Prayer and Religious Articles
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The Shema Prayer
I am writing a paper about the Shema prayer and its importance and meaning. Can you please give me some examples of how the commands of the Shema are lived out in Jewish life? Answer: The Shema prayer has three…
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Displaying a Torah Scroll
Is it proper for a Torah to be displayed in a cabinet in a business? We are curious about the rules for housing and displaying a Torah. Answer: Thanks for the question. A Torah is a holy living document, and…
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Praying for Children
Could a woman, who underwent a hysterectomy, continue to pray to Hashem (G-d) to grant her children if she still desires to pray for it? Answer:Â Prayers are very delicate and powerful tools. Among other things, they impress upon the one…
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To Start Praying Daily
I am Jewish by birth, but do not speak Hebrew, nor did I have any formal Jewish education as a child. I have recently made the decision to be an observant Jew. Is there any advice you can give me…
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Special Clothing for Prayer
Why do Jewish people where special clothes to pray and to attend synagogue? Answer: According to Jewish law one should be dressed respectfully since prayer is the place where we meet with G-d. This is no different than how we…
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What’s the Parsha?
What is the Parshas HaShavua? Answer: The Torah (5 books of Moses) is divided into 54 sections and 1 or 2 of them are read every week so that a public reading of the Torah is completed once a year.…
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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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Why is it called a Tikkun?
Why is a the book used for learning Torah readings called a Tikkun? Answer: Good question. I do not think I’ve ever seen an answer quoted from a specific source but I would think it is because you can fix…
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Pronouncing the Name of G-d
Why do we say “Ado-noi” instead of pronouncing the name of G-d as it is spelled – Yud- Hey-Vav and Hey. Is it written anywhere that we should not say G d’s actual name? Answer: Thank you for a great…