Q and A

Can I use vinegar to clean non-food items during Passover?

Forgot to put up the cholent before Shabbat—are you stuck with cold food?

Fruma is a Jewish girls’ name, whose meaning is not as straightforward as you might think!

Don’t we dip apples into honey on Rosh Hashanah?

Feivel is a Yiddish boys’ name, meaning “bright,” “light,” or “shining.” The original (and still used) form of this name is Feivish, a corruption of phoeubus, “bright,” in Greek. Feivel is often appended to Uri (Hebrew for “fire”) or Shraga (Aramaic for “...

How Do I Explain G-d to My Grandchildren?

Esther is a popular Jewish name, most closely associated with Queen Esther.

This year, Purim falls on a Friday. For most of the day’s observances—hearing the Megillah, giving gifts to the poor, and sending food to friends and family—this just means we need to be a bit more organized. But when it comes to the Purim feast, things g...

About 150 years ago, archeologists identified the location of Shushan as the current village of Shush in today’s Iran. It is also known as Susa.

Every week, our “Ask the Rabbi” inbox is full of questions. We never know what to expect; the questions are as diverse as the Jewish people! Here is a sampling of some of the recent questions we’ve been asked (with all identifying information removed): Ca...