My Dog Ate My Kippah - Does It Need Jewish Burial?

Why Don't Orthodox Jewish Men Wear Wedding Rings?

🎧 Listen to this and other episodes at www.joidenver.com/podcasts In this episode of Dear Rabbi, I answer a question many people wonder about: Why don't Orthodox Jewish men wear wedding rings? While I do know some Orthodox men who do wear them, traditionally many Orthodox men do not, and there's actually a specific reason. In a traditional Jewish wedding, the man gives the woman something of value, typically a ring, as a gift. The key word here is "gift," not exchange. The entire foundation of a Jewish wedding is built on the concept of giving; the man gives to the woman to establish the marriage bond. If the man were to give the woman a ring and the woman were to give the man a different ring in return, that would be an exchange, not giving. An exchange is fundamentally different from giving and doesn't align with how a Jewish wedding is constructed. Therefore, a man's wedding ring was never really part of the traditional Jewish wedding ceremony. Additionally, there's a Torah prohibition against men wearing feminine clothing, which according to many opinions includes jewelry. Traditionally, Orthodox Jewish men don't wear jewelry at all, so a wedding band, which has no part in the Jewish wedding ceremony, was never included in the practice. Some Jewish men do wear wedding rings today, often as a practical sign that they're married (especially in the workplace to signal to others that they're taken). But this is a modern practice separate from traditional Jewish wedding customs. CONNECT WITH US: 🎧 Listen to all our podcasts: [www.joidenver.com/podcasts] 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 Subscribe to "JOI to the World" to access all our podcasts, including Yada Yada Yiddish, Kids Say the Deepest Things, Reconnect, and Dear Rabbi.

Parshat Pinchas: The Price of Decisive Action

📖 Parshat Pinchas This Week: Zimri and Cozbi sin openly in front of the entire nation. The plague kills thousands. Moshe seems frozen. What's the right response? But Pinchas doesn't wait for permission. He acts decisively, takes a spear, and kills them both. The plague stops. God rewards him with peace and a covenant of priesthood. This is what separates leaders from followers: the ability to act decisively when it matters. Not recklessly. Decisively. In moments of crisis, we freeze. We hesitate. We wait to be told what to do. But real leadership isn't about waiting; it's about stepping up when no one else will, even when you're not sure. Pinchas didn't have a guarantee he'd be right. He just knew something had to be done. That's courage. That's leadership. Shabbat Shalom. ⚡ Follow us for more: Website - https://www.joidenver.com [https://www.joidenver.com/] Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/joidenver [https://www.instagram.com/joidenver] Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/JOIdenver [http://www.facebook.com/JOIdenver] YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/JOIdenver [https://www.youtube.com/c/JOIdenver] Pinterest - http://pinterest.com/jewishdiy [http://pinterest.com/jewishdiy] Subscribe to "JOI to the World" to access all our podcasts, including Yada Yada Yiddish, Kids Say the Deepest Things, Reconnect, and Dear Rabbi.

Why Aren't Dinosaurs Mentioned in the Bible?

🎧 Listen to this and other episodes at www.joidenver.com/podcasts In this episode of Dear Rabbi, I tackle a fascinating question: Why don't we find any mention of dinosaurs in the creation story in the Bible? The answer reveals how we should read and interpret biblical texts. First, let me point out that we also don't find any mention of oranges in the creation story, yet no one doubts that oranges exist. The Bible simply doesn't mention every single thing that was created. It provides categories and highlights certain creations, but it's not an exhaustive inventory of all creations. However, there's an interesting possibility. In Genesis 1:21, the Bible describes the creation of animals and gives different categories. One category is "tannin." Gerald Schroeder, a brilliant MIT physicist, explains that in Exodus 3, the word "tannin" (singular of tannin) refers specifically to a snake. Since the general term for a snake or the category is "reptile," he translates "tannin" as "large reptiles," and the Greek word for a large reptile is "dinosaur." So Schroeder believes the "tannin" mentioned on day five of creation was actually a dinosaur. According to oral tradition and the Midrash, these large creatures (tannin golem) were long extinct before humans came onto the scene. This aligns with what we know about dinosaurs from fossil records. Dinosaurs do raise important questions about the age of the universe, which is a separate discussion. For deeper exploration of both topics, I recommend Gerald Schroeder's books, particularly "The Science of God" and his smaller work "What About the Dinosaurs?" CONNECT WITH US: 🎧 Listen to all our podcasts: [www.joidenver.com/podcasts] 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 Subscribe to "JOI to the World" to access all our podcasts, including Yada Yada Yiddish, Kids Say the Deepest Things, Reconnect, and Dear Rabbi. Join us as we uncover the treasures in our backyard and ex

Parshat Balak: Blessings Disguised as Curses

📖 Parshat Balak This Week: King Balak hires the prophet Bilam to curse the Jewish people. Bilam opens his mouth to curse, but God transforms every curse into a blessing. 'How goodly are your tents, O Jacob!' Instead of destruction, he pronounces protection. Instead of weakness, he proclaims strength. The curse becomes a blessing. How often do we live this backwards? We're going through something difficult, a job loss, a rejection, or a setback, and we think it's a curse. We can't see past the pain. But sometimes hidden deep inside that difficulty is a nugget of blessing. The lesson that forced growth. The relationship that deepened through struggle. The strength discovered through adversity. Your curses might be blessings in disguise. Look deeper. Shabbat Shalom. ✨ Follow us for more: Website - https://www.joidenver.com [https://www.joidenver.com/] Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/joidenver [https://www.instagram.com/joidenver] Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/JOIdenver [http://www.facebook.com/JOIdenver] YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/JOIdenver [https://www.youtube.com/c/JOIdenver] Pinterest - http://pinterest.com/jewishdiy [http://pinterest.com/jewishdiy] Subscribe to "JOI to the World" to access all our podcasts, including Yada Yada Yiddish, Kids Say the Deepest Things, Reconnect, and Dear Rabbi.

Parshat Korach: Is It About the Problem or About You?

📖 Parshat Korach This Week: If we see something wrong, we should fix it. That's our responsibility. But here's the hard question: Does the solution always point back to you? Does fixing the problem somehow benefit your ego, advance your career, or give you what you want? If yes, maybe it's not about the problem at all. Korach challenged Moshe's leadership. He claimed the system was wrong, that everyone should be equal. But really? He wanted to be in charge. We do this all the time. 'So-and-so isn't qualified for that job' really means 'I want that position.'' The leadership needs to change' really means 'I want that power.' Before you criticize someone else's leadership, ask yourself: Is there a bias here? Is something in it for me? Is this really about fixing the situation, or is it about my ego? That question changes everything. Shabbat Shalom. 🪞 Follow us for more: Website - https://www.joidenver.com [https://www.joidenver.com/] Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/joidenver [https://www.instagram.com/joidenver] Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/JOIdenver [http://www.facebook.com/JOIdenver] YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/c/JOIdenver [https://www.youtube.com/c/JOIdenver] Pinterest - http://pinterest.com/jewishdiy [http://pinterest.com/jewishdiy] Subscribe to "JOI to the World" to access all our podcasts, including Yada Yada Yiddish, Kids Say the Deepest Things, Reconnect, and Dear Rabbi.