Question
Dear Rabbi, Why does it seem that so many Israeli soldiers are starting to wear Tzitzit? Is it made out of some hi-tech super strong material? I will keep praying for all the soldiers.

Question
I am a lifelong Conservative Jew and I am a member of a Conservative Temple since birth where I was once the president. I know very little about Orthodox Judaism. For the first time in my life, I went to an Orthodox synagogue for a bar mitzvah last week and I did not like having to sit separately from my wife and daughters. I had heard of but never seen anything like that in person before. I asked the rabbi there why the genders sit apart, and he gave me an explanation. He told me that one who attends a service at a Conservative Temple not only does not fulfill the mitzvah of attending Shabbat services, but is also violating 23 negative commandments in the Torah. He didn’t tell me which ones. What 23 negative commandments could one possibly be violating by attending a Conservative service?

Question
Dear Rabbi, Would you explain the significance of having a mezuzah on your house? Thank you!

Question
My mother recently retired, and now that she has the time, she wants to travel a lot to visit our out-of-town relatives she rarely got to see before (her other children, who are my siblings, her grandchildren, and her elderly mother, who is my grandmother). Our family is geographically scattered, and to her, this is her opportunity to see them more often. But there is a hitch. She is not comfortable traveling far from home by herself. She wants someone to accompany her on all these trips by plane, train, and automobile. And that someone just happens to be me because I’m her only child who lives near her. I am in my 40s, and I am a happily married man with a daughter away at college. My mother is in her 60s and she looks very young and is very energetic. She easily passes for being my age. When I have been with her in public, people have mistaken her for being my wife! I find this so humiliating! There is no one else around who can escort my mother. My father can’t do it because he works very hard and is extremely busy and doesn’t like to travel. My wife can’t come because she works full time too and also doesn’t like to travel. We have no other relatives living in this area available to do this, and unlike my father and my wife, I do like traveling. This leaves the burden on me. And I am the only one she trusts. She wants me to take trips with her almost every week! My father insists I accompany my mother on her travels. My wife also thinks I should. My mother is counting on me. I feel torn about this. What should I do?

Question
If someone were to theoretically take a nazarite vow, could they be allowed to trim their moustache if it made simple tasks such as eating food less troublesome? For the vow it is written to not cut a hair on the head so would this include facial hair, eyebrows, and even nose hairs?

Question
In the laws of family purity, there are two categories, women who are niddah, and women who are Zavah. A niddah is a woman who experiences her menstrual cycle, whereas a Zavah is a woman with a spontaneous uterine discharge unrelated to her menstrual cycle. If a woman decides to “skip a period” by taking menstruation suppression therapy, and then menstruates after her normal cycle, does she have the status of a Niddah (just with a delayed cycle), or is this considered a Zavah (spontaneous discharge)?

Question
My neighbor says he likes my sukkah so much, he has offered to trade his with me for mine. He showed me his and I actually like his better than mine because it is more spacious. He likes the material mine is made of. I am not badly attached to my sukkah. I got it several years ago from someone who was giving it away. I actually like this trade. Does Halacha permit this? One of my concerns is that either of us could be violating the tenth commandment by coveting a neighbor’s property, even if we both agree to this trade.

Question
Dear Rabbi, Am I a bad Jew if I eat bacon, don't go to temple very often, actually only on the major holidays? I do celebrate Passover. Religion just isn't a very big part of my American Jewish life. Let me know, thanks!!