Question
Nehemiah 13:3 Now it came to pass, when they had "heard" the "law" that they "separated" from Yisrael "all" the mixed multitude ereb spelled Ayin~Resh~Bet. I find this passage riveting. Bera means "son of evil" spelled Bet~Resh~ Ayin shares identical "letters" with ereb Ayin~Resh~Bet. This denotes the mixed multitude were "evil sons" of haughty spirit . Yisrael is a "peculiarly " clean heart people that have been Torah water "sprinkled". (Psalms 73:1 Truly, G-d "good" to Yisrael, even to "such" as are of a "clean" heart. Ezekiel 36:25 Then I will sprinkle "clean" water on you, and ye shall be clean: from all your "filthiness" and from all your "idols" will I cleanse you. Torah also teaches that Hashem will perform a "new" heart & Spirit transplant. Ezekiel 36:26 A "new" heart also will I give you, and a "new" Spirit will I put "within" you: I will take away the "stony" heart out of your "flesh", and I will give you and "heart" of flesh. Ezekiel 36:37 I will put My Spirit "within" you and "cause" you to "walk" in MY "statues" and ye shall "keep" My "judgments". In Nehemiah 13:3 afore mentioned when Yisrael (clean heart people) "heard" [shama Verb meaning to listen consent,perceive,obey] the "law" Torah, Yisrael (clean heart ) "separated" from "all" the mixed multitude. Numbers 11:4 And the "mixed" multitude that was "among" them fell a "lusting". And the children of Yisrael "wept" again, and said, Who shall give us "flesh" to eat? This oracle is astonishing indeed. The word for mixed multitude is "acpcuph" means "promiscuous" assemblage,rabble,scoundrel Aleph~Samek~Pei~Samek~Pei . Once again "clean" and "unclean" can't comfortably coexist together. Chaos, confusion, and "spiritual " contamination will "always" permeate. So what's the "solution" to all this haughty spirit evolution in the world today? Shalom

Question
Dear Rabbi, My son is marrying, God willing, in November, and we have heard of a pre-marriage ceremony called "The Breaking of the Plate." Would you be so kind as to share the significance of this ceremony as well as the actual performance (ritual)? Thank you.

Question
My husband and I are in our upper 50s. We have been happily married for over 30 years. We tried but couldn’t have children when we were young and couldn’t adopt either because we couldn’t afford to. We have always felt and still feel an emptiness because we never had any children. This emptiness has grown as more time has passed and many of our relatives are gone. Now we are financially in a better position and we would very much love to adopt some children, but we cannot ignore the fact that we are older. We are for the most part in good health. We have asked a lawyer, and legally we can adopt if an agency is willing to approve us. What is your advice as a rabbi when it comes to middle-aged people adopting children?

Question
Dear Rabbi, I saw on the calendar that this Shabbat is called “Shabbat Nachamu – a Shabbat of Comfort”. What is the special significance of this Shabbat? Thanks!