Question: Was Abraham a Jew? Answer: Hi! “Was Abraham a Jew” is an interesting question, and one that may be impossible to answer. It comes down to definitions. He wasn’t a party to the covenant made at Mount Sinai, and thus he wasn’t... 

Question: Why was it determined by the Rabbis that the 24 books of the Bible only include those books and not more?Why weren’t other holy books, written later in time, included in the Bible ? Answer: The Bible (Tanach) isn’t a collection... 

Question: Judaism believes that the Jewish calendar begins at the time Adam is created on the 6th day (because time is for people). Currently this time is 5770 years, the Jewish year. How does Judaism reconcile civilizations around the world that archaeologists... 

Question: How does God view me as a deaf person? Answer: God places every person in the world with a task to be accomplished. In Hebrew this accomplishment is called a Tikkun . It is a task which only the soul possessed by that individual can accomplish.... 

Question: Why did the Sages not write a Megillah to commemorate the miracle of Chanukah, as was the case with the miracle of Purim? Answer: A possible answer to your question is that the books of Tanach (Hebrew Bible) were written by prophets, all of... 

Question: Has Judaism developed any rituals or guidelines for guiding people through the grieving process after they divorce their spouse? I am thinking of a process parallel to the traditional rituals for mourning the death of a loved one. Answer: Sometimes... 

Question: Did the Israelites carry idols with them across the Red Sea? What’s the source for that? Answer: Thank you for your excellent question. There is some disagreement. For sure there was only one idol crossing, if there was any at all. There... 

Question: Can you tell me what traditional Jewish opinion on women Rabbis is? I know that certain branches of Judaism do not allow it. How come? Could you give me any scripture references from the Torah? Answer: We must understand that although commonly... 

Question: I’m 65 years old and I am now thinking about being Bat Mitzva’ed. What benifit would it have for me? It’s truly inspiring to hear that you’re thinking about rekindling your Judaism and starting from scratch, as it were.... 

Question: I remember reading or hearing somewhere that you’re supposed to go to the cemetery and invite the dead to family events, like weddings, but my mother doesn’t remember this and now I can’t find where I heard it! I know this...