Question
What counts as ‘learning Torah’ in order to fulfill the mitzvah? Does reading a book or website in English (or one’s native tongue) that talks about the Torah count as learning Torah? What about attending a shiur or lecture from a rabbi or a layperson knowledgeable about at least part of the Torah? How about just watching a YouTube video in which there is no two-way interaction in which someone reads verses or comments about the Torah? Can any of these methods fulfill the mitzvah of studying Torah? Or must one actually open a book of the Tanakh or Talmud and read the exact word written inside?

Question
My father-in-law died. I was never close to him, and he was sick in a nursing home for many years. My husband is sitting shiva now. I have tickets to a concert. He says he is okay with me going. Is it permitted for me to go to the concert with a friend while my husband is sitting shiva?

Question
Is one allowed to attend an intermarriage ceremony in order to save a life? My cousin’s son is marrying a non-Jewish woman. My elderly mother is insisting on going to her great nephew’s wedding. She lives independently and is strong willed, and there is nothing I can do physically or legally to stop her. I am familiar with the wedding venue because another relative got married there. It is quite dangerous and has a lot of fall hazards for elderly people, and I am concerned that if I don’t watch her, she could fall and get hurt. I don’t trust anyone else in the family to keep an eye on her the same way I would. I am also invited to the wedding. Normally I would decline attendance at an intermarriage, but I have a strong feeling if I don’t go and stay with her throughout, something bad could happen to her.