Questions tagged [family-members]

Questions pertaining to family members

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31 votes
2 answers
8k views

If a woman converts to Judaism while pregnant, will her child be a Jew?

If a woman converts to Judaism while pregnant, will her child be a Jew once born?
SAH's user avatar
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30 votes
4 answers
16k views

Are children adopted by Jews Jewish?

I was adopted around the time I was three months old by my parents who are both Jewish. I do not know what religion my biological mother was, in fact I have very little detail about her at all. I was ...
Josh's user avatar
  • 401
25 votes
4 answers
1k views

Maintaining Tzniut in Uncomfortable Social Situations

How can a teenage girl, who recently started practicing the laws of tzniut as well as feasible, balance those laws with the prohibition against embarrassing her family members, who are embarrassed to ...
Sherri Berry's user avatar
24 votes
14 answers
11k views

How can I redeem a wasted youth?

I wasted my youth. I am 35 years old. I had a toxic relationship with my parents, especially my mother. My career never started, and I am still looking for a fresh start and finding it humiliating at ...
Reeel's user avatar
  • 349
21 votes
1 answer
1k views

Is a convert obliged to honor his parents?

Is a convert obliged to honor his parents? I understand that a convert loses all halakhic relationship to his parents upon being "reborn." Therefore, does the mitzvah of kibud av va'eim still apply?
SAH's user avatar
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20 votes
11 answers
1k views

Yaakov Marrying Two Sisters [duplicate]

According to those that say the Avos kept the Torah beforehand (here), how was Yaakov allowed to marry two sisters? (Yes, I'm aware that there are many answers)
yydl's user avatar
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20 votes
2 answers
618 views

Naming after the living. Why is it considered bad?

This is a fairly straight forward question. I am under the impression that this is bad. This is why you don't see many Moishe Abromowitz, III. Why is this bad, and why isn't that practice carried ...
Andrei Freeman's user avatar
20 votes
2 answers
2k views

Mordecai: Esther's uncle?

The m'gila says clearly that Ester was "bas dodo", which seems to mean she was the daughter of Mord'chay's uncle, i.e., his first cousin. The targum renders this as "b'ras achvoy". Does that mean "his ...
msh210's user avatar
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19 votes
2 answers
2k views

When (if ever) are converts still related to their relatives?

It is my understanding that when a person converts to Judaism, certain halachic relationships are severed. So I have a couple questions about this. Which relationships are severed? Is a convert ...
HodofHod's user avatar
  • 21k
18 votes
6 answers
3k views

Prayer for Illness - Why use the mothers name?

Why when someone is sick do we say his mothers name not his father's?
SimchasTorah's user avatar
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17 votes
3 answers
748 views

Adoptee a Cohen or Levi?

If a Cohen or Levi adopts a non-Jew, upon their conversion are they a Cohen or Levi as well or are they a Yisroel?
Ken's user avatar
  • 3,794
17 votes
1 answer
433 views

Kibud Av v'Ach?

As I understand it there is an obligation (See Shulchan Aruch Yoreh Deah 240:22) to honor an older brother similar to that of honoring one's father. Since the obligation to honor one's father can have ...
Yirmeyahu's user avatar
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17 votes
1 answer
874 views

Is it ok for spouses to touch in public?

Are spouses allowed to touch one another in public (when the wife is not a niddah) or is this a violation of tzniut? I am asking specifically regarding touch that is not in any way sexual or even ...
user avatar
16 votes
5 answers
805 views

Rabba bar bar Chana

There is a rabbi in the Talmud referred to as רבה בר בר חנה. Why is he called that way? It says that Rabba was the grandson of Chana. Who was Chana? Was it(?) a woman? Why wasn't he called after his ...
Rabbi Yaakov's user avatar
  • 1,058
16 votes
5 answers
3k views

Leniencies for someone keeping Kosher in a non-Kosher home

My family is not frum, but they do not eat non-kosher meat at home, although they do eat other not-certified-kosher products, including cheese. They don't mix meat and milk, but they do wash meat and ...
Sean's user avatar
  • 990
16 votes
1 answer
636 views

Didn’t the Ishmaelites know they were buying their second cousin?

In studying bereishis I have come up with questions about Joseph and his brothers that have long bothered me. One question is in parsha vayeshev, where we read how Joseph was sold by his brothers to ...
Dennis's user avatar
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16 votes
2 answers
5k views

What are the halachic boundaries between a brother and sister?

Can they touch each other? Hug? Are they allowed to expose their legs, arms, etc., in front of each other? Can they swim together? Dance together?
user avatar
15 votes
2 answers
17k views

All people in world are Jews?

According to the Book of Genesis, Noah saved his family and representatives of every animal from a flood by constructing a boat. So since all of humanity should be descended from Noah, does that mean ...
user avatar
14 votes
4 answers
6k views

Does a Jewish grandmother (mother's side) really get one accepted as a Jew? [duplicate]

My grandmother (mother's side) is 100% Jewish and even living in Israel. As far as I know, that makes, me a Jew, too. But it feels a little bit strange to say that I am Jewish just because my ...
Zaiga's user avatar
  • 143
14 votes
3 answers
6k views

How to keep kosher in a non-observant household

Many Baalei Teshuvah (returnees to Judaism) confront various conflicts regarding their interactions with non-observant family and friends. A big one, which has not been discussed here (AFAIK), is ...
Aryeh's user avatar
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14 votes
4 answers
1k views

What is the halachic status of adult conjoined twins?

It is rare but possible for conjoined twins to remain alive and healthy into adulthood, such as is the case with Abby and Brittany Hensel. They have distinct sets of heads, hearts, and lungs. They ...
Premundane's user avatar
  • 4,501
14 votes
2 answers
878 views

Halacha of Yichud with half sibling

May siblings of the opposite sex that share only one parent be secluded (yichud) with one another? Does it matter which parent they share?
alltheinterwebs's user avatar
14 votes
3 answers
486 views

Accepting parents' minhagim

Since the Conservative movement tends to take most of its minhagim from the German tradition due to its German roots, most Conservative Jews in America tend to practice the German customs (such as ...
Daniel's user avatar
  • 24.9k
14 votes
1 answer
617 views

if a convert later finds out she was Jewish anyway through her mother's mother, does she need a new ketubah?

If a convert (orthodox) later finds out she was Jewish anyway through her mother, does she need a new ketubah since the one she has says bas Avraham and giyorta? Would the answer be different if the ...
Jilleen2011's user avatar
13 votes
3 answers
3k views

How to explain to friends/family that one will not attend an intermarriage

Suppose a friend or family member becomes engaged to a non-Jew. For the sake of this question, also assume that a trusted rabbi has been consulted and he has ruled (after considering any relevant ...
Daniel's user avatar
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13 votes
1 answer
348 views

Are there any specific minhagim to celebrate Purim as a family?

וְהַיָּמִ֣ים הָאֵ֠לֶּה נִזְכָּרִ֨ים וְנַֽעֲשִׂ֝ים בְּכָל־דּ֣וֹר וָד֗וֹר מִשְׁפָּחָה֙ וּמִשְׁפָּחָ֔ה מְדִינָ֥ה וּמְדִינָ֭ה וְעִיר וָעִיר וִימֵ֞י הַפּוּרִ֣ים הָאֵ֗לֶּה לֹ֤א יַֽעַבְרוּ֙ מִתּ֣וֹךְ ...
Heshy's user avatar
  • 9,136
13 votes
1 answer
312 views

Does a child own what he's implicitly given by his parents?

I assume that when a parent owns an object and a child uses it, it remains the property of the parent's absent any intent/declaration on the parent's part to grant it to the child (and absent an act ...
msh210's user avatar
  • 73.7k
12 votes
6 answers
8k views

Are two biological brothers allowed to marry two biological sisters?

Are two biological brothers allowed to marry two biological sisters? Are there any halachically issues involved with such a marriage? I do recall hearing something about it but not sure what it was.
Ani Yodea's user avatar
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12 votes
1 answer
3k views

Drinking cold kosher beverages in a non-Jewish relative's house

Let's say you're staying at a non-Jewish relative's house. He bought you kosher food because he knows you keep kosher. He buys you a drink such as milk. You see him pour the drink for himself into his ...
Carrot monster's user avatar
12 votes
2 answers
2k views

Why is Haman called an Agagite and not an Amalekite?

In Megillas Esther 3:1 Haman is called the Agagite which I always assumed meant he was a descendant of Agag the king of the Amalekite in 1 Shmuel 15:8. His lineage is confirmed in Megillah 13a as ...
please remove my account's user avatar
12 votes
1 answer
405 views

How to call up a ger who converted with his father?

In general a Ger is called up as [name] Ben Avraham. However, what if the Ger converted as a child together with his parents? I would think it is the same but I recently saw someone who is in that ...
Yishai's user avatar
  • 31.9k
12 votes
2 answers
630 views

Yichud at night, if both of the woman's parents are home

Is it permissible for a man to be at a woman's home at night if both of her parents are at home, but sleeping? What if they are awake?
Sean's user avatar
  • 990
11 votes
4 answers
6k views

Nudity at home?

I have read that Hashem hates public nudity, but what is the Jewish position on nudity at home in front of other family members? Obviously, the short answer is bad, don't do it. Modesty is a ...
Michael Sandler's user avatar
11 votes
1 answer
107k views

How many children did King Solomon have?

King Solomon [1 Kings 11 (4)] “had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines;” How many children did he have? Three. The question is referred to at http://wiki.answers.com/Q/...
Avrohom Yitzchok's user avatar
11 votes
1 answer
199 views

Why were מִישָׁאֵל and אֶלְצָפָן chosen to remove Nadav and Avihu?

There were many other people who could have been chosen to remove the dead bodies of Nadav and Avihu from the Mishkan (Vayikra 10:4). Why were מִישָׁאֵל and אֶלְצָפָן chosen for this task as opposed ...
user avatar
11 votes
3 answers
796 views

In regards to Torah and Rabbinical writings, how does "honor your father and mother" work when you've been raised in an abusive household?

This is a question I have always had a hard time getting an answer for and I was hoping somebody would be able to explain it. Honoring your parents is one of the most basic mitzvah in all of Judaism....
user avatar
11 votes
1 answer
327 views

Naming after someone with added names

If someone R'L is sick at some point in their life and a name such as Refael is added should that name be included as well if one is naming their child after that person? Additional Question: ...
Jake's user avatar
  • 515
11 votes
1 answer
826 views

BT emailing non-observant family on Friday afternoon

A given person is Shabbat-observant; his/her immediate and extended family is not. May this individual write an email to his/her family (who live in Israel) when it is before Shabbat (where s/he ...
Lee's user avatar
  • 7,462
10 votes
1 answer
490 views

Who was the mother of Avraham's daughter?

According to one opinion in the Gemarah (Bava Basra 16b, also 141a), when it says Avraham was blessed with everything (Bereishit 24:1) it means that he had a daughter. Who was her mother?
rikitikitembo's user avatar
10 votes
1 answer
1k views

Can a mother undress in front of her daughter?

Can a married woman with children undress in front of her daughter to try on clothes assuming she would be in undergarments?
Helen's user avatar
  • 101
10 votes
1 answer
908 views

Who should walk the Chosson and Kallah to the Chupa?

At the Chuppah in some weddings I've been to, the father and father-in-law escort the Chosson and the mother and mother-in-law escort the Kallah. In others, the mother and fathers each escort their ...
yydl's user avatar
  • 38.6k
10 votes
1 answer
334 views

How much contact did Avraham and Yitzchak have after the akeidah?

The akeidah was a traumatic event for both Avraham and Yitzchak. Immediately after they appear to go their separate ways. After Sarah's death Avraham arranges a marriage for his son, which could ...
Monica Cellio's user avatar
10 votes
1 answer
310 views

Father being Matir Neder for himself: does it affect the family?

If a father is Matir Neder on a minhag (gebroktz, let's say) for himself for a valid reason, does that include his whole family? Are they now also permitted to eat gebroktz because that is now the ...
sam's user avatar
  • 41.7k
10 votes
2 answers
394 views

Do the parents of a convert merit in the afterlife for their child's decision?

When my child was little, she wanted to know whether my parents, who are not Jewish, would go to Heaven. I explained to her that the righteous of all nations have a place in the world to come. But ...
Bruce James's user avatar
9 votes
1 answer
149 views

What is the genealogy of Judah ben Bava?

Is Judah ben Bava, noted for continuing the tradition of ordination, the son of Bava ben Buta, the Rabbi who was spared by Herod?
user avatar
9 votes
1 answer
798 views

Can a convert mourn for their Jewish parents?

Consider someone who was born to a Jewish father and non-Jewish mother who then converted to Judaism with his mother. It seems pashut from the Shulchan Aruch that one who converts is considered a "...
Jake's user avatar
  • 515
8 votes
3 answers
1k views

Did Avraham Avinu really have a daughter named Bakol?

I heard that Avraham Avinu had a daughter named Bakol. But in the Biblical narrative, there is no mention of a daughter to Avraham, only a son, Yitzchak, whom we all know well. Did Avraham really ...
Avi's user avatar
  • 569
8 votes
1 answer
2k views

Halachically, must a Jewish convert sever ties with his non-Jewish family?

It has been said that a convert must avoid aspects, or relics of their non-Jewish life, from before conversion. I have heard some rabbis say, all ties to genetic family are severed with conversion. ...
 Tessa's user avatar
  • 121
8 votes
2 answers
1k views

Saying loshon hara to a spouse or close relative

Are there any relationships within which loshon hara is permitted? I guess I mean loshon hara that is said for a purpose--but perhaps not purposes which would meet the strict halachic criteria for ...
SAH's user avatar
  • 19.7k
8 votes
2 answers
4k views

At what age does negiah start applying for non-immediate family?

Wikipedia's article "Negiah" begins: The term negiah (Hebrew: נגיעה‎), literally "touch," is the concept in Halakha that forbids or restricts physical contact with a member of the opposite sex (...
unforgettableidSupportsMonica's user avatar