Mitzvos (Commandments)
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The First Tefillin
When did Jews start the prayer practice of wearing Tefillin? Teffilin is mentioned in four places in the Torah. The Jews started observing this practice in the desert. There is a tradition that the Patriarchs and Matriarchs observed the laws…
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Book for Basic Daily Practices
I grew up Reform but I am now trying to learn and incorporate more into my daily life. I need to find a source that says exactly when and what is done and in what order in daily life. I’m…
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The Nature of Kosher Fish
I have found that for the most part keeping Kosher laws is not only honoring to G-d but also very healthy. It is my understanding that fish without scales or fins are unclean for human consumption in Kosher food law.…
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Decorative Tallit
When making a Tallit, aside from not mixing linen and wool, must there be distinctive color fabric in the four corners? An Atarah (a sewn collar, often decorative)? I am not aware of a color requirement for the corners. There…
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Black Stripes on the Prayer Shawl
What is the significance of the black stripes on the Talis? When did these stripes find there way on the Talis? I’m sure you know that the mitzvah of Tzitzis in the Torah obligates one to tie four strings on…
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History of Tzitzit
What is the history of the Tzitzit (traditional, fringed, four-corned garment)? In ancient times, a jacket was a four-cornered piece of cloth. G-d commanded Jewish men to put a fringe on each corner. These fringes would remind us while we…
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To Attain Fear of G-d
What is an action a person a can do every day in order top attain Fear of G-d? Thanks for this question. Every day a Jew should be working on himself. He should be praying, eating kosher, doing mitzvos (commandments),…
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10 Commandments, or 613?
What is the difference between the 10 commandments and the other 613 laws, and which of the 613 laws in the Torah are still applicable? The 10 Commandments are really ten categories of commandments into which all the 613 commandments…
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Convert, Orphan & Widow
In the Torah the convert is often lumped with the Levite, orphan, and widow as someone who is in need of receiving tithes and the harvest that is ‘forgotten’. As well the mitzvah not to cheat a poor or destitute…