'Ask the Rabbi'

Originally published in The Jewish Chronicle. Date unknown: The members of a certain religious sect refuse to have blood transfusions. As a fundamental tenet of their creed, they maintain that, according to the Bible, blood should not be taken. Where does the Bible imply this prohibition and what is the Jewish position regarding life-saving by blood…...

Originally published in The Jewish Chronicle. Date unknown: Is there any objection to the symbol of the cross in artwork? I know of one Jewish school in which a master was advised to cover or remove any crosses which appeared in pictures of an historical nature. It is forbidden to have any use from a crucifix…...

Originally published in The Jewish Chronicle. Date unknown: “All Israel have a portion in the world to come.” What does this mean? The saying is found in the Mishna (Sanhedrin 10, 1). It is not, however, as exclusive as it appears to be on the face, and presumably it is that which bothers you. For one…...

Originally published in The Jewish Chronicle. Date unknown: Many of the Psalms are headed “A song of degrees.” What does this mean? The New English Bible treats this and similar headings to the Psalms as later interpolations of which the meaning is uncertain and so does not give them at all. Such a procedure seems unwarrantable…...

Originally published in The Jewish Chronicle. Date unknown: I am confused by the report of the Israeli court case about the marriage of a Cohen with a divorced woman. Could you please explain the issues involved? Leviticus 21, 7, reads: “They (i.e. Cohanim) shall not take a woman that is a harlot, or profaned, neither shall…...

Originally published in The Jewish Chronicle. Date unknown: Some of our religious leaders have now come out against discrimination on colour grounds. Can you give me precise references from the sources that this is abhorrent to Judaism? When Miriam and Aaron criticise Moses for marrying an Ethiopian (= dark-skinned) woman they are sternly rebuked by God…...

Originally published in The Jewish Chronicle.  Date unknown: Is it permitted to call a woman to the Reading of the Law? Contrary to what is generally assumed, there is no objection to a woman who has her period coming near to the Sefer Torah (see Berachot 42a), so whatever reason there is to prevent a…...

Originally published in The Jewish Chronicle. Rosh Hashanah 28 August 1970: Why is the shofar blown during the month of Ellul? Ellul, the last month of the Jewish year, is traditionally the time of preparation for the new, leading up to Rosh Hashana, the Solemn Season and Yom Kippur. The shofar is blown in synagogue every…...

Originally published in The Jewish Chronicle.  Date unknown: Some people say that persons both of whose parents are alive must not visit cemeteries. Is this superstition? I have been unable to find any reference to this in the sources so that it is probably based on superstition. It is possible that since persons with parents…...

Originally published in The Jewish Chronicle.  Date unknown: I understand that there are various mystical rites connected with Lag b’Omer. Can you tell me about them? From the sixteenth century onwards, Lag b’Omer became identified with the day on which the second-century teacher, Rabbi Simeon ben Yohai (according to the Cabalists, the author of the…...

Originally published in The Jewish Chronicle.  Hanukah 18 December 197[?]: During the power-cuts some people used yahrzeit candles or Chanucah candles for illumination. Is this permitted? Both the Yahrzeit candle and the Chanucah candles may be used for the purpose you mention except that the Chanucah lights must not be used while they are actually…...

Originally published in The Jewish Chronicle.  Date unknown: I see that a Southend rabbi refused to attend a shiva for a person who was cremated. What is the reason? Reform and liberal congregations permit cremation if it is carried out in a reverential manner. Orthodoxy, however, is severely opposed to cremation for a number of…...

Originally published in The Jewish Chronicle.  Date unknown: What is kosher cheese? Is it made of supervised milk without rennet? Yes, but it is the absence of rennet which really counts not the supervised milk. The reason for supervised milk (where this is still observed) is in order to prevent the introduction into the milk…...

Originally published in The Jewish Chronicle.  Date unknown: What type of wine may be used for Friday evening kiddush? The details of the kinds of wine that may be used for kiddush are stated in the Shulchan Aruch (Orach Chayim 272). Here it is recorded that although Nachmanides holds that white wine should not be…...

Originally published in The Jewish Chronicle.  Passover 17 April 1970: Is it permitted to invite non-Jews to the Seder table? Why not? If you are thinking of Exodus 12, 43 (“no stranger shall eat thereof”), this obviously applies only to the Paschal lamb in Temple times. It is the practice nowadays in many Jewish homes…...