ב"ה
Ask "Rabbi Y"
Learn something new every week!
Did you ever wonder why we Jews do what we do? Get your answers from "Rabbi Y," a veteran of Chabad.org's acclaimed Ask the Rabbi team, who answers another "why" question every week. No question is too obscure, and no area of Jewish life is off-limits.
Click here to submit your question to "Rabbi Y" and here to receive “Ask Rabbi Y” every week by email, and join our growing group of learning, enlightened Jews.
What are you waiting for? Let's get learning!
Page of 8
Why Do We Repeat the Final Words of the Shema? And why doesn’t Chabad recite “E-l Melech Ne’eman”?
|
Why Wear Shabbat Clothes When Alone? Since these clothes are worn in honor of Shabbat itself, not in honor of whoever may happen to see you, this applies even when you’re alone.
|
|
Can I Let My AI Agent Run on Shabbat? Can it be likened to a pre-set timer?
|
What Happened to Queen Esther After the Purim Story? Precious little is known about this period, but some details may be gleaned from rabbinic sources.
|
|
Why Do We Rise Up During Kedushah? Kedushah reenacts the angels’ praise as we rise toward G-d and acknowledge His unknowable greatness.
|
Is Vaping Kosher? Marketed as a healthier alternative to smoking or as tool to stop smoking, it has turned into a widespread practice.
|
|
Where Did Moses Get His Staff & What Happened to It? Moses’ staff figures prominently throughout the story of the Exodus from Egypt and our ancestors’ subsequent sojourn in the desert. But Scripture doesn’t tell us the history of the staff.
|
What Is the Jewish View on Assisted Suicide? Life is a divine trust of infinite value, something no person has the right to give up or take away.
|
|
Non-Jews and Shabbat Shabbat, as it is kept by the Jewish people, is thus a unique bond through which G-d sanctifies His chosen people.
|
How Long Should Shabbat Candles Burn? What halachic benefit must Shabbat candles provide?
|
|
Is the New “Alt-Milk” Kosher Parve? From a halachic standpoint, would lab-generated milk proteins be considered kosher? And if they are kosher, would they be classified as dairy or pareve?
|
Rabbi: What If I Just Bought the Jewels Stolen from the Louvre? Buying stolen goods is described by the Sages as a “grave sin,” since doing so supports and encourages theft. But what if I was unaware?
|
|
Who Chose Simchat Torah as the Day to Start the Cycle? If the Torah was given on Shavuot, wouldn’t it make sense to celebrate the Torah and start the reading cycle then?
|
Why the Break Fast? It's Not (Just) Because We're Hungry!
|
|
Can I Knock Down a Drone That’s Invading My Privacy? There’s a concept in halachah called hezek re’iyah—“damage by seeing.”
|
What's Wrong With Meat or Wine During the Nine Days? Mourners may partake during shiva, so why is this time different?
|
|
Does Judaism Support Work Requirements for Benefits? Is legislation that ties programs like SNAP and Medicaid to work requirements consistent with Jewish law?
|
Why No Entry for 26th of Sivan? While some mark the 26th of Sivan as the yahrzeit of the great Talmudic sage Yonatan ben Uziel, there is little evidence to support this.
|
|
What Blessing Do You Make on Pizza? Is it Mezonot, like cake or crackers, or Hamotzi, like regular bread?
|
Is a Hot Dog a Sandwich? Would the blessing be Mezonot or Hamotzi?
|
|
Why Learn Pirkei Avot From Passover and On? Many communities study Pirkei Avot each week throughout the summer, all the way up until Rosh Hashanah.
|
Why Stay Up on the 7th Night of Passover? In many Jewish communities—both Ashkenazi and Sephardic—there’s a beautiful tradition of staying up late (or even all night) on Shevi’i shel Pesach.
|
|
Do We Really Dip Only on Passover Night? Don’t we dip apples into honey on Rosh Hashanah?
|
Why Wash (Two or) Three Times For Bread? The halachic and kabbalistic rationale for washing three times.
|
|
What Does Judaism Say About Tariffs? When did Abraham pay a tariff?
|
Maimonides: The Reluctant Doctor Who Changed Medicine The Scholar Who Became a Physician
|
|
Why Do Husbands Open the Ark During Pregnancy? Is this a recommended custom?
|
What Should You Do if You Miss Lighting Shabbat Candles? Do you need to light an additional candle going forward?
|
|
Are Alexa and Siri OK for Shabbat? What are the issues with using voice-activated devices on Shabbat?
|
Are AR Headsets Considered “Seeing”? Certain Jewish laws require that we actually see something. Does AR count?
|
|
Why Smell Fragrances on Yom Kippur? This custom stems from the obligation to recite 100 blessings each day.
|
What Does Jewish Astronaut Jared Isaacman Need to Know? When to pray? When is Shabbat? What to do when time and space are not what they are on earth?
|
|
Why Do Most Jews Not Wear Blue Tzitzit? A small (but growing) minority of Jewish men have begun affixing blue threads on their tzitzit. Should you?
|
The Mystery of Excommunication Why and how the ancient Cherem was applied
|
|
Can You Stop AI From Stealing Your Voice? Can anyone generate and use my likeness without my permission?
|
Why No “Nun” in Ashrei? Each verse starts with another letter of the Hebrew Alphabet--except for nun.
|
|
Why a Funeral for Burned Torah Scrolls? The respect we give to our human dead is akin to the respect we give to a destroyed Torah scroll.
|
Do I Need to Sell My Pets for Passover? Check your pet food to ensure it has no chametz ingredients.
|
|
Which “Scales” Make a Fish Kosher? Are shark scales considered “kosher scales"?
|
The Tetragrammaton: Why We Don't Pronounce G-d's Four-Letter Name This name possesses a power that can be easily misappropriated.
|
|
Are There Age Limits for Jewish Leaders? Can a person be disqualified from leadership based on age alone?
|
Why Is Kaddish Said for 11 Months? Children say Kaddish to assist the souls of their parents through divine judgment, which is as long as 12 months.
|
|
Take a Deep Dive into Mikvah Construction What is a Chabad (“bor al gabai bor”) Mikvah?
|
May a Non-Jew Display a Mezuzah? Halachah is cautious about giving these sacred scrolls to non-Jews. There are several reasons why.
|
|
What’s the Jewish View on Meds for Weight Loss? If your doctor were to prescribe this (or any) medication, it’s a mitzvah to take care of your health and listen to your doctor.
|
What’s Special About the Fifth Night of Chanukah? This night is reserved for celebration and (extra) gelt. Here’s the reason why.
|
|
Are Social Media Platforms Responsible for Fake News and Hate Speech? If a social media platform promotes hateful or harmful content, it could be seen as aiding wrongdoers.
|
Are Spouses Together in Heaven? You’ll be with your spouse in heaven, but perhaps not in the way that you imagine.
|
|
Why Are Israeli Soldiers Snapping up Tzitzit? Is it just about showing Jewish pride, or is there more to it?
|
Can I Build or Take Down a Sukkah on Chol Hamoed? The short answer is that you may both build and take down a sukkah on the intermediate days of Sukkot. But it’s not so simple.
|
Page of 8