Rabbi Yerachmiel Fried Archives - Page 14 of 15 - Dallas Area Torah Association

The Big Bang Theory and Judaism

June 29, 2022 No Comments

I have trouble reconciling my reading of Genesis with current scientific theory. When I read the creation story it seems clear that according to the Biblical version God created the world and universe whole, complete. Physics, however, maintains that there was a primordial speck which exploded in what is now known as the Big Bang and from its expansion the universe and world came to be. This is a far cry from the world being created complete! Is there a way to integrate the two contradictory versions of the story?

Do Jews Believe in the Afterlife?

May 31, 2022 No Comments

I have always been taught that Jews don’t believe in an afterlife. But I recently learned in religious school that there are Jews who believe there’s a place called the world to come. Does that mean there is an afterlife after all? Where is the world to come?

Chanukah Is Celebrated Without a Feast – Why?

December 2, 2021 No Comments

I’ve always wondered why Chanukah doesn’t have festive meals like the other holidays. I know we eat foods fried in oil to remember the miracle with the oil and the candles, but why not meals with Kiddush, challah and the like? Someone said it’s because Chanukah is not in the Torah, but neither is Purim, and there’s a big meal on Purim. Thanks for your time,

Dreidels – Why Are They Central to Chanukah?

November 28, 2021 No Comments

The dreidel signifies a very important aspect of the Chanukah holiday. In fact, it is as old as the menorah lighting itself. If you take

The Three Weeks and Mourning The Temple

August 12, 2021 No Comments

With regards to the three-week mourning period we’re now observing, I’m struggling a bit to find a way to make this meaningful in my life. How does one gain inspiration by mourning for Temples that were destroyed thousands of years ago?

Astrology, The Zodiac and Judaism. How are they connected?

June 20, 2021 No Comments

We recently saw some ancient Jewish art pieces which were adorned with the signs of the Zodiac. This was confusing to us. Do Jews believe in astrology? Do we believe the stars have an effect on our lives and on who we are? If they do, how does that affect our free choice? Sometimes we read the horoscopes in the newspaper and it doesn’t seem very Jewish.

There is so much blatant anti-Semitism throughout the world. Do you have some direction that I can give to my children?

May 31, 2021 No Comments

Since the Durban Conference a few months ago and throughout all that’s happening in Israel, France and Russia today, my teenagers are preoccupied with the blatant anti-Semitism throughout the world. I had once thought that the world had learned its lesson from the Holocaust but it seems like the Holocaust never taught these people a thing. Do you have some direction that I can give to my children?

My boyfriend wants to abort our Down Syndrome fetus. What do I do?

February 11, 2021 No Comments

I am 20 weeks pregnant, and am shocked and devastated to have just received the results from pre-natal testing that I am carrying a Downs Syndrome fetus. My husband wants me to do an abortion, and I am very confused and don’t know what the right thing is to do. What does Judaism have to say about this?

Keeping the Essence of Chanukah Throughout the Year & It’s Connection to Joseph

December 10, 2020 No Comments

Two questions: how do we preserve the message of Chanukah throughout the year?
Secondly, I was studying last week’s Torah portion, and was bothered by a question. When relating the story of Joseph and his brothers, the Torah says that they threw him into a pit, “…the pit was empty, no water was in it”. I have always been taught that the Torah doesn’t use extra words; if the pit was empty, obviously there’s no water in it. Isn’t this statement redundant?

Blessings in the First and Third Person

April 18, 2020 No Comments

A friend of mine and I were studying the berachos (blessings) we recite on a mitzvah and were wondering why we start out talking directly to Hashem, and then we switch to third person for the end of the beracha.