Question: I live in the Russian Far East. On the plot of land that I have for building a private house, there are the remains of a Japanese Shinto sanctuary. These remains are part of a reinforced concrete foundation, hewn blocks made of granite and four Far Eastern yews. These trees are listed in the Red Book, so I can’t cut ...
What should we do with fotos of worshiping places?
Question: If a person made photos of the places of worship or idols, or photographed himself against their background, what should be done with such a photos? Should we check our old albums and destroy photos that have idols or places of worship? The answer of Rav Hollander: It is not easy to deside in what case such a foto will be prohibited. ...
The card reading
Question: In difficult life cases, when we don’t know what to do, and we lose hope, can we ask people who read fortune (read cards) to clarify the situation? Answer of Rav Hollander: If a person turn to fortuneteller, because he believe that she \ he has the supernatural powers, it’s close to idolatry. But I am not assured that such type of ...
Prohibition of blasphemy
Question: The prohibition to curse the Name of Most High – this is what was mentioned in Exodus 20,7: « «Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain»? Or is it another commandment? Answer: These two commandments are not the same thing. According the ...
The punishment for breaking the Seven Commandments of Bhei Noahs
Question: What punishment is for those who breaks the Seven Commandments? (Vladimir Peretc, Irshava). Answer: This is a very difficult question. It is often to hear that ‘for transgression any of the Seven Commandments there can be the death penalty’, but it is not an adequate answer. It is an answer in the such a sense that, for example, according the Torah, for ...
Why the Bnei Noah have not an obligation to honor parents?
Question: Why an obligation to honor parents don’t include into the Seven Commandments of Bnei Noah? In 9 chapter of Genesis it is said about Noah’s Commandments – about Commandments which were be given to Noah. But there is no Commandment of Honour the parents. I was surprised by this fact. Thanks. Answer: Gaon Rabeinu Nisim said that Bnei Noah have a lot of ...