Dear Rabbi

By: Menachem Lehrfield
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  • Summary

  • Concise weekly answers to your questions about Judaism. If you are a wondering Jew, visit www.joidenver.com/dearrabbi to submit your own questions.
    Copyright Rabbi Menachem Lehrfield
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Judaism Spirituality
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Episodes
  • Why Are Kosher Restaurants So Expensive?

    Why Are Kosher Restaurants So Expensive?
    May 7 2025
    In this episode of Dear Rabbi, I address the common question about why kosher restaurants typically have higher prices than non-kosher establishments. I explain that rather than simple price gouging, there are legitimate fixed costs that contribute to higher prices in kosher dining. These include specialized meat preparation requirements, meticulous inspection of fruits and vegetables for insects (as Jewish law prohibits consuming bugs), and the salary of a mashgiach (kosher supervisor) who ensures all kosher laws are properly observed. These additional expenses necessary for maintaining kosher certification ultimately get passed on to consumers, making kosher restaurants and kosher food in general more expensive. This episode provides insight into the economic realities behind kosher food production while acknowledging the genuine concerns of kosher-observant consumers about dining costs.

    Keep the questions coming! If you have a burning question about Judaism,
    Email us at Dearrabbi@Joidenver.com📧

    Tune in to Dear Rabbi and uncover the wisdom behind Jewish customs and laws. 🎙️🌟
    Follow us for more:
    Website - https://www.joidenver.com
    Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/joidenver
    Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/JOIdenver
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    2 mins
  • Why Jews Have Wires Across Streets: The Mystery of the Eruv Explained

    Why Jews Have Wires Across Streets: The Mystery of the Eruv Explained
    Apr 30 2025
    In this episode of Dear Rabbi, I unravel the mystery behind those fishing wire-like strings that hang across streets in Jewish neighborhoods. These strings, an eruv, serve as a ritual boundary that transforms public areas into a unified domain for Sabbath observance. I explain how Jewish law prohibits carrying objects between public and private domains on Shabbat, and how the eruv creates a symbolic enclosure that allows observant Jews to carry essential items (like house keys or push strollers) on the Sabbath. Beyond its practical function, I discuss how the eruv historically helped build strong Jewish communities by encouraging Jews to live near one another. This traditional practice represents both religious observance and community cohesion, though I note how changing observance patterns have affected this community-building aspect in modern times.


    Keep the questions coming! If you have a burning question about Judaism,
    Email us at Dearrabbi@Joidenver.com📧

    Tune in to Dear Rabbi and uncover the wisdom behind Jewish customs and laws. 🎙️🌟
    Follow us for more:
    Website - https://www.joidenver.com
    Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/joidenver
    Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/JOIdenver
    YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/JOIdenver
    Pinterest - http://pinterest.com/jewishdiy
    Show More Show Less
    6 mins
  • Why Jews Don't Count People: Biblical Origins and Human Dignity

    Why Jews Don't Count People: Biblical Origins and Human Dignity
    Apr 16 2025
    In this episode of Dear Rabbi, I continue our exploration of why Jewish tradition avoids directly counting people. Tracing this practice back to biblical times, I explain how even during desert censuses, Jews were counted indirectly through coin contributions. I share the cautionary tale from the Book of Samuel where King David's census led to calamity, and draw on commentaries from Rambam and Rashi about the "evil eye." More profoundly, I suggest that assigning numbers to people diminishes their infinite value and human dignity a principle tragically illustrated by the Nazi practice of tattooing numbers on Holocaust victims. Unlike modern censuses that reduce people to statistics, Jewish tradition recognizes that each person counts without being reduced to a mere number. Through creative counting methods like using verses or counting shoes, Judaism upholds human dignity while still gathering necessary information.


    Keep the questions coming! If you have a burning question about Judaism,
    Email us at Dearrabbi@Joidenver.com📧

    Tune in to Dear Rabbi and uncover the wisdom behind Jewish customs and laws. 🎙️🌟
    Follow us for more:
    Website - https://www.joidenver.com
    Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/joidenver
    Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/JOIdenver
    YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/JOIdenver
    Pinterest - http://pinterest.com/jewishdiy
    Show More Show Less
    2 mins

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