Question
I found inside my purse an expensive necklace that doesn’t belong to me. I don’t know how it got there, but I think it dropped there accidentally. And I have no idea where it came from and no way of locating the owner. The purse I found it in is one I take to nice occasions. I last cleaned it out before Passover, and since then, I’ve been with it to two weddings, four graduations, a bat mitzvah, an award ceremony, plays, concerts, restaurants, on the subway, and a lot more places. I have probably been around thousands of people with it, mostly strangers I paid no attention to were there. This could belong to literally anyone. I found out this necklace is mass produced and sold at a major jewelry chain for around $300. My Facebook post failed to find an owner, but yielded a link to buy one just like it. The one in my possession has no markings to hint at its owner. While going through my purse, I found an expensive necklace that doesn’t belong to me. I don’t know how it got there. And I have no way of locating the owner. I think it must have fallen in by accident and someone is missing it, but I have no idea who or from where. The purse I found it in is one I take to nice occasions. I last cleaned it out before Passover, and since then, I’ve been with it to two weddings, four graduations, a bat mitzvah, an award ceremony, plays, concerts, restaurants, on the subway, and a lot more. In all those places, I have probably been around thousands of people, mostly strangers I paid no attention to were there. This could belong to literally anyone. I found out this necklace is mass produced and sold at a major jewelry chain for around $300. My Facebook post failed to find an owner, but yielded a link to buy one just like it. The one in my possession has no markings to hint at its owner. It is actually a necklace I very much like and wish I could have. But I wouldn’t want to obtain it in a manner that is unethical or that violates the Torah. It would really mean a lot to me if I could return it to its rightful owner, but that seems like a long-shot. What should I do about this?

Question
Dear Rabbi, I know that as Jews, we do not question what came before Creation and what will come after Mashiach. That being said, how are we supposed to view scientific discoveries, such as dinosaur fossils and carbon dating? I do not believe the world is billions of years old (unless it’s true that every day of Creation could’ve been much more than one day), but how can we explain it? Thank you!

Question
Hi I am having a hard time wrapping my head around the following issues. For example, if one does well in school or at work and they are given compliments, is he allowed to feel good about his accomplishments? Is one allowed to take credit for achievement? I ask this because Judaism teaches that G0d does all. However, is there room for being proud of one's accomplishments? May one think, "Wow! I really did a good job on ..."? What is the proper and kosher way to think about this matter? Thanks!

Question
My name is Aaron and I was born and raised Jewish in the conservative and orthodox movement. I am a 39 year old single father raising my 8 year old daughter by myself. I married and had a baby with someone that is not Jewish. I got divorced in 2019, and have been raising my daughter by myself for 3 years. I have sole custody of my daughter, Azaria, and I have been raising her Jewish. My daughter knows many of the prayers, works on Hebrew everyday, and has read from the torah. I want my daughter to be able to possibly make aliyah with me in the future, or marry someone orthodox. She goes to a private Jewish school. I want to have my daughter converted to Judaism. Would I be able to have her converted in an orthodox conversion? If so, what would be required of us to have her converted in an orthodox conversion? Or would I have to have her converted in a conservative conversion? I am also worried that because we are not walking distance to a synagogue we won't be able to get an orthodox conversion. We live a few blocks from her school, but many miles to a synagogue.

Question
Dear Rabbi, When I learn Tanach, more specifically Navi, I notice a that common and reoccurring theme is that the Jews will betray Gd, usually by avoda zara (idolatry) or lack of Tzedaka and Mishpat (charity and justice-keeping), and then a Navi will tell them over the message from Gd that they have to do Teshuvah or they will be destroyed, and it’s up to them to listen. I’ve always been curious, how is it that Jews back then can stop obeying Gd and turn to idol worship, when back then, Gd performed more obvious miracles, so they knew He exists? It can’t be that they deny Gd’s existence, when it’s so much more obvious that He’s there. How were they not afraid or ashamed of turning away from Him? Thank you

Question
Dear Rabbi, I applied for a job and during the interview process mentioned that my salary expectation is $100k. Today they offered me the job and mentioned that the salary is $110k which they understood was what I had mentioned in the earlier interview. I never corrected them at the time, but am wondering whether ethically I should correct them if they think I am worth offering $110k? Thank you for your consideration. Shmuel

Question
When the pandemic began, I lost my job as the head chef of a restaurant. I had a lot of free time, so I started experimenting with my own recipes. I found I liked it so much that I made more and more recipes. And I started to share my recipes on YouTube. I also had to find a new way to make a living because I was unemployed and had bills to pay. So I said at the end of each YouTube video recipe “if you like this recipe, you are encouraged to make a contribution to me in any amount you would like.” And I included a link. I found that lots of people did send me money. Most sent just a few bucks. Others sent hundreds. I even got a few payments over $1000. Most payments are small. But they all add up. I also make money from advertising. And I am now earning more than both my parents combined, and they are doctors. My parents are very unhappy about this. They say what I am doing is unethical and they want no part in it. They call it a scam. They say it is no better than panhandling in the street. They want me to get a real job. I have so much money now flowing in every day that I don’t need one. Even videos I made over a year ago are still raking in money. On most days, I do no work at all. I feel what I am doing is fine because people are voluntarily paying me only because they choose to do so. No one is forced to pay me. I think the real reason my parents are upset is because they have worked so tirelessly since the pandemic began with COVID patients and they get almost no rest. They are jealous I make so much more money than they do with great ease and without having spent so many years in school like they did. They wanted me to go to medical school just like them. Instead I dropped out of college in my first year. I have been at odds with them ever since. And now they say I am doing nothing useful for society. As a rabbi, what is your opinion of this? Is what I am doing really unethical like my parents think? Am I really being unfair to them by earning money so much more easily? I am not much into Judaism, but I thought a rabbi could answer this for me.

Question
The letter Shin~Pei~Yud~Pei~Nun spell "shphiyphon" meaning "adder" - an intriguing word in Genesis 49:17. Even more interesting is the word spelled Nun~Pei~Shin - "nephesh - meaning soul, also in this word. Is there a cerastes , a horned snake, in every human soul? Could this be likened to the "yetzer hara" - the evil inclination?