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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 ...

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Q. A co-worker libeled me and it cost me my job. Now I have an opportunity to sully his reputation. Is that Kosher?

A. I know where you are coming from. I, too, once felt betrayed and unjustly treated and felt the same. But the Torah forbids us to take revenge, no matter how human and natural a trait it is. An allowance &...