Rabbi Yitzchak Kolakowski
31 answers
Rabbi Yitzchak Kolakowski is the spiritual leader of Congregation Kol Emes in Richmond, VA. He learned in Ohr Somayach in Yerushalayim and in Yeshivah Beis Medrash L’Talmud in Queens, NY.
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What’s a Levite?
I have just been told that my fathers family were Leviim (Levites) which makes me a Levi. I would like a detailed description of what this means and the best way to make my children understand how important this is.…
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Ancient Marriages
When were wedding ceremonies first recorded in the Torah and what was the process leading up to the ceremony? Answer: The Talmud (Tractate Eruvin 18b) says that God made a wedding processional, complete with wedding attendants (Shushvinin) for Adam and…
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Jewish Kings
Why are ancient Jewish Kings permitted to marry up to 18 wives and not more? Answer: Thank you for your excellent question! In the Torah (Deuteronomy 17:17), it says, “And he shall not take many wives for himself, in order…
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Hebrew Language Pronunciation
If there so many dialects of Hebrew, Ashkenazi, Sephardic, Mizrahi, Biblical, etc. which one is the true method of pronunciation? Answer: Thank you for your excellent question. In the Book of Judges (Sefer Shoftim) 12:6, we see that the Hebrew…
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Torah Study – Self Help or Altruism?
I find the Kabbalah I’ve studied in various classes is parallel to self help books and focuses on the “I” or “me”. One course I took was described as”reflective approaches to chart your own path to personal growth.” I have…
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Who Wrote Psalms?
Who wrote the book of Psalms? Was it entirely written by King David? Answer: The Talmud (Oral Teachings of Torah that were eventually written down around 1800 years ago) teaches that King David composed and compiled the Psalms. Those Psalms…
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Who Was Aviatar?
I keep meeting people in Israel with the name Aviatar. Who was Aviatar in Jewish history? everytime I search the internet I get information about the new movie Avatar. Answer: Evyatar (or Abiathar in English) was the Kohen Gadol (High…
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Unicorns in the Talmud
What does the Talmud tell us about unicorns? Answer: Thank you for your excellent question. There are several references in the Talmud and other Torah literature that may be interpreted as unicorns. The Talmud in Zevachim 113b mentions an animal…
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Symbolism of “Chai”, 18
What is the significance of the number 18? What is its importance and what is the meaning of the word Chai? What lessons can it teach us today? Answer: In Hebrew, each letter has a numerical value. The number 10…