Why is the land of Israel called a “land flowing with milk and honey”?

The phrase was used to describe the Promised Land when the Jews were still in Egypt (Exodus 3:8,17;13:5), and many times when they were in the desert (Exodus 33:3; Lev. 20:24; Numbers 13:27;14:8;16:14; Deuteronomy 6:3; 11:9; 26:9,15; 27:3; 31:20). When the phrase is used for the first time, Nachmanides explains that it’s a way of dramatizing the fertility and productivity of the land: The abundance of milk indicates that the cattle thrive on the good air, water, and pasturage; and that the fruit is so rich and sweet that its juices drip like honey.

Rabbi Azriel Schreiber

I live in a very remote area, hours away from any Synagogue. I have been reading about, and considering, conversion to Judaism for some time. The problem is my distance from a Jewish community. How would I go about converting to Judaism if the traditional ceremonies, and access to a Rabbi, are not available to me?

Simply speaking, you cannot convert under these circumstances. A Jew must live in a community of Jews with access to synagogue life, a mikveh, kosher food, and opportunities for Torah study.

However, you can commence a conversion process by reading books such as “To Be a Jew”, by Rabbi Hayim Donin, and “This is My God”, by Herman Wouk. You can also do some long distance Torah study. However, any Orthodox rabbi will require you to live within walking distance of a synagogue and live through a year of Jewish Festivals.

Best wishes,

Rabbi Michael Katz

My husband and I both work, and we have been having some “discussions” regarding the level to which my husband must contribute to household expenses. (Don’t worry, we’re getting marriage counseling.) What are my rights according to Jewish law? Can he opt out of supporting me just because I have a job?

Thank you for your question. This issue is discussed in the Shulchan Aruch (Even HaEzer 69:4). A husband must provide for his wife’s and family’s needs, and, in return for doing this, he is entitled to keep her salary. However, a woman can opt out and say, “I prefer my salary and will provide my own needs.” Yet, although the husband cannot say, “You keep your salary and I won’t support you,” he can tell her, “Use your salary towards your expenses, and, if it isn’t enough, I will provide you with whatever extra is necessary.”

Rabbi Aaron Tendler

Question: I was born Jewish to a family that had very limited ties to the Jewish tradition. I married a Christian woman in her church several years ago. The pastor of the church agreed to marry us, but required that I undergo a baptism by water before he could marry us. I agreed.

Now, after a messy divorce, I am returning to my roots. Yet, when I recently told a Rabbi about the baptism, he frowned and told me that I no longer was considered to be a Jew. My jaw dropped and I could not believe my ears. I have never once accepted Jesus as my lord and savior, and only agreed to be baptized to satisfy the pastor’s policy. He never once told me that Baptism equals conversion from Judaism to Christianity!

Can you provide me with the true nature of my status and what I must do in order to become reinstated (if, in fact, I had been duped out of my faith)?

Answer: The rabbi to whom you spoke was mistaken. While there is a custom that one who leaves the faith should go to the mikvah upon returning, other than that you remain today what you always were—my Jewish brother.

Rabbi Yosef Friedman

Question: Are there any jobs that Jews are not allowed to hold because of Jewish law?

Answer: That is a jam packed question. The answer is yes: Any job that would require you to violate a Jewish Law would be prohibited. For example, any job that requires working on the Sabbath, or some jobs dealing with non-kosher food, etc.

Another example of this is that a kohen cannot become a doctor. The reason for this is that Jewish law prohibits kohanim from coming in contact with the dead (with few exceptions). A doctor (at least in his training, if not professionally) has to regularly come in contact with the dead. This would be yet another example of a profession that is forbidden (at least to kohanim) by Jewish law.

Please let me know if there is something more specific that you had in mind.

Take care,
Rabbi Landis

Question: Can I know if my wife is my soul-mate? Her first name is Denise and her mother’s first name is Rebbecca. My first name is Steve and my mother’s first name is Freida.

Answer: First, a serious relationship like marriage cannot be determined by merely examining names. Marriage is about sharing, caring, and giving to each other. The marriage would be shallow if it depended on the coincidence of certain names.

Second: You shouldn’t be asking using the past tense, but rather using the future. That is, you shouldn’t ask, “Was this marriage decreed?”, but rather, “How will I make this marriage perfect?”

Notice, that even a marriage made in heaven like that of Adam and Eve can be marred. Eve ruined her marriage and caused the expulsion of man from Paradise. It can be inferred from Biblical nuances that Adam separated from Eve for a long time (after which they got back together).

Thus we see, that the important thing in a marriage is, as indicated above, sharing, caring and giving to each other. As a couple continuously practices this, their marriage becomes more and more ideal.

Respectfully
Russell Jay Hendel

Question: Is it true that a glass table does not need “place-mats” to differentiate between dairy and meat?

Answer: The custom is to be lenient and allow glass (which is not used in the oven or other similar place) to be used for both meat and dairy. One needs to make sure, though, that it is perfectly clean. In fact, many are careful not to use it for both meat and dairy, even when clean.

All the best,

Rabbi Yirmiyahu Benyowitz

Question: At any time in Biblical history did the Jewish people neglect the sabbatical years and have judgment laid on them for this? If so, could you cite the verses where this can be found?

Answer: When Rashi (Leviticus 26:35) points out that the seventy years of Babylonian exile were in response to failure to keep the Sabbatical year, he adds that this means that there were seventy Sabbatical years that weren’t properly observed. Now, that’s a minimum of 490 years of prior history, one every seven years. I would assume that he means that in their entire history, from coming into the land until the destruction of the First Temple, there were 70 Sabbatical years that were not kept properly. The final punishment for all of them was the exile to Babylon.

Best wishes,
Michoel Reach

Question: If, in the time of moses, the law was so difficult for the Israelites, then how can the laws still be applicable in our day?

Answer: People may say that the law was, or is, difficult. Yet, Scripture itself points to the untruth of that statement. It says in Deuteronomy 30:10-14, “If you obey the LORD your God to keep His commandments and His statutes which are written in this book of the law, if you turn to the Lord your God with all your heart and soul. For this commandment which I command you today is not too difficult for you, nor is it out of reach. It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will go up to heaven for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?’ Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will cross the sea for us to get it for us and make us hear it, that we may observe it?’ But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may observe it.”

The Scriptures themselves tell us that G-d has not asked us anything that is too difficult for us to do, and that we are completely capable of obeying His law. It is only self deception that convinces us that it is not possible. (more…)

Question: What were the merits of Benjamin, so that his tribe, in addition to Judah’s, was preserved into modern times?

Answer: Thank you for your interesting question! I think it’s important to point out that all the tribes were preserved. The large majority of ten of the tribes went into exile, but they are still out there somewhere. Someday they will return to us. Moreover, even among the Jews we know today, all the tribes are represented. There were some people from different tribes who were living in the area of Judah, and went into exile along with the rest of us. Thus, we find in the Midrash and Talmud people who were descended from Joseph, as well as from other tribes.

Still, you are certainly correct that most people of the other tribes were exiled out of our present kin. Benjamin was not, and that requires an explanation. I would start by mentioning that Benjamin is listed in the Gemara Shabbos 55b as being one of the four human beings who never did a sin in their lives. He wasn’t involved in the sale of Joseph (by circumstance, of course), and that counts for a lot; much of what caused the destruction of the first Temple had to do with strife between the brothers, which was never fully healed. Benjamin also avoided bowing to Esau, also by circumstance: He hadn’t yet been born! This is one of the explanations given as to why his descendant Mordechai would not bow to Haman: Benjamin doesn’t have to. All of these things contribute to his being (relatively) immune to exile by the nations.

Each of the tribes had its own focus and its own specialness. The truth is that Benjamin, in a certain sense, is really the central tribe. Both Jacob and Moses blessed him that the Temple should be built in his territory (see Rashi on their blessings). The Temple was actually built on the border between Benjamin and Judah, but the Talmud explains that all the most important parts, and the Shechinah, were entirely in Benjamin’s section. As I mentioned before, Benjamin never sinned (though of course his descendants often did); therefore he represents the part of our nation that remains pure in its service to G-d.

In a very real sense, I might want to turn your question around: Why did Judah get to stay with Benjamin more than the other tribes? To that question, we can use Nachmanides’ principle: Events in the lives of our forefathers are precursors to the subsequent history of the nation. When Judah offers himself as a slave in place of Benjamin and wins him back from Joseph (see Genesis Chapter 44), he forged a permanent connection between himself and Benjamin that could never be broken. That’s when Judah earned kingship and dominion over the place (and tribe) that is the focus of connection to God.

Best wishes,
Michoel Reach

Question: Is it necessary to wear an undergarment under the talis katan? Why/why not?

Answer: Thank you for your question. The only reason to wear an undergarment under your talis katan would be if doing so would prevent the fringes themselves from coming into contact with the sweat on your body. If they hang down anyway, there is no such requirement.

Take care,

Rabbi Aaron Tendler

Question: According to Jewish law, how many times must we forgive someone who wronged us?

Answer: You are not obligated to forgive unless the perpetrator asks you to do so. If he admits to having wronged you, expresses true regret, and undertakes not to repeat the wrongdoing, then you should forgive him. If asked in this way, you should extend forgiveness—even many times.

We should keep in mind that we may also sin to God repeatedly, and that we ask him to forgive us. If we will be forgiving towards our brother, then we can hope that God will also deal with us with forgiveness.

Rabbi Azriel Schreiber

[Editor – See here for more questions and answers on forgiveness between man and man.]

Question: If I give a poor person a few dollars (whatever it is that I have available) and they ask for more, saying that what I gave is not enough, what is the proper response? Should I give them more? Should I walk away? Am I to feel guilty? Should they have any responsibility in this occurring? I know I am not supposed to embarrass them, but what if they embarrass me?

Answer: Be polite and tell them that this what I have. You can walk away and should not feel guilty. How they should act is a question that should be posed by them to a Rabbi. Unfortunately, we often would like to base our responses on what the “other guy” should be doing. Our job is to worry about our own spirituality before the next guy’s, and to consider his physical needs before our own. If he embarrasses you, try to understand how desperate he must be.

All the best,

RYB

Question: Can a person shave his beard in the days of the omer?

Answer: Thank you for your question. The custom is for a person to conduct himself as if he were in semi-mourning during a portion of the counting of the omer, and not to shave his beard. Some observe this from Passover until Lag B’Omer (the 33rd day in the counting of the omer). Others observe this from Rosh Chodesh Iyar until 3 days before Shavuos.

Take care,

Rabbi Aaron Tendler

Question: I have a question about Orlah (the prohibition against eating a tree’s fruits for the first 3 years, and restrictions on eating the fruits of year 4—See Leviticus 19:23-26). Why did God give that law? Was there a cognate practice in the neighboring peoples of ancient Israel?

Answer: Nachmanides ad locum explains that one of the reasons for the commandment is that we must offer the first yield to God before we may partake of the produce ourselves. However, the fruits born in the first three years tend to be smaller and less fragrant / tasty. Therefore, they are not fitting to be used as an offering. Therefore, we are commanded to not partake of the fruits until the fourth year, after giving a proper offering to God.

Maimonides, in his philosophical work Moreh Nevuchim (3:37), explains this commandment in a more historical context. It was common practice in the ancient world for sorcerers to perform a certain type of witchcraft while a tree was being planted in the ground. The hope was that the tree would then give forth fruit quicker than normal. When the fruits would come, the sorcerers would offer the produce to the particular idol that had been mentioned in the wizardry. Therefore, the Torah commanded us to refrain from eating the fruits until the fourth year, the time when most trees naturally (as opposed to through metaphysical means) give forth fruit. Thus, this commandment would serve as a deterrent to doing such sorcery, by reversing the trend from presenting fruit to the idols, to offering the first fruits to God.

Yochai Robkin

Question: Since Judaism is passed through maternal lineage, the children of a woman who strays from Judaism will be Jewish without their knowledge. Her daughters will marry, and they will have children who are Jewish without their knowledge. This can happen for many generations, with all of the women creating Jewish progeny – although they don’t know it!

Additionally, with the ten lost tribes out there somewhere, ignorant of their true heritage, it seems that an effort should be made to encourage people to get DNA tested, and return to God and Israel if they test positive. What do you think?

Answer: Since Judaism is not racist and allows all who are sincere to join the religion, it is pretty much impossible to come up with genetic markers for being Jewish. Since the Aaronic priesthood passes through the male line, there is a genetic marker for the Priestly tribe. However, this is fairly meaningless today since a person could carry the priest DNA without even being Jewish. Males with the genetic marker could have married non-Jewish women and still pass their DNA on to their non-Jewish sons.

In theory, you are right that there are probably millions of people in the world who have Jewish blood. Since they are unlikely to be able to trace their Jewish heritage in an unbroken maternal line, it is not of practical significance. You can also consider the hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of descendants from those Jews in Spain and Portugal who were forcefully converted to Catholicism, but remained genetically Jewish. Many of these Jews are finding their way back to Judaism in our times.

Rabbi Michael Katz

Question: My next door neighbor is a Christian, and constantly reads Jesus and the cross into the Torah. Lately she’s asking me about the significance of the Jews in Egypt putting the blood of the Paschal lamb in three places – the lintel and two side posts. Previously, she has argued that the populations and arrangements of the tribes around the ark in the desert would have formed the shape of a cross from above. I don’t buy into these arguments, but I’m not sure how to answer her back. She is convinced that there allusions to Jesus all over the place. Argh! Any help (short of calling the movers…) would be great.

Answer: I can understand how frustrating this must be. Unfortunately, Christians do read Jesus into every page of the bible, including the Hebrew Scriptures. But just because someone wants to see it, doesn’t make it true.

The blood was applied to the lintel and the door posts of the house because that is what God asked the Jewish people to do. It was a simple act of obedience. The blood did not form a cross, it formed a squared-off, upside-down “u”. They can read into it what they want, but this had nothing to do with Jesus. Moreover, it wasn’t applied in three places, it was applied in one place – the door frame (which includes a top and two sides).

Concerning the shape of the cross, we have a different issue. Is every addition problem with a plus sign an allusion to Jesus? The cross was a pagan symbol thousands of years before Jesus, and there were hundreds of thousands of people killed on crosses, not just one.

Unfortunately, this is almost like a form of Christian superstition: If someone wants to see images of Mary in pancakes, or cheese doodles in the shape of Jesus, they will see it; and if someone wants to see a cross in every story of the Torah, they will see that, too.

All the best,

Penina Taylor

Question: Are web-footed fowl considered kosher or unkosher? I was certain that I had read in Scripture that they are unclean, but now I cannot find it again. Do I remember incorrectly?

Answer: The Torah does not give signs by which to identify acceptable birds, so we
rely on tradition. Ducks and geese are considered kosher, while swans are not.

Best wishes,

Rabbi Michael Katz

I am an Orthodox, Ashkenazi Jew. However, I find it hard to understand why, in certain cases, if an Ashkenazi is forbidden to act one way, it would be permitted for a Sefardi? For example, a Sefardi who consumes kitniyot on Pesach is not committing a wrong due to the fact that his minhag allows for it. Yet, an Ashkenazi who eats the very same item has just done a transgression, due to the fact that his custom forbids its consumption on Pesach. How can the same act be permitted for one segment of Jews and forbidden for another?

Your question is a very tall order, but I will try to give you at least a partial answer.

It is very unfortunate that we are currently in golus (exile). In the ideal situation, any questions in Jewish law would be posed to the Sanhedrin (the high court), and their ruling would be binding on all. Since then, there have been disagreements amongst the sages as to how/what to do. There were some communities that followed their local sage, and others that followed theirs. Up to the time of the completion of the Talmud, the sages did get together, and, at those times, rulings were made on most of these cases with the majority opinion being binding on all. After that time, the exile has made it that each community follows its individual rulings, and, with few exceptions, those rulings are binding on that community; but not beyond it—even where the majority is one way or the other. When a person moved (permanently) from one community to another, he would take on the minhagim and rulings of his new community and drop all previous customs. The exile has gotten worse, and we no longer have a such a strong sense of community. We live with many communities jumbled together, each keeping its own minhagim and rulings. However, in some senses, we have maintained our community identities. All Ashkenazi Jews are considered to be one community for those rulings and customs which all (or most) Ashkenazi Jews have adopted; and the same is true of Sefardi Jews. This holds true when there is an independent community (i.e. a synagogue) for each group. (It may require more than just a synagogue for the implementation of certain community-based customs, such as certain minhagim pertaining to kosher laws. Speak to a competent authority of Jewish law for more details.)

With regard to your example of kitniyot on Passover, the only case in which you could change your custom is if you were to move to a country where there is no Ashkenazi community. In fact, in this case, you would require specific circumstances in order to maintain the stricter custom of your father. However, the necessary conditions required for this are beyond the scope of this format.

I hope this is helpful,

Rabbi Y. Benyowitz

Question: Is organ transplantation permissible for the prolongation of human life?

Answer: Organ transplantation is an important, yet complicated, part of Torah law. There are many details and nuances, and each specific case must be dealt with accordingly.

In concept, though, organ transplantation is not only permissible, but it is indeed the fulfillment of the mitzvah to save a life. That does not mean, though, that everyone should be an organ donor. The practices of organ harvest must be analyzed and scrutinized to insure that it does not constitute murder. Organs are most viable for transplant while the donor is still living, and they degenerate after death. There are places where death is hastened, or even caused, to get the organs for donation. In other cases, organs might be taken even before a person might be considered dead in Jewish law. Because of the severity of murder, a competent authority must be consulted before making these decisions.

Of course, this is all for vital organs, which can only be taken from donors after death. Live donation of a kidney, or other non-vital organs, is always permissible to prolong another person’s life.

Best wishes,

R’ Daniel Fleksher