Disclaimer: The opinions expressed here are that of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of the Union for Traditional Judaism, unless otherwise indicated.
by Rabbi Alan J Yuter
May an aveil/aveilah (mourner) in shloshim (30-day mourning period) crochet/knit/sew? I’m not finding anything on this.
by Rabbi Alan J Yuter
An Orthodox shul institutes the practice that a man who finishes shiva is honored with an aliya on the following Shabbat. There does not seem to be a source for this practice. What should be done, and when may a mourner have an aliya to the Torah?
by Rabbi Alan J Yuter
Is it permissible to say Kaddish after the Yizkor memorial prayer?
by Rabbi Alan J Yuter
Is cremation and burial in a mausoleum religiously acceptable in Judaism?
by Rabbi David Novak
May a man listen to a woman sing songs that are quotations from the Tanakh or from our tradition which praise the Holy One, Blessed be He, His Torah, His people Israel and His holy land of Israel?
by Rabbi David Novak
A couple was engaged to be married. Before the wedding, the bride informed her fiancee, who was a kohen (priest), that she had had relations with a non-Jew before they had met. Is she to be considered a zonah whom the Torah forbids a kohen to marry?
by Rabbi David Novak
A rabbi was once faced with the following scenario: A man’s wife died and within twelve months of her death, he was planning to remarry. The man’s son had his bar mitzvah after his mother’s death, but before his father’s upcoming marriage. The family’s period of mourning ended after thirty days. The father asked: Is it permissible to have a band play at the wedding or is his son, who is now past his bar mitzvah, required to observe the twelve-month period of mourning for his mother even though he was a minor at the time of her death (and had no obligation to mourn)? If the son was now required to mourn until the end of the twelve months, he would clearly not be able to attend the wedding if there was music.
by Rabbi Gershon Bacon
Is it permissible to use this (organ donation) card? Is there a version that would be better? Should people be encouraged to be organ donors to fulfill the mitzvah of saving a life?
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