Rabbi Shlomo Soroka
20 answers
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Loss of a Child
My son died more than a year ago. He suffered for a long time – many years – and my life was forever changed. I eroded emotionally. I watched my son suffer through horrible pain. I know that he is…
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Virgin Birth, Follow Up
Why is Isaiah’s prophecy of the virgin birth of Immanuel unmentioned in your Isaiah Topic? The one child to refuse evil. Leaving out important scripting disturbs me about the state of Jews and their future. I did however look up…
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How to Vote in the Elections
What is the Torah outlook regarding Presidential elections? I cannot come to terms with either the Republican or Democratic candidate, as I feel they do not fully represent my interests and values. Should I stay home on Election Day? Answer:…
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King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba
Did King Solomon marry the Queen of Sheba and was she a black woman? Answer: Where Sheba was from is a matter of contention. Abarbanel maintains it was Yemen, while Meam Loez argues it was Ethiopia, which would support the…
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Being a Jew
I have long wondered how a person is a Jew. I have heard so many different things: That it is something that you are only born to; it is determined by certain personality traits; or it is a spiritual choice.…
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Dipping Twice on Passover Night
Why do we dip twice during the passover seder? Answer: I think that what is bothering you is that we ask this question every year at the Seder as one of the “Four Questions,” but the Haggadah does not seem…
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Reading the book of Esther Twice on Purim
Why is megillas Esther read twice? Answer: The Talmud in Tractate Megilla 4a states, in the name of Rabbi Joshua ben Levi, that we read megillas Esther both by day and night. Rashi ad locum comments that the reason for…
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Guilt Extending Over Generations
Does Judaism believe in the idea that the guilt of an individual or group can be carried from one generation to the next? What does it mean when the Bible says, “Unto the Fourth Generation”? Your question refers to the…
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Understanding Calamity
Can we make a case for the destruction of the twin towers being something that G-d caused in order to wake up mankind they have gone astray and should repent? G-d’s reasons for creating calamity and suffering are beyond our…