HOW TO TREAT A CONVERT. Q. How should we treat a convert – to Judaism, and away from Judaism? A. The convert to Judaism must be treated with respect and love. This rule is supported by the verse, “You shall love the stranger (‘ger’), for you were strangers in the …
Read More »Oz Torah: Ask the Rabbi – Handling your employees.
HANDLING YOUR EMPLOYEES. Q. What does the Talmud mean when it says that whoever acquires a servant acquires a master over himself? A. The source is Kiddushin 20a. In the literal sense it probably means that an employer is at his/her workers’ mercy. The workers know the business cannot continue …
Read More »Oz Torah: Purim features.
PSALM 22 – THE PURIM STORY IN POETRY There is a rabbinic tradition that links Psalm 22 with Purim. The psalm is headed, “For the Leader, upon Ayelet HaShachar”. This phrase literally means “the hind of the morning”, which some views regard as a musical instrument or a melody. The …
Read More »Oz Torah: Ask the Rabbi – Eastern Religions.
EASTERN RELIGIONS. Q. I know why Judaism disagrees with Christianity and Islam, but what does it say about Buddhism and Hinduism? A. It rejects the negativism of Buddhism, the idea that you and I and the entire universe are nothing: When something in life goes wrong we cannot handle it …
Read More »Oz Torah: Ask the Rabbi – Being a mensch.
BEING A MENSCH. Q. What does “being a Mensch” really mean? A. When you learn the halachah, they tell you about the fifth volume of the Shulchan Aruch (Code of Jewish Law). Joseph Karo wrote four volumes, but there is a further, unwritten book which tells you how to live …
Read More »Oz Torah: Ask the Rabbi – Chanukah in the age of electricity –
A SHAMMASH IN THE AGE OF ELECTRICITY. Q. Why do we need a shammash these days when we have easy access to electricity? A. The technical answer is that – regardless of using the shammash as a “servant” to kindle the lights – there must always be an extra light …
Read More »Oz Torah: Harry Potter – Ask the Rabbi
HARRY POTTER. Q. Is it wrong to read the Harry Potter books given that they are about witchcraft and wizardry? A. Most people would say they are harmless fun and I even hear of Jewish parodies about “Chayyim Po-tter” (“po-tter” could be taken as a Hebrew verb meaning to excuse …
Read More »Ask the Rabbi: Sanctions for adultery – Ask the Rabbi
SANCTIONS FOR ADULTERY Q. I am aware that adultery is forbidden in Judaism, but what are the sanctions against a person who cheats on their spouse? A. The Biblical law concerning adultery (Ex. 20:13, Deut. 5:17) clearly establishes the principle of marital faithfulness. Husband and wife must be able to …
Read More »Oz Torah: Why blame ourselves – Tishah B’Av features.
WHY BLAME OURSELVES? What strange people the sages were. Two Temples were laid waste, Jewish sovereignty was terminated, millennia of exile and persecution set in, and all that the sages could do was to blame the Jewish people for their own misfortunes. What did they say? “Umip’nei chatan’einu…” Jews fell …
Read More »Oz Torah: Ask the Rabbi – Blaming Religion.
BLAMING RELIGION. Q. Are people right to blame religion for the world’s problems? A. Religion is not blameless. Its proponents need to identify the constructive elements in religious tradition and make them the agenda. Not that governments will like it if religion says it has some solutions to offer: the …
Read More »OzTorah: Ask the Rabbi – Is God real, or an idea?
IS GOD REAL OR AN IDEA? Q. Is God real or just an idea? A. Your actual question is longer than this. You say you are writing a book about how different religions envisage God. You say that some religions personalise or personify God whilst others regard Him as an …
Read More »Oz Torah: Lag Ba’Omer: The unusual yom-tov – Ask the Rabbi
THE UNUSUAL YOM-TOV. Many factors make Lag Ba’Omer a yom-tov like no other. We are not certain when it took hold of the Jewish spirit. We are unsure as to the real reason which brought it into being. It falls during a time of semi-mourning which is calculated in various …
Read More »Oz Torah: Are miracles really so miraculous? – Ask the Rabbi
ARE MIRACLES REALLY SO MIRACULOUS? Q. Are miracles all that they are made out to be? If we can split the atom, double the performance of the PC every six months and concoct the Internet, does Moses’ parting of the Red Sea seem so miraculous after all? A. Belief that …
Read More »Oz Torah: A Jewish view of ball tampering – Ask the Rabbi
A JEWISH VIEW OF BALL TAMPERING. Q. The ball tampering scandal has shaken the cricket world. Is there a Jewish perspective? A. Cricket has become a religion for some people, but there are moral limits to what bowlers, batsmen and others should allow themselves or be allowed. Better not to …
Read More »Oz Torah: Like the bread of affliction – Ask the Rabbi
Ask the Rabbi LIKE THE BREAD OF AFFLICTION. Q. Why do some Haggadot say “Ha Lachma Anya” – “This is the Bread of Affliction” while others say “K’ha Lachma Anya” – “This is *like* the Bread of Affliction”? A. They are indicating that the matzah we use is a replica …
Read More »Oz Torah: Gambling – Ask the Rabbi
GAMBLING. Q. Is there any religious problem with Jews gambling? A. An occasional lottery ticket or card game is no problem, but the professional or compulsive gambler is severely frowned on in Jewish law. The Mishnah (Sanhedrin 3:3) disqualifies the dice-player – “m’sachek b’kuvya” – from being a witness in …
Read More »Oz Torah: The Fast of Esther – Ask the Rabbi.
TA’ANIT ESTHER. The day before Purim is called “Ta’anit Esther”, the Fast of Esther. Despite the popular view, it does not commemorate the three-day fast described in the Megillah (Esther 4:16). Three days cannot be telescoped into one day, and in any case our Fast of Esther is not mentioned …
Read More »Oz Torah: Fur coats – Ask the Rabbi
FUR COATS. Q. What does Jewish law say about wearing fur coats? A. The late Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv, Rabbi Chayyim David Halevi, deals with this issue in his volume of responsa (“Mayim Chayyim”, vol. 2, 1995). He reports that a member of the Israeli public approached him after …
Read More »Oz Torah: Religious revival – Ask the Rabbi
RELIGIOUS REVIVAL. The days have gone when Bible and religion dominated most people’s lives. Yet, for all the evidence of a weakening of religious commitment, there is at the same time talk of a religious revival. Religion has become almost respectable among intellectuals. Dozens of books, plays, films and radio …
Read More »Oz Torah: : Fallen rabbis – Ask the Rabbi.
FALLEN RABBIS. Q. If a rabbi has lost his credibility do we still follow his rulings? A. Rabbi Hershel Schachter of Yeshiva University recently gave a serious analysis of the problem, concluding by basically saying “No”. He pointed out that Malachi 2:7 as expounded by the sages requires a rabbi …
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