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Last answer posted on: 2 Sep 2010

Questions answered to date: 1675

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Showing Questions in 'Understanding Judaism'

Question No.	1588
Category	Understanding Judaism
Date Posted	3 Jan 2009
The Question	I am a 13 year old Jewish traditional boy who is growing in Judaism. I try very hard to accomplish mitzvot but my uncle is a believer in G-d but he thinks that we have been put on this world for our own pleasure and he thinks that there shouldn't really be Torah. What do I reply to him cause it's a hard subject and he says that people could live without Torah. I agree in a way but I think he needs an explanation. —Josh Morrison, Manchester England
The Answer	Click here to listen to Rabbi Leff's answer.

Question No.	1551
Category	Understanding Judaism
Date Posted	25 Nov 2008
The Question	B'kavod Ha'Rav, Where do we draw the line between the need to ask Da'as Torah and making choices ourselves? —Anonymous, Unites States
The Answer	Click here to listen to Rabbi Leff's answer.

Question No.	1522
Category	Understanding Judaism
Date Posted	31 Aug 2008
The Question	Where is there proof of Judaism, and how do we know that we are not being brainwashed and just sheltered from another true religion? —Anonymous, Manchester
The Answer	Click here to listen to Rabbi Leff's answer.

Question No.	1478
Category	Understanding Judaism
Date Posted	14 May 2008
The Question	L'kovud harav. We have had same serious shaylos lately and were directed to certain Gedolim who we respected but they did not know us. It seems they answered us correctly, even though initially we had our doubts, we listen to daas Torah. Our great disappointment though and "slap" in the face was the perception that they just didn't care. They did not come across as having any compassion for our situation. I would venture to say that it was somewhat of a chilul Hashem even though they were right - their approach stunk. Is this just a matter of yeridas hadoros? —Anonymous, Baltimore, MD
The Answer	Click here to listen to Rabbi Leff's answer.

Question No.	1335
Category	Understanding Judaism
Date Posted	17 Mar 2007
The Question	If everything G-d does is for our best, then why does a Jew mourn? Maybe a Jew should be happy? Of course mourning makes sense after losing a loved one, but I am trying to understand what intention one should have when G-d forbid one has to mourn? Should the intentions be mourning because of missing the person, etc.? Thank you Rabbi for you precious time. —Anonymous, New York
The Answer	Click here to listen to Rabbi Leff's answer.

Question No.	1109
Category	Understanding Judaism
Date Posted	28 Oct 2005
The Question	Dear Rabbi! What is Judaism's attitude towards dogs as pets. The Gemara talks about dogs being unclean animals and you find streams within Judaism that find dogs repulsing (as do many arabs). I once walked someone's dog and a man came up to me and said that he thought religious Jews were not supposed to have dogs. —Meir, Jerusalem, Israel
The Answer	Click here to listen to Rabbi Leff's answer.

Question No.	945
Category	Understanding Judaism
Date Posted	4 Aug 2005
The Question	Hello. I had some thoughts regarding question 907 and who created Hashem. I do not wish to imply in any way any deficiency in the Rav's answer but I use this as an opening for me to express my thoughts on the topic to an authority I highly respect who perhaps can give some feedback... I was thinking that since Hashem created everything - including concepts and ideas themselves, as hard as it would be to understand, Hashem would also have to create the concept or idea of Himself. He would also have to create the concept and reality of something "being able to be created". If things like logic and concepts had to exist independantly, then that would seem to me to be a form of shituf. So even applying "infinity" to Hashem would seem to be like shituf because Hashem would have also had to create the idea and reality of the "infinite" which could not have always existed. This is why I thought that we can only understand Hashem's manifestation in the Universe but nothing at all about Hashem since anything we think had at some time not existed even in potential and so Hashem is independant of any idea we can contemplate. I hope I explained my thoughts correctly. —Anonymous, United States
The Answer	Click here to listen to Rabbi Leff's answer.

Question No.	888
Category	Understanding Judaism
Date Posted	12 Jul 2005
The Question	Can you explain in more detail the meaning of "Covered in the Dust of your Rabbi" compared to Jesus Christ and His followers and how it all fits into the Bible. —Sherry McClain, Arkansas
The Answer	Click here to listen to Rabbi Leff's answer.

Question No.	874
Category	Understanding Judaism
Date Posted	7 Jul 2005
The Question	Is it accurate to say that the Torah (obviously not the written form) was in existence forever? —Anonymous, USA
The Answer	Click here to listen to Rabbi Leff's answer.

Question No.	777
Category	Understanding Judaism
Date Posted	26 Apr 2005
The Question	For about seven years I have been putting this off, but I would like to go through an Orthodox conversion. I can't call myself a goy, but surely can't call myself a Jew halachaly speaking (my mother isn't Jewish - although there may be evidence on having some Jewish blood on that side of my family, but she's Christian as well as her parents). Besides this persistant "drive" in me to become/live Jewish, when I look back at events and circumstances surrounding my life they all seem to point me in this direction. My non-observant Jewish friends think I'm nuts! I am NOT a secret Christian seeking to "convert" Jews either. But obviously with my upbringing I have a predisposition in believing in who the Mashiach is, but I stay out of the debate because to me it's not a deciding factor on whether to be Jewish or not - I'll base that belief on reason and revelation from study & midrash. Anyway (1) What are the steps in an Orthodox conversion for both men & women (my wife)? (2)What problems/obsticles/issues do you forsee in my conversion? (3) Would you support my decision? (4) If so, and because it is very important to me, where can I find a Tzaddik Rabbi to welcome me, give me love and guidance through the process? Thank you, Eli D. —Anonymous, Los Angeles, CA
The Answer	Click here to listen to Rabbi Leff's answer.

Question No.	706
Category	Understanding Judaism
Date Posted	28 Feb 2005
The Question	BS"D Question #1) What is the hashkofoh behind wearing tefillin? What is their significance? Question 2) Why should a Jew wear tzitzis (other than the obvious reason: because Hashem said so)? —Anonymous, Chutz Laaretz
The Answer	Click here to listen to Rabbi Leff's answer.

Question No.	667
Category	Understanding Judaism
Date Posted	17 Jan 2005
The Question	Dear Rabbi, I am a middle of the road, young orthodox Jew. I try to learn when possible and am blessed with the ability to see and appreciate H’ in everything that I do. I am a university student and due to exam stresses over Shabbat I read some of my revision notes instead of enjoying the Sabbath to the full. Since then I have been losing things, firstly those revision notes went missing, and then my glasses, all from places where they could not have gone missing. I know it sounds silly but I believe that H’ is trying to direct me, or at least illustrate a point. I truly regret wasting my Shabbat, and will try as hard as possible not to get into that situation again. Am I crazy or is H’ sending me a message? Many thanks for taking the time to answer my question, I really enjoy listening to your answers. —David, Leeds, UK
The Answer	Click here to listen to Rabbi Leff's answer.

Question No.	633
Category	Understanding Judaism
Date Posted	27 Dec 2004
The Question	What is the exstent of bitachon? do i have to trust that hashem will ensure that somone else will recieve something is taking an active role to ensure that the thingis delived to the person a lack of my betachon —Anonymous, Jerusalem
The Answer	Click here to listen to Rabbi Leff's answer.

Question No.	607
Category	Understanding Judaism
Date Posted	5 Dec 2004
The Question	What is Judaism? —Blathnaid, County Offaly, Ireland
The Answer	Click here to listen to Rabbi Leff's answer.

Question No.	596
Category	Understanding Judaism
Date Posted	29 Nov 2004
The Question	What does the Rav hold on Eliezer Bberkovits' book "Essential Essays on Judaism"? — Anonymous, Telzstone
The Answer	Click here to listen to Rabbi Leff's answer.

Question No.	562
Category	Understanding Judaism
Date Posted	28 Nov 2004
The Question	Can you explain what Shabbat is? —Jessica, Wales
The Answer	Click here to listen to Rabbi Leff's answer.

Question No.	524
Category	Understanding Judaism
Date Posted	14 Nov 2004
The Question	Why is the torah important? Anonmyous, Florida
The Answer	Click here to listen to Rabbi Leff's answer.

Question No.	238
Category	Understanding Judaism
Date Posted	Mid 2003
The Question	Hello and G-d bless you, I’m not Jewish, but I am trying to understand the Jewish faith as best I can. Recently, I was speaking to a Roman Catholic who claims their doctrine of purgatory, as they understand it, is also believed in Judaism as well. I’ve done some research and found very limited passages in the Talmud regarding a purgatorial state, yet I’m not sure if the Roman Catholic view and the Jewish view truly do agree. Roman Catholicism teaches that those that die with mortal sin will go into eternal punishment (Hell, Gehenna); those who die with lesser sins (venial) will go to purgatory where they will suffer indefinitely until they are purified from the stains of sin; finally, those who die in a state of grace will go to heaven. They also claim that the Kaddish is an example of prayer for the dead, but from what I understand, it isn’t a prayer for the dead, but rather, the Kaddish is a prayer acknowledging G-d’s sovereignty and has more to do with the mourner than for the deceased. From what I understand regarding the Jewish view, there is no clear definition of hell, but there is no such thing as eternal punishment. All will spend some time in a purgatory, but the most one can spend there is 12 months and that would be for the most evil of people. With that in mind, what about a Hitler or a Stalin? Would evil people this be guaranteed heaven after going through purgatory? Is purgatory like the Catholic version where one suffers until they are purged from sin? Or is it something else entirely? Also, how do the Rabbis interpret it? It seems that the school of Shammai believed that there will be three groups on Judgment Day; the wicked, the righteous, and those in-between but the school of Hillel seemed not to believe in purgatory, saying that, He who is Master of grace tends towards grace (Babylonian Talmud, Rosh HaShanah 16b-17a). And what of the roots of the purgatorial belief? According to the Jewish Encyclopedia, Kaufman Kohler claims that the idea came from Zend-Avesta (Zoroastrian scripture). Was this belief in purgatory an influence on Judaism or is the belief Torah-based? I know that these are many questions to answer, but like I stated earlier, I really am trying to understand. Shalom. Anonymoys, Illinois
The Answer	Click here to listen to Rabbi Leff's answer.

Question No.	121
Category	Understanding Judaism
Date Posted	Late 2002
The Question	Please, sir, I'm learning about your religion. I have read that 2 different Torahs exist. One was written in Jerusalem the other in Baghdad. Is there a conflict of which is the correct one. If not are they both now one Torah. Is this a non issue? Have separations of the Jewish faith or controversies arisen due to this? All info will be appreciated. Thank you, sir. George, Munich, Germany
The Answer	Click here to listen to Rabbi Leff's answer.

Question No.	44
Category	Understanding Judaism
Date Posted	Late 2002
The Question	How does one make her parents understand and accept her beliefs and way of life, if her parents are not religious and disagree with some of her actions? Thank you! Elisheva Peyrus, Brooklyn, NY
The Answer	Click here to listen to Rabbi Leff's answer.

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