Daf HaYomi, Mishna and Talmud
I have a cousin in New York whom I call on occasion, and at times when I call to speak to him his wife tells me he’s “out doing the Doff”. I’m a little embarrassed to ask her what that means, so could you possibly shed some light on this for me? Much appreciated.
Cremation or Burial
My mother was recently put into hospice and for the first time she’s facing death as a reality. We’ve been discussing burial and her desire, and she has been leaning towards cremation so not to put any financial burden on our family. Something feels wrong to me about that; to me it’s worth a financial stretch to have her buried the traditional way, but I wanted to know if Jewish law is ok with cremation or is there a real reason to prefer burial?
Cremation
As my mother has gotten older she has expressed a desire to be cremated. I have spoken to her about this and reminded her that she couldn’t be interred in a ‘Jewish’ cemetery (And asked her if 6 million Jews being burned wasn’t enough). She has resisted my arguments. I fear that if she dies, I won’t be able to attend her funeral. I could use some help here.
Conversos (Marranos)
I am from Mexico and my ancestors trace back to the Conversos. (We don’t use the common term “Morranos” because of its negative connotation in Spanish, which means swine). We trace our ancestry all the way back to the Spanish inquisition. Although for many generations my family has attended church and lived in Christian communities, they always have lit candles Friday night (in a secretive way) and some other Jewish customs. I recently have become more involved in traditional Judaism, and it has been suggested to me that I undergo a conversion to Judaism. I find this very offensive, as I am very proud of my family history and roots as a Jew. What is the correct thing to do?
Conversion and Support of Israel
I’m incensed over the Rotem bill currently on the floor of the Knesset. I fully endorse the statement of the United Jewish Federations that this bill, which would give full control over conversions in Israel to the rabbinate, could drive a deep wedge between Israel and Diaspora Jews. What right do the Orthodox rabbis have to control such a global and sensitive issue in a country that belongs to all streams of Judaism?