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Q. Psalms 19:7 reads: “The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul.” How do souls convert?

A. They don’t. My translation reads differently than yours. “The law of G-d is wholesome, returning the soul.”…

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Q. My son wants to wear an old family Tallis, yellowed with age, for his Bar-Mitzvah. Does the yellow come out?

A. Mazal Tov on the Bar-Mitzvah. I’m not a dry-cleaner (they might do a decent job on the material, but be careful, they may ruin the fringes which are important), but I think that yellowed look is there t

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Q. How can I find out when Yom Kippur ends?

A. A good Jewish calendar should have that info. Better yet, use the “Calendar” feature on www.Chabad.org/Calendar to find out times

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Q. Why are Hebrew books written backwards?

A. Hebrew is written and read from right to left instead of from left to right (like many other languages). Different isn’t backwards.

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By the way, here’

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Q. Where is that verse about Rachel crying for her exiled children?

A. Jeremiah 31:14. A very moving verse, it is prominently inscribed on Rachel’s tomb in Bethlehem.…

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Q. Is Bone China Kosher?

A. Strangely enough, it is. Although it may contain some bone-ash used to brighten or strengthen the china, the process itself removes any non-Kosher elements. This is only in regard to newly purchased china

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Q. The Bar-Mitzvah invite I got says the event begins with “Havdalah”. What is that and how long does it take?

A. It is a blessing recited over a glass of wine, some spices and  a braided lit candle, bidding farewell to the Sabbath and ushering in the new week. It literally means separation or divider, as it separat

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Q. I do Amusement Park marketing. Are these parks appropriate on Purim, Hanukah, Rosh Hashanah, or Passover? 

A. It really depends on the holiday. Rosh Hashanah is out, because it is observed almost like the Sabbath and besides, the Jewish New Year is  a serious time. Purim is a joyous time and there isn’t mu

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Q. I’m costuming “Ragtime” and need an immigrants’ prayer shawl circa 1906. Fabric? Colors? Size? Fringe?

A. It would probably be a woolen Tallit yellowed with age and use, traditional black stripes down the sides, probably of middle size, not a shawl-type common today in liberal congregations, and not the very