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Everything you always wanted to know about Judaism,
but were too afraid to ask!
New questions and answers will be added to this page
on a regular basis, so please remember to return here.
Have your Halacha questions answered. (Use the link
below to ask your own questions. Please state if you
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Please note that previous questions answered
by Rabbi Livingstone are suffixed by
RL. New questions answered by Rabbi
Anthony are suffixed by RA.
Email
to your new questions to Rabbi Anthony
Questions about the synagogue,
in no particular order.
I am
hoping to get married after Pesach but my shul
says they can't book it in the week that I want.
They didn't tell me why and I am hoping you
can. Either way can I get a call up on the Shabbat?
The period between Pesach and Shavuot known as the
Omer, carries certain restrictions in regard to celebrations
such as weddings. This is because the period was historically
one of marked sadness and persecution. In particular,
rabbinic tradition has it that in the 2nd century CE,
24,000 disciples of the famous Rabbi Akiva died in a
plague that decimated the remaining rabbinic community
in the Holy Land. Some connect this to the Bar Kochba
revolt around 135 CE which was brutally suppressed by
the Romans, resulting in huge Jewish loss of life and
sealing the fate of Jews in ancient Israel.
Coming back to your wedding, you will now understand
what the nature of the problem is. At the same
time, there are variances of custom with regard
to which period of this 7-week span are specifically
restricted. Some begin the prohibitions on the
second day of Pesach running until the 33rd
Day of the Omer (known as Lag B'Omer) - while
others only begin the 33 days of restriction
from the beginning of the month of Iyar until
Shavuot. The good news is that one can certainly
get married on an acceptable date during this
time - with Lag B'Omer being particularly auspicious;
and there is no problem at all with being called
up! RL
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How
can I persuade or influence my friend to go
to shul more - I think that it would do him
good but I am not sure how to word it? He won't
understand the prayers and won't be able to
follow so it is not easy to convince him.
I often encourage people initially to just come
to synagogue and absorb the atmosphere. One
can bring a book about Judaism, read the weekly
portion in a Chumash, and pray in English too.
Meanwhile, the rhythm and format of the service
begin to sink in and become appealing. At the
same time, if one first improves one's Hebrew
reading standard through a course or practice,
then this makes it much easier to follow the
Siddur.
The trick is to find the right shul with the
right spirit and atmosphere. For some this will
be a reflective place suited to personal meditation
and thought. For others it may be around the
friendliness of the community or indeed the
nature of the Chazan's music. Once one acclimates
to the particular synagogue environment attending
can be very enjoyable, uplifting, and even become
second nature! RL
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I have
recently enquired at two local Synagogues about
cheder classes for my seven-year-old daughter.
In both cases, I was told I needed to be a member
of the synagogue before they could allow my
daughter to participate in the classes. I come
from France and in all honesty am quite "assimilated":
the father of my daughter is not Jewish and
I do not observe very much. However, I feel
Jewish, this is my identity and I have tried
to teach some principles to my daughter and
mark some of the festivals at home. My daughter
feels very strongly about not eating pork and
is very proud to wear the chai necklace I gave
her and she would call herself Jewish to anyone
asking. I do not understand the attitudes of
these synagogues, which should be more open
perhaps to people like myself and not impose
a full commitment (that I am not prepared to
make at this stage) in order for my daughter
to get some form of Jewish education.
This is totally foreign to me: in my country,
you do not have to be a "member" of
any synagogue before enrolling your children
at any cheder classes close to your home. I
have read a number of articles about the dwindling
numbers of the Jews in this country - perhaps
this kind of narrow-minded attitude is not helping.
Concretely, could you recommend some cheder
classes close to Highgate/Crouch End where I
could enrol my daughter without having to become
a member of any synagogue?
I very much sympathize with your feeling and can see
from your words how important this is for your
daughter. It is difficult for me to comment
on the individual policies of the various synagogues,
but my community does not require that you be
a member in order to enrol.
Please contact our Cheder Administrator on 0208
440 5621 for further information and to check
whether there are places for September. RL
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Why
is the Sefer Torah unrolled and held up during
Hagba’a?
It is an ancient custom - mentioned in
the Talmud - that the scroll be lifted in such
a manner that allows the congregation to see
the special writing of the Sefer Torah. The
Jerusalem Talmud, in an esoteric explanation,
suggests that the source is from the verse at
Deuteronomy 27, ‘Cursed is the man who
does not uphold the Torah’. The literal
meaning of these last words is ‘who does
lift up the Torah’ which alludes to the
fact that the Sefer Torah should be displayed
publicly for everyone to look at. It should
not merely be the preserve of scholars and synagogue
officiants.
The Kabbalists believed that the holy letters
confer sanctity (‘kedusha’) upon those
that behold them. For this reason some have
the custom of pointing to a letter with their
finger and then kissing that finger out of reverence.
The Shulchan Aruch adds that it is correct to
bow slightly when hagba’a takes place –
again as a show of reverence and deep respect.
Interestingly, some groups – such as Sephardim
and certain Chassidim – perform this ritual
before the Torah is read as opposed to afterward.
RL
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Why
do we recite two blessings when called up for
an aliya to the Torah?
Originally, following the institution
of Ezra the Scribe (5th century BCE), each person
was called up to read their own portion –
but only the first and last readers recited
a bracha. This practice is codified in the Mishna
and its logic is that an initial blessing should
be recited over the mitzvah of Torah study as
per all mitzvot. The final blessing is essentially
one of thanksgiving for the gift of the Torah.
The Talmud altered the practice because the
Jewish public was becoming confused at seeing
some people reciting a blessing and others omitting
it. The rabbis felt that it was better to introduce
a uniform standard practice – particularly
as many were no longer able to read their own
portion at least they would be allowed to recite
a bracha when called up. RL
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Why
do many Talitot have black or blue stripes?
Originally, there was a single blue thread
amongst the fringes of the tzitzit. This is
because the Torah expressly commands at Numbers
15, ‘Place upon the fringe of each corner
of the garment a thread of blue (‘Techelet’)’.
The Talmud explains that the colour blue is
very special to Jews because it reminds us of
the Mediterranean – the ocean closest to
Israel. It also reminds one of the blue sky
and of heaven. Tradition has it that
G-d’s throne is decorated with blue sapphires.
The source of the original techelet is no longer
known. Therefore, a custom developed to place
blue stripes onto the actual Talit as a reminder
of the lost mitzvah of the blue fringe. Black,
which was often a more accessible colour, is
simply a variation on the same theme. RL
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I'm
an American and was surprised by a recent discovery
concerning English Jewish women. Apparently,
it is uncommon for women in England to read
from the Torah, a practice that occurs regularly
in America. While there are some more observant
synagogues in the states that would refrain
from calling a female to the bima, this is a
rare occurrence, yet seems to be the norm in
the UK. Can you please explain why the variation
exists, and why women should be excluded in
the first place?
The picture that you are describing, while
it may be true for non-orthodoxy in America,
is not widely the case in Orthodox Judaism.
While it may indeed be permitted for a woman
to read from the Torah for the benefit of other
women - those choosing to adopt this practice
are certainly not yet the mainstream. At the
same time, it is fair to say that the UK is
somewhat more traditional than the USA - and
this is evident by the fact that in Orthodox
shuls this practice has not being widely taken
up if at all.
As for what goes on in other strains within
Judaism, as an Orthodox Rabbi I can’t really
comment on what is currently the norm here as
opposed to the USA. RL
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