Question
Dear Rabbi, a friend is dating “out” and I mentioned to him that I really hope they don’t get married. He asked me “Why not?” I told him because it’s wrong, but I didn’t have any solid arguments. He’s a logical person, and I’m sure will seriously consider what I tell him, so I hope you can help me out here. Thanks.

Question
Hi, I've seen an answer to a question on here saying that a person whose mother's mother was Jewish is, by matrilineal descent, also Jewish. If it's an unbroken matrilineal line, is this true 100% of the time or is there a limit regarding how far back the relative is? I ask because my mother's mother's mother (my great-grandmother) was Jewish and, living in WWII Germany, she stopped practising. As such my grandmother, mother and myself were raised without religion. Are we all still considered Jewish? I feel that I've been denied a part of my family's culture, especially since I never got a chance to talk to my great-grandmother about it before she passed. I'd like to reconnect with it and come to understand my family better. Next year I'm moving to a city that has a beautiful Orthodox synagogue and I'm considering reaching out to the Rabbi but that's a bit intimidating so I thought I'd ask here first.

Question
Dear Rabbi, I was born and raised in Cincinnati, the daughter of Polish immigrants, as a devout Catholic. I married an Italian-American man and we had three girls we likewise raised Catholic. It never once crossed my mind that my ancestors could be anything else. I recently took a DNA test that gave me shocking results. It says I am 99.8% Ashkenazi Jewish. I wonder what to make out of this. I have not known any Jews since my childhood. My parents are long gone. I am a 78-year-old widow. My only living sibling has Alzheimer’s and can no longer communicate. I have no living relatives I know personally from Poland who I can ask. The only family I have around are my children, their husbands, and my seven grandchildren. I thought maybe I could ask a rabbi what to do and this is what came up from a Google search about asking a rabbi. Sincerely, Ann Murio

Question
Are the following 3 statements true? 1. Ahinoam married Saul and gave birth to Mikhal, Yonathan, and other children. 2. David married Mikhal (Ahinoam's daughter). They had no children. 3. David married Ahinoam. She gave him an heir, Amnon. Is Ahinoam the same person who married Saul and married David? How old was she at the time of each of her marriages? If Ahinoam was Yonathan's mother, and Yonathan and David were about the same age, wouldn't she have been too old to bear David children?

Question
Shalom I am sure you have been asked this question time and time again. I am hoping to receive the answer I am looking for. My grandmother met a Jewish man. My grandmother then converted to Judaism prior to getting married. My mother was then conceived and born. She went to Hebrew school and practiced Jewish traditions. I am looking for G-d. I have been reading about Judaism and would like to know. Am I Jewish? Would I be accepted by the Jewish community if my grandmother was a convert? Thank you for your time.

Question
Dear Rabbi, My stepdaughter, a Jewish girl, is marrying a very fine Catholic man. My wife and I are looking for a nearby Rabbi in (location withheld for privacy) who will perform the ceremony for them. The groom wishes the actual ceremony to be held jointly with a Catholic priest. The wedding ceremony and the reception are to be held in a hotel so there is no "religious property" involved (i.e. not in a church). Thanks Rabbi for any referral you can offer.

Question
Shalom Rav My boss's son is getting married to an Asian girl this Shabbos. I have celebrated the High Holidays in Shul with her and her parents who were Conservative when Conservative was much closer to Orthodax than Reform as it is now. Her father even blew the Shofar each year, Anyway, when she comes back to work I would not look to mention the wedding, but if she does, how should I respond? "Congratulations" or, "That's nice" seems out of the question. What do you suggest? Todah rabah

Question
Does Judaism support giving the dowry to bride's or groom's family before or after marriage?