R' Meir ben Simcha's Blog

A Noahide Doesn't Steal Shalom Aleichem! Recently I stumbled upon some people online who claim to be of religious authority (I will not mention their names in order to not give them the popularity theu want). They are actively claiming that Noahides are, somehow, stealing the Commandments from Jews by observing them. The immense absurdity of such a claim is obvious, but I cannot leave it to deceive people without a righteous opposition. First and foremost, as those people of untrue claims may not even know, a Noahide is any human who keeps the Seven Laws given to Noah by the Lord, one of which is to not steal. Secondly, one who obeys God and learns what they are told cannot be stealing, because hearing what is told to you is not stealing of any sort. God gave those 7 Mitzvoth, so we, the ones to whom they are addressed (i.e. all of mankind, uncluding the Jews as we are also descendants of Noah), observe them and follow His will. How can such claim even be born by so...

Who are the Bnei Noach? Shalom Aleichem! You may have encountered the term "Bnei Noach" here and there in religious spaces, especially online. But what does this mysterious term mean? Noah and his three sons: Ham, Shem, and Japheth. Bnei Noach (in Leshon Hakoydesh: בני נוח) literally means "sons of Noah" and refers to the people descending from Noah's lineage, i.e. all of humankind. As all people in the world descend from the three sons of Noah, this makes all of us Bnei Noach. Therefore, as we are all Bnei Noach, may we all observe the Seven laws of Noah in our daily lifes.

On Jewish Literature  "The love of the Jews for poetic fiction can be traced as far back as the oldest records of our literature. It can be found in the parables and tales of the Bible, like that of Jotham (Judg. 9:7 ff.), who told the story of the trees choosing a king; or the parables of the prophet Nathan (II Sam. 12:1 ff.), who, in rebuking King David, told the story of the poor man's lamb; or that of Jehoash, the king of Israel, who refused to meet Amaziah the King of Judah (II Kings 14:9 ff.); and many more examples..." Thus begins the Introduction to Rabbi Moses Gaster's Ma'aseh Book , which itself contains a collection of Jewish folk tales. It is a very beautiful and very truthful in its contents, and I encourage you all to explore the indescribable wealth of Jewish fiction (and non-fiction also) as it is so massive and wholesome, yet so overlooked in our current day and age. I wish you a good day and enjoyable reading. Shalom!

Rabbi Yishmael and the Blind Man Shalom Aleichem! There is an old folk tale which some Ashkenazi Jews in the Balkans preserved to this day. And it's a beautiful tale of short length and value beyond measure. The tale in question goes as follows: Back in ancient times a blind man spoke with Rabbeinu Yishmael and told him, "O rabbi, if God loves us so much, then why does He allow for some of us to be born blind like me? Why does He not give us the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of His creation?" Rabbeinu Yismael answered: "Ye do not see His creation in this life only. As the ones who were blind in this world shall have the best of sight in the World to come. And, if they be pious, they shall see more beauty between two blinks of an eye in the World to come than they shall see in an entire earthly life." Afterwards the blind man smiled and said, "Thank you for your wisdom, Rabbi!" And Rabbeinu Yismael replied, "It is not the wisdom of...

Bnei Anousim & Baalei Teshuva Shalom Aleichem!  You may wonder what makes one a Ben Anousim or Bat Anousim. In Leshon Hakoydesh the term "Ben Anousim" (in Leshon Hakoydesh: בן אנוסים) literally means "son of converts" and Bat Anousim (בת אנוסים) is its feminine equivalent. Throughout history Jews have been oppressed, forced to convert to other religions, and expelled from the lands where they lived (think of the Reconquista in Spain and the related to it expulsions). In order to preserve their lifes, many Jews converted and thus became "Anousim" (converts/אנוסים). Map of the expulsions of Jews in the period 1100-1600. Out of fear that their little children may unintentionally reveal the family's Jewishness to the wrong people, a lot of Anousim never told their kids of their true origins. They tried to blend in as much as possible, and when they kept some kind of an "unusual" tradition, they presented it as a Christian or Muslim (d...

What is Pareve? Shalom Aleichem! A lot of people who want to start keeping kosher want to familiarize themselves with the key concepts of kashruth. Here I leave a short and simple explanation of one of them - Pavere. Video about Pareve Pareve (or Parve) is simply any kind of kosher food which is neither meat nor dairy. Pareve can be combined with meat or with dairy products without any problem. In short, this is what Pareve is. Shalom!