Question
my friend observed a wedding ceremony where the bride was holding a stained cloth in which the rabbi was talking about and he could not hear the purpose of this. I was wondering if you could tell me what this is, I have been to other ceremonies, but never observed this tradition.

Question
Is there ever an exception to the prohibition against hugging a member of the opposite sex when doing so is an act of chesed? Last week, I visited a not-orthodox woman who was sitting shiva for her husband who died suddenly and unexpectedly. She received few visitors and was feeling extremely broken and was desperately in need of a hug. There was no time to ask a rabbi. She needed it literally that very second. It just seemed like the right thing to do. I hugged her more than once over the course of my two-hour visit, once for several minutes, and these hugs brought her the comfort she so desperately needed at that moment. It maybe even saved her life, as one can die from a broken heart. Regardless, I couldn’t see myself saying no. Now I am feeling conflicted about what I did. Did I do the right thing?

Question
I was brought up in a conservative Jewish family, both parents were Jewish. I attended a Jewish parochial school for three years and had my bar-mitzvah. But at age 14 I stopped attending shul. I am now 66. Despite all this, I consider myself a Jew, although not a religious and observant one. My question is this. Am I correct in stating that I am a Jew?