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Is it better for a woman to hear shofar from a man, or is it just as good to hear from another woman or blow for herself?

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Dear Rabbi, Teshuvah, repentance, seems illogical. True, a sinner should change his ways going forward. Yet, by what logic can a previous sin be forgiven? Why shouldn’t a person be punished for the bad he has done? Thanks!

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Is the sudah hamaseket mandatory? I feel I cannot eat the egg dipped in ash because I severely dislike hard boiled eggs and never eat them.

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I'm really struggling with binge and restricting eating disorder so fasting is very triggering for me, plus I'm really struggling overall emotionally, I'm enough sad Do I have to fast on Tisha b'ov

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I am scheduled to be the Bal Koreh at my shul this coming Shabbos. I need to rehearse the reading some time this week. But I am busy with work all week and have little free time. The one exception is I am off the entire day on Thursday for Tisha B’Av. I know one is not supposed to study Torah on Tisha B’Av. But in this case it is a necessity. Making time on other days is not an option. The congregational rabbi is away now and is unreachable at the moment and he has entrusted me with this task. Can one study Torah reading on Tisha B’Av in order to be able to read properly at a later date?

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I am a public school teacher and I have a mandatory meeting in preparation for the school year scheduled at the time Eichah is read on Tisha B’Av. I am not allowed to skip it. They will not change the time just for me when hundreds of teachers will be there and they can’t make it a convenient time for everyone. And sitting on a low seat there is out of the question because they want to maintain a professional image and they won’t provide one or allow me to bring my own. This meeting takes place every year around this time, but has never been on Tisha B’Av. What should I do?

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Are there any blanket exemptions for fasting in certain geographic locations for safety? I just moved to a very hot climate where constant hydration is necessary for survival. I naively thought I could fast like normal. Turns out fasting is not only difficult; it is dangerous. Staying sufficiently hydrated does not only require drinking but also some eating, I have been advised by locals familiar with the climate. Because I am so new, I have not met the Jewish community yet. There was a public fast day on just my second full day here (17 Taamuz) and I was overcome by the heat and found I had no choice but to break the fast for dear life. I was literally ready to pass out and my non-Jewish colleagues thought I was crazy fasting. The only Jew I have met here so far told me she never fasts even on Yom Kippur because she feels it’s too dangerous. Tisha B’Av is coming up in a few short weeks and I will be faced with the same predicament, but for a 25 hour fast. I plan to live here for many years, perhaps the rest of my life, and it seems as if now fasting is impossible in this climate. I had this problem even though I am young and generally in good health.

Question
I was born into Ashkenaz family and generally keep Kosher AND LACTO-OVO VEGETARIAN for health & environmental reasons (except religious ones of course). So, for me, Rice and Lentiles are important parts of my diet (both for nutrients and for the tasting pleasure when eating). The second thing is that I understand that Jewish civilization --having been persecuted and living in the diaspora-- migrated and subsequently evolved in different parts of the world and thus adopted some differences in customs --and that eating rice and lentils (and corn for that matter) is one of these differences. It just so happens that I cannot claim any Jewish anscestry outside of Poland and Ukraine. So my question is --what if I disagree with Ashkenaz Pesach customs and I want to eat rice and lentiles and corn like the Sephardim? Is this Halachically permissible, pprohibiuted or discouraged but technically allowed? The other issue concerns my opinion on the Ashkenaz-Sephardim Divide. I don't like it. I don't believe in it. And i wish to deny/ignore it. I have --for many years-- firmly disagreed with /opposed this division of the Jewish People, and would like to see the day that Jews are united (and end to the diaspora and these inconvenient and possibly dangerous divisions) before a return to Israel and the rebuilding of the Holy Temple. Am I supposed to embrace the Jewish "Geotype"? Or is it ok to reject such divisions amongst our people? Thank You Kindly, in advance for answering my question. Be Well and Shalom. My question again is threefold: Am I allowed to disassociate myself with any given Ashkenaz Minhagim? To what extent is this Halachically permissible? More specifically, am i allowed to reject the minhagim and eat rice, corn and lentils on Pesach --(even though i am NOT Sephardim and do not recognizxe such divisions as having any validity).