Miscellaneous
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Taking Food Home from a Reception (a Simcha)
Is it permissible to take home food/drink from a reception (a Simcha) without asking the host? An example I’m thinking about is at a large Jewish wedding where there are many bottles of soda lying around. Can one take a…
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The Word Shlit”a
What does the word “Shlita” mean and when is it used – for someone alive or for one who has died? Answer: It is used only when someone is alive and will often follow a person’s name, usually a prominent…
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He Controls the Waters
Does G-d personally control all storms of water or does he allow his angels to direct and control these things? Answer: One might view the laws of nature that God put into existence as “angels” or His “agents”, but they…
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Head-covering and Shaving
What is the reason Jewish men cover their head. Should Jewish men not shave their face? Answer: Jewish men cover their head as a way of reminding them to be aware of G-d watching them always. Women, who are naturally…
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Astrology
Is astrology biblical? I know that there are several things God intended for good that men have taken and perverted. Is astrology one of those things? Can we actually use the stars, sun, moon, constellations, etc., for “signs” as God…
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Alzheimers and the Soul
What happens to the soul of a person with dementia or Alzheimer disease? Is it overwhelmed by the disease so nothing of the person is obvious or does it leave the body and is watched over by G-d? I work…
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Secular Music
What are your views on listening to secular music? Answer: Rabbi Moshe Dovid Valley, the foremost student of the Ramcha”l (Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzato, author of many classic ethical works) discusses secular music in his commentary on Ecclesiastes. He says…
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Pet Ownership
Can practicing Jews own dogs or cats? If so, what are the procedures when dealing with pets so that one is not unclean when eating and so forth? Answer: Yes you can own a cat or a dog as a…
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Should a Rabbi Get Paid?
I am researching the historical question of when and how it came to be over time that rabbi would work for a living and taught the Torah for free (as I am led to understand)? Is this true and what…