ask the expert

Why do we tap the mezuzah first and then kiss our hands?

I was never given a Jewish name. What are the rules around choosing one for myself?

What should I bring to a shiva call?

Is it ethical to purchase Jewish items whose origins I don't know?

If a baby is circumcised by a doctor, does that count as a Jewish circumcision?

Why do Hebrew names sometimes invoke a person's father and at others their mother?

Is the bride at a Jewish wedding required to wear a veil?

Is it acceptable to delay a bris for an adopted child?

It's precisely the opposite reason for why they were written in Aramaic in ancient times.

Is there a Jewish prayer when life feels overwhelming?