Dear Rabbi

Menachem Lehrfield
  • 5.0 (14)
  • JUDAISM
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Concise weekly answers to your questions about Judaism. If you are a wondering Jew, visit www.joidenver.com/dearrabbi to submit your own questions.

  1. 2D AGO

    Where Did the "All Jews Are Rich" Stereotype Come From

    🎧 Listen to this and other episodes at www.joidenver.com/podcasts In this episode of Dear Rabbi, I tackle a persistent stereotype: Where did the idea come from that all Jews are rich? I can assure you it's not true in my case, and we all know Jews who are wealthy and Jews who are struggling, just like all of society. But the origin of this stereotype reveals something profound about Jewish values. I share a fascinating insight from Mark Twain, who once wrote an article addressing the root causes of antisemitism. While many people are familiar with the end of that article, where he talks about how Jews seem to be immortal, surviving despite everything the world has thrown at them, he makes a remarkable observation in the middle of the article. Mark Twain noted that because Jews take care of each other, you never find a Jewish beggar. Perhaps that's where the stereotype originated. Non-Jewish neighbors assumed Jews were all rich because they never saw Jewish people begging or asking for money on the streets. The reason, of course, wasn't because poor Jews didn't exist; rather, the Jewish community took care of them quietly and effectively. While stereotypes are generally negative, understanding the root of this particular one is something we should take pride in. Jewish people have always taken care of one another. This important Jewish value—sharing what we have with others, taking care of our fellow brothers and sisters, and ensuring no Jew (or any human being) ever goes hungry has always been central to Jewish identity and community life. Keep the questions coming! If you have a burning question about Judaism, Please email us at Dearrabbi@Joidenver.com📧 Tune in to Dear Rabbi and uncover the wisdom behind Jewish customs and laws. 🎙️🌟 Follow us for more: Website - https://www.joidenver.com Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/joidenver Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/JOIdenver YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/JOIdenver Pinterest - http://pinterest.com/jewishdiy Subscribe to "JOI to the World" to access all our podcasts, including Yada Yada Yiddish, Kids Say the Deepest Things, Reconnect, and Dear Rabbi. Join us as we uncover the treasures in our backyard and explore what makes the Jewish people extraordinary! 🕎📚🎙️

    3 min

  2. FEB 18

    Can You Buy a Mezuzah Online? What You NEED to Know Before

    🎧 Listen to this and other episodes at www.joidenver.com/podcasts In this episode of Dear Rabbi, I answer a crucial question: Is there anything wrong with buying a mezuzah online or at a gift shop? The answer might surprise you and could save you from making an expensive mistake.  First, let me clarify we're talking about the mezuzah scroll itself (the parchment inside), not the decorative case. A mezuzah case doesn't have any inherent holiness and can be purchased anywhere you'd like. But the scroll inside is a completely different matter.  It's extremely important that mezuzah scrolls are purchased from reputable sources, either directly from a sofer (scribe) or from someone trustworthy who deals in mezuzahs. Here's why: Unlike a Torah scroll, a mezuzah must be written in specific order from beginning to end without corrections. If a scribe makes a mistake two lines from the end, an unscrupulous person might just scratch it out and correct it, but that makes the mezuzah non-kosher because it wasn't written in proper order. In a Torah scroll, mistakes can be fixed anywhere, but with a mezuzah, you cannot. There's no way to know by looking at it whether it was written properly; you must trust the source.  I can tell you from personal experience: every time I go to someone's home to put up mezuzahs, 98% of the time they have at least one mezuzah that is not even remotely kosher, meaning it was never kosher to begin with. I've seen mezuzahs written on paper and photocopies, and people who bought mezuzahs at their synagogue gift shop where the scroll was made of paper, yet the staff told them it was kosher. If you're purchasing mezuzahs, buy them from a reputable person who knows the scribe and can verify they're written properly according to Jewish law. I also share information about My Mezuzah (mymezuzah.org), an organization that provides free mezuzahs for anyone who needs them. Keep the questions coming! If you have a burning question about Judaism, Please email us at Dearrabbi@Joidenver.com📧 Tune in to Dear Rabbi and uncover the wisdom behind Jewish customs and laws. 🎙️🌟 Follow us for more: Website - https://www.joidenver.com Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/joidenver Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/JOIdenver YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/JOIdenver Pinterest - http://pinterest.com/jewishdiy Subscribe to "JOI to the World" to access all our podcasts, including Yada Yada Yiddish, Kids Say the Deepest Things, Reconnect, and Dear Rabbi. Join us as we uncover the treasures in our backyard and explore what makes the Jewish people extraordinary! 🕎📚🎙️

    3 min

  3. FEB 11

    Where Did the "All Jews Are Rich" Stereotype Come From? The Surprising Truth

    🎧 Listen to this and other episodes at www.joidenver.com/podcasts In this episode of Dear Rabbi, I tackle a persistent stereotype: Where did the idea come from that all Jews are rich? I can assure you it's not true in my case, and we all know Jews who are wealthy and Jews who are struggling, just like all of society. But the origin of this stereotype reveals something profound about Jewish values. I share a fascinating insight from Mark Twain, who once wrote an article addressing the root causes of antisemitism. While many people are familiar with the end of that article—where he talks about how Jews seem to be immortal, surviving despite everything the world has thrown at them—he makes a remarkable observation in the middle of the article. Mark Twain noted that because Jews take care of each other, you never find a Jewish beggar. Perhaps that's where the stereotype originated. Non-Jewish neighbors assumed Jews were all rich because they never saw Jewish people begging or asking for money on the streets. The reason, of course, wasn't because poor Jews didn't exist—rather, the Jewish community took care of them quietly and effectively. While stereotypes are generally negative, understanding the root of this particular one is something we should take pride in. Jewish people have always taken care of one another. This important Jewish value—sharing what we have with others, taking care of our fellow brothers and sisters, and ensuring no Jew (or any human being) ever goes hungry - has always been central to Jewish identity and community life. Keep the questions coming! If you have a burning question about Judaism, Please email us at Dearrabbi@Joidenver.com📧 Tune in to Dear Rabbi and uncover the wisdom behind Jewish customs and laws. 🎙️🌟 Follow us for more: Website - https://www.joidenver.com Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/joidenver Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/JOIdenver YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/JOIdenver Pinterest - http://pinterest.com/jewishdiy Subscribe to "JOI to the World" to access all our podcasts, including Yada Yada Yiddish, Kids Say the Deepest Things, Reconnect, and Dear Rabbi. Join us as we uncover the treasures in our backyard and explore what makes the Jewish people extraordinary! 🕎📚🎙️

    3 min

  4. JAN 28

    Why Does Hanukkah Change Dates Every Year? Jewish Calendar Explained

    🎧 Listen to this and other episodes at www.joidenver.com/podcasts In this episode of Dear Rabbi, I answer a question many people wonder about: What's up with the Jewish calendar? Why was Hanukkah on December 2nd one year, late December another year, and even overlapped with Thanksgiving a few years ago? Why does this calendar seem so different from the regular calendar we use? I explain that here in America and most of the Western world, we use the Gregorian calendar, which is purely solar at 365.2524 days. Other cultures use lunar calendars, like Islam, which track cycles of the moon. In lunar calendars, years are arbitrary, which is why Muslim holidays like Ramadan can fall in winter one year and summer another - the season doesn't matter. The Jewish calendar is unique because it's neither purely solar nor purely lunar - it's a luni-solar calendar. Unlike lunar calendars, our holidays must fall in specific seasons because they're intimately connected to the time of year. The Torah explicitly commands that Passover take place in springtime - a season of rejuvenation where everything comes to life and is reborn, mirroring how the Jewish people left Egypt and became a nation during the Exodus. To accomplish this seasonal alignment while following lunar months, we add an extra month of Adar seven times in every 19-year cycle. This means seven times every 19 years, we have 13 months instead of 12. If you're born in the month of Adar, you get to celebrate two birthdays during those leap years! This is why the Jewish calendar doesn't align with the English calendar exactly - it only does so every 19 years. Every 19 years, your English birthday and Hebrew birthday will fall on the same day. Keep the questions coming! If you have a burning question about Judaism, Please email us at Dearrabbi@Joidenver.com📧 Tune in to Dear Rabbi and uncover the wisdom behind Jewish customs and laws. 🎙️🌟 Follow us for more: Website - https://www.joidenver.com Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/joidenver Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/JOIdenver YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/JOIdenver Pinterest - http://pinterest.com/jewishdiy Subscribe to "JOI to the World" to access all our podcasts, including Yada Yada Yiddish, Kids Say the Deepest Things, Reconnect, and Dear Rabbi. Join us as we uncover the treasures in our backyard and explore what makes the Jewish people extraordinary! 🕎📚🎙️

    3 min

  5. JAN 21

    Why Does the Jewish Day Start at Sundown? Biblical Wisdom Explained

    🎧 Listen to this and other episodes at www.joidenver.com/podcasts In this episode of Dear Rabbi, I answer a fascinating question: Why does the Jewish concept of a day start at sundown instead of midnight or sunrise like most modern calendars? As Jews, we do tend to do things differently, and this includes how we mark time - but there's profound wisdom behind it. I explain that in the biblical narrative of creation, throughout every day of creation, the Torah states: "And it was evening, and it was morning - day one..,. and it was evening, and it was morning - a second day, a third day," etc. By consistently placing evening before morning, the Torah teaches us that the Jewish concept of time begins with night. This is why all Jewish holidays begin the evening before, and every Jewish day actually begins at sundown. But there's a deeper meaning here. Perhaps Jewish wisdom is teaching us that "all is good in the end, and if it's not good, it's not the end." Night symbolizes difficulty, darkness, and challenge - things we all face in life. Daytime represents clarity, when things are going well and proceeding the way we want them to. We praise God openly in the day when His presence is clear, while at night we trust and have faith even when we don't see His presence. By beginning our day at night, before the morning comes, Judaism teaches us that there is always light ahead, always a positive following the darkness. The day always comes after the night, reminding us that challenges are temporary and goodness prevails in the end. Keep the questions coming! If you have a burning question about Judaism, Please email us at Dearrabbi@Joidenver.com📧 Tune in to Dear Rabbi and uncover the wisdom behind Jewish customs and laws. 🎙️🌟 Follow us for more: Website - https://www.joidenver.com Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/joidenver Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/JOIdenver YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/JOIdenver Pinterest - http://pinterest.com/jewishdiy Subscribe to "JOI to the World" to access all our podcasts, including Yada Yada Yiddish, Kids Say the Deepest Things, Reconnect, and Dear Rabbi. Join us as we uncover the treasures in our backyard and explore what makes the Jewish people extraordinary! 🕎📚🎙️

    2 min

  6. 12/24/2025

    What's the Point of Prayer If God Already Knows What I Need?

    🎧 Listen to this and other episodes at www.joidenver.com/podcasts In this episode of Dear Rabbi, I tackle a fundamental question about prayer: What's the point if God already knows what I need? Are we trying to change God's mind? The answer reveals that worship is far more sophisticated than simply presenting God with an Amazon wish list. I explain that God already knows what we need, and if He's determined something isn't good for us, no amount of asking will change that - just like a parent won't give a three-year-old a knife no matter how much they beg, because it's dangerous. However, with a ten-year-old asking for a knife, the answer becomes "it depends" based on their intention and maturity. Through a humorous example about asking for a Lamborghini "to help old ladies," I demonstrate how prayer forces us to clarify what we truly want and why we want it. When we justify our requests, we often realize our real motivations - ego, status, selfish desires - versus genuine needs. This self-examination is one of prayer's primary purposes. Additionally, prayer reminds us that God is the only one who can truly provide what we need. Using a rabbi joke about asking for a burger at a library, I illustrate that asking someone for something implies believing they can give it to you. Prayer accomplishes two crucial things: clarifying what we want and why, and reminding ourselves that God is the ultimate source of everything we need. Keep the questions coming! If you have a burning question about Judaism, Please email us at Dearrabbi@Joidenver.com📧 Tune in to Dear Rabbi and uncover the wisdom behind Jewish customs and laws. 🎙️🌟 Follow us for more: Website - https://www.joidenver.com Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/joidenver Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/JOIdenver YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/JOIdenver Pinterest - http://pinterest.com/jewishdiy Subscribe to "JOI to the World" to access all our podcasts, including Yada Yada Yiddish, Kids Say the Deepest Things, Reconnect, and Dear Rabbi. Join us as we uncover the treasures in our backyard and explore what makes the Jewish people extraordinary! 🕎📚🎙️

    4 min

  7. 12/17/2025

    Shabbos vs Shabbat: Why Jews Pronounce Hebrew Differently

    🎧 Listen to this and other episodes at www.joidenver.com/podcasts In this episode of Dear Rabbi, I answer a fascinating question about Jewish pronunciation: Why do some people say "Shabbos" while others say "Shabbat"? Is Shabbos actually Yiddish? The answer reveals a deeper story about Jewish history, migration, and the diversity within the Jewish people. I explain that both "Shabbos" and "Shabbat" are equally Hebrew - the difference comes from where Jews historically lived. Ashkenazi Jews (from Eastern European descent - the word literally means Germany) tend to say "Shabbos," while Sephardi Jews (from Spain, North Africa, the Middle East, and Southeast Europe) say "Shabbat." The Sephardi story includes the famous 1492 expulsion from Spain - the same year Columbus sailed - when Jews were kicked out and spread to North Africa and the Ottoman Empire. The pronunciation difference stems from how each community treats the Hebrew letter "tav." Ashkenazim differentiate between tav with a dot (pronounced like "T") and without a dot (pronounced like "S"), which is why they say "Shabbos." Sephardim pronounce tav as "T" regardless of the dot, resulting in "Shabbat." I explain why many Jews today use Sephardi pronunciation even if they're Ashkenazi: When Israel was established, and Hebrew became a spoken language again, most founders were Sephardi, so modern Hebrew adopted their pronunciation. It's also simpler with fewer rules to remember.  Keep the questions coming! If you have a burning question about Judaism, Please email us at Dearrabbi@Joidenver.com📧 Tune in to Dear Rabbi and uncover the wisdom behind Jewish customs and laws. 🎙️🌟 Follow us for more: Website - https://www.joidenver.com Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/joidenver Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/JOIdenver YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/JOIdenver Pinterest - http://pinterest.com/jewishdiy Subscribe to "JOI to the World" to access all our podcasts, including Yada Yada Yiddish, Kids Say the Deepest Things, Reconnect, and Dear Rabbi. Join us as we uncover the treasures in our backyard and explore what makes the Jewish people extraordinary! 🕎📚🎙️

    5 min

  8. 12/10/2025

    What's the Point of Prayer If God Already Knows What I Need?

    🎧 Listen to this and other episodes at www.joidenver.com/podcasts In this episode of Dear Rabbi, I tackle a fundamental question about prayer: What's the point if God already knows what I need? Are we trying to change God's mind? The answer reveals that prayer is far more sophisticated than simply presenting God with an Amazon wish list. I explain that God already knows what we need, and if He's determined something isn't good for us, no amount of asking will change that - just like a parent won't give a three-year-old a knife no matter how much they beg, because it's dangerous. However, prayer works differently with a ten-year-old asking for a knife - the answer becomes "it depends" based on their intention and maturity. Through a humorous example about asking for a Lamborghini "to help old ladies," I demonstrate how prayer forces us to clarify what we truly want and why we want it. When we have to justify our requests, we often realize our real motivations - ego, status, or selfish desires - versus genuine needs. This self-examination is one of prayer's primary purposes. Additionally, prayer reminds us that God is the only one who can truly provide what we need. Using a rabbi joke about asking for a burger at a library, I illustrate that asking someone for something implies believing they can give it to you. Prayer accomplishes two crucial things: clarifying what we want and why, and reminding ourselves that God is the ultimate source of everything we need. Keep the questions coming! If you have a burning question about Judaism, Please email us at Dearrabbi@Joidenver.com📧 Tune in to Dear Rabbi and uncover the wisdom behind Jewish customs and laws. 🎙️🌟 Follow us for more: Website - https://www.joidenver.com Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/joidenver Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/JOIdenver YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/JOIdenver Pinterest - http://pinterest.com/jewishdiy Subscribe to "JOI to the World" to access all our podcasts, including Yada Yada Yiddish, Kids Say the Deepest Things, Reconnect, and Dear Rabbi. Join us as we uncover the treasures in our backyard and explore what makes the Jewish people extraordinary! 🕎📚🎙️

    4 min
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5
out of 5
14 Ratings

About

Concise weekly answers to your questions about Judaism. If you are a wondering Jew, visit www.joidenver.com/dearrabbi to submit your own questions.

Information

  • Creator
    Menachem Lehrfield
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    110
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright Rabbi Menachem Lehrfield
  • Show Website
    Dear Rabbi