Dinosaurs
Q:
Is it true that there were dinosaurs? If
so, how does this fit with the Torah?
A:
Yes. 1. There are remains from hundreds
of them which anyone can see in Museums.
2. There is absolutely no verse in the Torah that there were not
dinosaurs (Igrot Ha-Re'eiyah, Igeret #91.
And see Derush Or Ha-Chaim by the author of Tiferet Yisrael, at the end
of Massechet Sanhedrin. Ner Be-Ishon
Laila pp. 27-29).
Forced
Marriage
Q:
My parents put intense pressure on me to marry my wife. She is truly a wonderful woman, but it
bothers me to this day that she came to me through my parents' force, and it is
affects how I relate to her.
A:
Nonsense! If she is a good woman, why do
you care how she came to you?! But ask a
different Rabbi, since I am biased, since my great-great-great-great
grandfather was also married without his agreement, and later found out that my
great-great-great-great grandmother was a supremely holy woman. I am a Cohain, a descendant of Levi, and this
is how Yaakov Avinu was married to Leah Imenu.
You should therefore ask a Rabbi who is a descendant of Rachel, Bilhaah
or Zilpah.
Bar
Mitzvah Party
Q:
My parents do not have money for a fancy Bar Mitzvah party, but I am jealous of
my wealthy friends who do have them and I am embarrassed.
A:
Do according to your parents' ability and do not waste money of this. There is nothing to be embarrassed about. On the contrary, one who wastes money should
be embarrassed. I suggest that all the
children who participate in youth movements revolt and decide together that their
Bar Mitzvahs will not cost more than 300 Shekels.
Marriage
and Stuttering
Q:
I was married a few years ago, and I am very embarrassed because my wife
stutters. It weakens my connection to
our marriage.
A:
Nonsense! Read a lot of Mesilat Yesharim
and learn to value a person based on his/her proper character traits, and not
things which lack importance. Learn not
to base your feelings of the surrounding society but rather on Divine
truth. But I have to admit that I am
biased regarding this matter, since when I studied in university, there were
two amazing professors, who I greatly respected, who stuttered. One taught mechanics
and strength of materials in the area of engineering, and the other
taught Einstein's theory of Relativity.
I therefore know that this is nonsense.
Hashem's
Name on Skin
Q:
My friend wrote Hashem's Name on my hand with a magic marker. Is it permissible to take a shower even
though it will be erased?
A:
No. Cover it with masking-tape.
Rabbi's
Prayer
Q:
If I need help, which is preferable - to Daven for myself, or to ask a great
Rabbi to Daven for me?
A:
You should Daven for yourself (see Rashi's on Bereshit 21:7 that the prayer of
the sick is greater than the prayer of others for him, and takes precedence in
being accepted. And a Jew once
approached the Kotzker Rebbe and requested that he Daven for him to have a
livelihood. The Rebbe responded: Daven
for yourself. He said: But I don't know
how to Daven. The Rebbe said: This is a
much greater distress than the fact that you do not have a livelihood).
Chafetz
Chaim's Library
Q:
Is it true that the Chafetz Chaim had a small library? How then did he write all of his books?
A:
It is true. He used borrowed books to
save money, so that the time he would have to spend earning money could be
spent learning Torah.
Obligatory
War - Milchemet Mitzvah
Q:
I heard from an Ultra-Orthodox man that we do not go out even for an obligatory
war without the Urim and Tumim?
A:
This is when we have the Urim and Tumim.
When we do not have them, we go to war even without them. And if our enemies attack us, would that
person tell to our soldiers not to protect him?!
