Ask The Expert - My Jewish Learning

Taking Challah

Why do we burn up a little piece of dough when we make bread?
Honoring the Dead

What are the acronyms for honoring the dead and the living?
Yarmulkes and Men

Why do men wear yarmulkes, and women don't?
Early Candlelighting

How early is too early?
Tehilat Adonai

What's with the optional paragraph in the birkat hamazon?
Bitter Herbs

Is purple horseradish required?
Standing in shul

How do I know when to stand and when to sit?
Silence Before Bread

Why can't we talk between washing hands and eating bread?
Capital Punishment

How should we respond to adultery?
Shower on Shabbat

Can I rinse off on the holy day?
Slated Mezuzah

Why does the mezuzah go on a diagonal?
Medical Research

Does giving money for research count as charity?
Post Mortem Bris

Do we circumcise a baby who died before he was eight days old?
Gittin Timeframe

How long should I expect to wait for my Jewish divorce to come through?
Tzitzit Hanging Out

Why do some people tuck them in, and others let them hang free?
Kosher Pet Food

Can I feed my dog treyfe meat?
Public Transit on Shabbat

If I prepay, is it okay?
Buying Tefillin

What should I be looking for?
Military Funerals

How does a Jewish military funeral work?
Stones on Graves

What do the stones symbolize? Where does the custom come from?
Beyond Latkes

Going Beyond Latkes
Christmas Party

How can I make it less Christian?
Jewish Priests

Without the Temple, what do they do?
Adopted Mother

According to Jewish law, am I Jewish if my adopted mother is Jewish?
Getting an Aliyah

Why can't a non-Jew be called up to the Torah?
Kosher Certifications

What's the difference between the different hashgachot?
Welcoming Guests

How can I welcome without alienating?
Rain on Sukkot

Rain, rain, go away!
Wedding Shtick

Why do we perform for the bride and groom?
Why blow the shofar?

What's the point of using an ancient instrument
High Holiday Tickets

Why are they so expensive, and what are some alternative?
Visiting Colleges

How do I know what questions to ask?
Kabbalah at 40

Why are there age limits on Torah learning?
High Holidays Vacation Days

What's the best way to approach my boss?
Converting an Infant

How do we convert our adopted child?
Shabbat With No Sunset

How can I tell when Shabbat starts if it never gets dark?
Baby Showers

Is it against the rules, or just a superstition?
Organizations for All Jews

Who are the major players in worldwide Jewish life?
Ask the Expert: What's a Jewish Godparent?

Is it an offer you can't refuse?
Who's in the Kitchen

What does a mashgiach do?
Danger and Tzedakah

How much of a risk can I take to give to the needy?
Sunday Services

Are there any Reform Temples that still have their main service on Sunday?
Unaffiliated Young People

Why aren't the three big denominations enough anymore?
Jews in the Hospital

What should nurses know?
Using the Ocean as a Mikveh

How do you dunk in the ocean?
Shaving During the Omer

Can I shave my bikini line?
Graven Images

Is it okay to paint or sculpt the human form?
Yom Ha'atzmaut Activities

What can I do if there aren't any other Jews around?
Relating to the Holocaust

How can I impress the importance of the Holocaust on a non-Jew?
Eating Non-Kosher Food

How does punishment work in contemporary Jewish communities?
Making Everyone Happy at the Seder

How do I reduce conflict at my seder?
Selling Hametz

Can I do it myself?
New Seder

How can I prepare for a different seder?
Mishloach Manot

How do I give these gifts?
Wedding Timing

When can we get married?
Secret Name

Why keep baby names under wraps?
Conversion Etiquette

Do I have to share my journey to Judaism?
Proselytism

Why don't Jews seek converts?
Interdating & In-Laws

He doesn't like that I'm a non-Jew dating his Jewish daughter.
Biblical Role Models

How can I look up to characters in the Bible?
Shabbat Alone

How do I observe Shabbat without my family?
Praying with Non-Jews

What's an appropriate ecumenical prayer?
Hanukkah Bush

How should I explain to my kids why I don't want one?
Besiyata Dishmaya

What do those three letters stand for?
Mevushal Wine

What's so special about Mevushal wine?
Red String Bracelet

What's the big deal about this practice?
Blessing Over Non-Kosher Food

Can I say birkat hamazon on treyf food?
Joint Aliyot

Can two people be called up to the Torah at once?
The Odd Couple

Can I convert to Judaism even though my husband isn't interested in following suit?
Expensive Meat

Why so pricey?
Etrogim

Etrogim--what are they good for?
Standing for Kaddish

Remembering the Victims of the Holocaust
Apologizing

How should I say I'm sorry?
Covered Eyes

Are you afraid of the dark?
Lost Tribes

Who were they and where are they?
Conversion Certificate

How do I make aliyah without my conversion certificate?
Burying the Genizah

What should be done with old Torah scrolls and sacred texts?
Pareve Chicken

Why is chicken fleishig?
Huppah

What are the rules for building a Jewish wedding canopy?
Which Kippah Should I Wear?

What's the best head covering for a newly observant Jew?
Matzah Balls Vs. Kreplach

What's the difference?
Caring for Jewish Bodies

What's the appropriate post-mortem care for a Jewish person?
Fins and Scales

How can you be sure a fish is kosher?
New Home

How do I make move-in day Jewish?
Shabbat activities

How do I occupy myself on this day of rest?
Who was Jesus?

A man, a myth, or a God?
Conversion Lineage

Why are all converts called the children of Abraham and Sarah?
Missing Persons

How do we mourn without a body?
Meat and Fish

Why do some people avoid eating meat and fish together?
Matrilineal Descent

Why is Judaism passed down through the mother?
Tattooed Convert

How do past actions influence a conversion?
Kashrut in Shtetls

Were there two sets of dishes in the shtetls?
Animal Experiments

Can we cause an animal to suffer to save a human life?
Egg Donors

Who's Your Mommy?
120 Knesset Members

Why Not 100? Or 150?
Shabbat in the Dark

When we can't see the sunset through the clouds, how do we know when Shabbat starts?
Dog Food for Passover

Matzah for Fido?
Gluten Free Matzah

What should Celiac sufferers eat during Passover?
Jews for Jesus

What do you say to a friend who is interested in Jews for Jesus?
Are Xenotransplants Kosher?

Can A Jewish Person Receive A Transplanted Heart Valve From A Pig?
Blotting out Amalek

How do we know who's an Amalekite?
Cornbread as Challah

What counts as bread?

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