Malkie Janowski

G‑d created each person with a specific goal and purpose in mind. There is no "perfect person." No human being can, or should, be judged by anyone else's capabilities or accomplishments. Think of it as a giant puzzle. Each piece seems tiny, but if even on...

The Jewish perspective – as usual... – is twofold. Love is at the center of many fundamental tenets of Judaism. Love of G‑d, love for one's fellow Jew, love of the Torah, and a general love for G‑d's creatures and His world. Yet just as G‑d has instructed...

Question: My local mikvah attendant always puts out her hand after I have come out of the pool and asks me to touch her. Do you know the reason for this custom? I am too shy to ask her... Answer: Emerging from the mikvah you have just attained a heightene...

Understand the Talmudic reasoning behind the date - Adar 7.

It's more than appropriate. Bringing food to mourners is actually a traditional practice, and even alluded to in the Bible. In Genesis we read that Esau sold his birthright to Jacob for a pot of lentil soup. According to the Midrash, Jacob was actually pr...

How do I choose a name? Do I need to confirm it with a rabbi or something?

Imagine the following scenario: Bored with your job, you decide to do something radically different.

An appropriate prayer before a major exam would be something along the lines of, "G‑d, please help me pass this exam."

Question: Please tell me why a Jewish name is so important. What significance does it hold? Response: Quite a lot, actually. For starters, we are told that parents are granted a minor degree of ruach hakodesh (divine inspiration) when they select names fo...

When a person gives charity, he is not sanctifying merely his food, or some other possession, or his mental capabilities; he is giving up something in which he invested his whole self...