabbi Mordechai Dixler
Shavuos

Shavuos in Context

I know that the holiday of Shavuos is coming up soon. What does that word mean in English? What does the holiday commemorate? What season of the year does it come in? Answer: The word Shavuos means “weeks.” It is…

Rabbi Mordechai Dixler
Sukkos, The Calendar and Holidays (incl. Sabbath)

What is a Sukkah?

What is a sukkah? Answer: A sukkah is a booth roofed with tree branches, plant stems or leaves. The Torah requires us to live in a sukkah on the seven days (outside Israel: eight days) of the holiday of Sukkos,…

Rabbi Mordechai Dixler
The Great Rabbis

Rabbi Elazar Ben Shamua

Can you tell me about Rabbi Elazar Ben Shamua. When he was alive? What is he known for? Basically about his life. Thank you. Answer: Rabbi Elazar Ben Shamua lived around 3920, or 160 C.E., about 90 years after the…

Rabbi Mordechai Dixler
Basic Values and Morality, The Prophets and Writings

Counting People and King David

In Chronicles 21:1-17 David conducts a census (against the will of G-d) G-d gives David three choices and sends a plague that kills 70,000 Israelites. Did G-d sentence the 70,000 to die because David failed? If counting was prohibited, who…

Rabbi Mordechai Dixler
Birth, The Chumash (Five Books of Moses)

Origin of the Name Moses/Moshe

Was Moshe (Moses) originally an Egyptian name or a Jewish name? I have heard that it is both. I would appreciate a clarification. Thank you. Answer: Thank you for sending us your question. I don’t know if you’ll get a…

Rabbi Mordechai Dixler
G-d and Torah, Prayer and Blessings

Jewish Approach to Faith Healing

Do healings take place on a regular basis within the Jewish faith today? There was a single rather obscure healing claim from the Catholic sector quite recently, sort of a second hand healing by someone who had died, and some…

Rabbi Mordechai Dixler
G-d and Torah, The Chumash (Five Books of Moses)

Did the Patriarchs Know the Torah and Observe It?

I’ve read that Jacob, Joseph, and his brothers were observing and studying the Torah. Wasn’t the Torah given to Moses after their time? Answer: Excellent question. The source of this is the Talmud (Tractate Yoma 28b) that writes that Abraham…

Rabbi Mordechai Dixler