Shavuos
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What Happened to Orpah?
What happened to Orpah after she departed from Naomi and Ruth? Answer: The Talmud (Sotah 42b) says that she suffered such a spiritual let-down after leaving her mother-in-law that she was intimate with many men and from there became pregnant…
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Shavuot, Simchat Torah & the Torah Reading Cycle
Since Shavuout celebrates the giving of the Law, why isn’t the cycle of Torah celebrated at Shavuot, rather than at Simchat Torah (the special holiday at the culmination of the Succot holiday)? Answer:Â Thank you for your question. It is an…
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The Tragedy of Orpah
Could you discuss the qualities of Orpah in the Book of Ruth and why she chose to return to her own people. Was it practical? Was she from wealth? etc. What happened to her? Answer: To me, Orpah is one…
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Ruth and Moabites
In the Deuteronomy 23:4, it says that a Moabite cannot join the “community of G-d” — even to the 10th generation. Ruth was a Moabite, and was allowed to join. Her descendants, Kings David and Solomon were less than 10…
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Joy on the Holiday
I heard that it is a custom for men to buy their wives and daughters cloths or jewelery and I’m wondering if there is an exact source for that? Answer: The Talmud says in the Tractate of Pesachim, page 109a,…
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Lag Ba’Omer and Kabbalah
What is the omer? What is lag ba’omer and how is it connected to kabbalah/mysticism? Answer: When we use the term omer, it usually refers to the commandment to count down the days from Passover until Shavuos — the anniversary…
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Shaving During the Omer
Can a person shave his beard in the days of the omer? Answer: Thank you for your question. The custom is for a person to conduct himself as if he were in semi-mourning during a portion of the counting of…
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When the Torah Reading Cycle Begins
Why don’t we begin reading the Torah again from Bereshit (Genesis) on Rosh Hashana? That’s a great question. Rosh Hashana is the anniversary of creation. Even though we know that the Torah was created before the world, it was not…
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The Feet and the Shoe of Boaz
Why did Ruth uncover Boaz’s feet (Ruth 3:4)? What is the significance of taking off the sandal (Ruth 4:7-8)? Boaz had intimated that he intended to marry Ruth. Now he needed to either do so, or make it clear that…