Borrowing Without Permission…When Is it Ok?
Is it permissible to borrow or use an object belonging to another person without the owner’s permission, with the intention of returning it to its place after such usage (and I’m sure the owner wouldn’t mind if I use it, but they’re not around to ask)?
Baalei Teshuva and Shabbat Nachamu
You mentioned last week, that Jews in America, are in the midst of a “spiritual Holocaust”. If that is the case, how could you ever be in a state of comfort; i.e. the Shabbat following the 9th of Av is called the Shabbat of Comforting. How could one be in a state of comfort in the midst of a Holocaust?
Abuse and Free Choice
I have been troubled by a discussion with an orthodox rabbi about free will. It was stated that one should not be angry at a person who hits you as this action was ordained by G-d. In addition, it was stated that if you were hit you were meant to be hit as part of a life lesson. What is very troublesome about this paradigm is that it could become a rationalization for spousal abuse since a person who was hit was meant to be so. Please clarify the Torah stance on this matter.
Burial (with possessions)…Are You Allowed?
I have an ailing uncle who enjoyed much material wealth during his lifetime and would like to have many things buried with him. He also wants to be buried with an Orthodox burial society, since his father was Orthodox. Would an Orthodox burial society allow him to be buried with money, gold and the like?
The Big Bang Theory and Judaism
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?
