Question
If someone comes to me on Yom Kippur (or in general) and apologizes for any wrong they did, but I never held anything against them, do I still need to "forgive"? Would it be forgiveness if I never thought they offended/upset me? Someone apologized to me for venting to me/arguing with my points but I never once thought twice about it. Does a person need to apologize for such things if the other party isn't upset by it? On their behalf, is it right to always assume you need to apologize because "it's better to be safe that way"? I feel like that kind of thinking would eat away at them

Question
Dear Rabbi, When is Israel’s “Independence Day” this year? Also, what is it called in Hebrew and how is it celebrated? Thanks!

Question
I always thought the word “chametz” was pronounced as CHA-MAYTZ, with a kamatz and a tzere and the accent on the second syllable. But I hear people pronouncing it as “choomitz,” with the OO pronounced as in “book” and the accent on the first syllable. How did that get to be?

Question
I had a friend over for a Passover meal the other day. She doesn’t understand that anything other than actual bread can be chametz. She brought with her as a gift for me a box of wafers. Knowing her, she would be offended if I turned down this gift. I cannot explain it to her either because she knows very little about Judaism and has difficulty comprehending and is easily angered. The only option that remained was for me to accept her gift, then throw it away after she left. But I don’t know if I did the right thing. I don’t know if I could have given it to a gentile neighbor. I felt guilty about throwing away perfectly good food. She is coming for another visit next week after the holiday. I am trying to figure out which store sells the same wafers, then buy a box and serve it after Passover as if it’s the same one that she brought me.

Question
Is a righteous gentile allowed to conduct a Passover Seder? How may righteous gentiles honor the Passover if not in a jewish community?

Question
I have some old plastic cookie trays from the packaging of cookies that I have saved and used as storage for art supplies. At one time, chametz had direct contact with them. Now they have been cleaned out and have no visible crumbs. When I started using them for this purpose, it didn’t occur to me that it could be a Pesach problem. Am I required to sell them as chametz or put them away for Pesach?

Question
Our local kosher supermarkets sell ‘Passover bread.’ It is made from potato and/or tapioca starch and looks no different from any other common bread. It is certified for use on Passover and year round by a common reliable hechsher. Is this really permitted?

Question
My wife is Sefardi and eats kitniyot on Pesach. Even though she is married to me, an Ashkenazi, she still insists on eating kitniyot. I don’t stand in her way as long as she doesn’t contaminate our Pesach dishes. She has dry kitniyot snacks in our home, and she eats cooked kitniyot over the homes of other Sefardim in our community. She has no relatives who live in town. For the first time ever, we are invited to spend the latter two days of the holiday with her parents. Not only do they eat kitniyot on Pesach, but they live in a mostly Sefardi community and lack an understanding of the scope of Ashkenazi dietary restrictions. At their meals, they will be eating a lot of kitniyot. Even their non-kitniyot foods are prepared on keilim used for kitniyot. And they will be making some dishes that might have kitniyot ingredients, such as oils, and it won’t be evident. They speak with heavy accents and it’s hard to understand when I ask them what is in their recipes. They are nice, kind, loving people, but difficult to communicate with. What do I do about this?

Question
Hello! I want to, and am serious about, converting but am unable to currently, mainly due to living situations. What should I do for the Seder this Pesach? I'm not able to access any near me, so should I join a virtual one? Should I have one by myself? I understand if I should not celebrate, but if I can, I would like to.