Q&A
Rav Avigdor Miller on Heroic Couples
Q:Can a kollel man who leaves the yeshiva still remain a yeshiva man even while he’s involved in business?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Jewish Wives and Irish Wives
Q:I know a very religious man who works all day and then he spends his nights in the beis medrash learning and he doesn’t give a lot of time to his wife and children. And his wife and children complain about it. What do you think about that?
Rav Avigdor Miller on The Beauty of the Jewish Woman
Q:Why should a Jewish woman attempt to look beautiful for her husband?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Yeshiva English Teachers
Q:How much emphasis should yeshivos put on hiring religious teachers instead of irreligious Jews or gentiles? Should more money be spent on salaries in order to bring in frum teachers?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Children and Pshuto Shel Mikra
Q:Should we focus on pshuto shel mikra with our children and our young students instead of focusing on Rashi?
Rav Avigdor Miller on How To Learn Chumash
Q:If I have time and I want to study chumash in the best way possible, what would you recommend as the best way to proceed in order to get the maximum benefit in the time that I have?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Aharon’s Innocence
Q:How come Aharon wasn’t killed? Wasn’t he the one who led the people astray in making the eigel?
Rav Avigdor Miller on The Drive to Procreate
Q:Why is the mitzvah of having children encouraged by the yetzer hara, by such a wicked instinct, and not by the yetzer hatov?
Rav Avigdor Miller on The Purim Takeaway
Q:The Rav spoke tonight about the lesson of Purim being the internalizing of how much Hashem loves us and our responsibility to love Him and to love the Am Yisroel. But isn’t it possible to say that the Simchas Purim is because of קיימו וקיבלו, that the Jewish Nation accepted the Torah again after the witnessing the neis of Purim?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Mordechai’s Demotion
Q:The last possuk in the Megillah (Esther 10:3) says about Mordechai that he was רצוי לרוב אחיו – that he was liked, appreciated, by most of the Jews. And Chazal say that it wasn’t everyone because he came too close to the malchus; people thought he became too karov to the malchus. And there’s a statement there from R’ Yosef (Megillah 16b) who says גדול תלמוד תורה מהצלת נפשות, that learning Torah is greater than saving lives. I don’t understand that. Maybe Rebbe can explain that to us?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Esther’s Sadness
Q:If G-d doesn’t approve of Jews and non-Jews living together, why did He choose to bring the yeshua by having Esther live with Achashveirosh? Couldn’t He have found a more noble way?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Mordechai Saves the Antisemite
Q:The Gemara (Megillah 11a) says that in the name Achashveirosh is a hint to the fact that he was ‘achiv shel rosh’, meaning that he was of the same mind as Nevuchadnetzar who wanted to destroy the Jewish people. If Achashveirosh hated the Yidden so much, why did Mordechai save his life?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Amalek’s Crime
Q:What is the crime of Amalek that we are expected to remember always?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Moshe’s Yahrtzeit (ז׳ אדר)
Q:Is there any significance to the fact that our great teacher, Moshe Rabeinu, passed away on the same day that he was born?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Benefitting From The Death of the Righteous
Q:Why is the death of tzadikim considered a kaparah for the Jewish people?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Haman and the IRS
Q:The Megillah says that the reason that Haman gave Achashveirosh for why the Jews had to be killed was “ואת דתי המלך אינם עושים – And the laws of the king they don’t follow” (Esther 3:8). And Rashi says that Haman was saying לתת מס לעבודת המלך – that the Jews are not paying their taxes. Is not paying taxes a logical reason for killing the Jews?
Rav Avigdor Miller on The Origin of The Various Races
Q:How do we explain the existence of black and brown races? I mean as far as their origin.
Rav Avigdor Miller on Mishenichnas Adar
Q:משנכנס אדר מרבים בשמחה – When the Adar comes in we try to make more simcha. What does that mean?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Nature: The Open Textbook
Q:Should one allow himself to absorb the apikorsus found in books about niflaos habriyah?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Forcing The Willing
Q:In this week’s parsha the Am Yisroel said “Naaseh v’nishma,” so it seems like they accepted the Torah willingly. So how do we understand the medrash that says Hashem held Har Sinai over the Jews like a barrel and threatened to drop it on them if they wouldn’t accept the Torah?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Mechitzos and Mixing
Q:Is there a chiyuv to have a mechitzah at a wedding? I see sometimes Orthodox functions where the men and women are sitting together.
Rav Avigdor Miller on Praying For A Million Dollars
Q:Is there anything wrong with me davening to Hashem that He should give me a million dollars?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Lost Love, Lasting Loyalty
Q:How should one react if they find that they don’t love their partner anymore like they did in the beginning?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Sports Identity
Q:Is there anything wrong if a frum yeshiva bochur goes to sports games once in a while if he’s careful to watch himself?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Moshe’s Shidduch
Q:How is it that Moshe, the greatest man who ever lived, married a Midyanite woman, the daughter of Yisro?
Rav Avigdor Miller on The Successful Parent
Q:The Rav mentioned earlier that a parent should use the word “please” when speaking to a child. But doesn’t saying the word “please” imply that the fulfillment of the request by the child is really only going to be a favor on the part of the child?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Helping Out In Medinas Yisroel
Q:How could you say that Jews should avoid doing military service in Israel if there are millions of Jews who need to be protected?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Bland Colored Potatoes
Q:The Rav said that Hakodosh Boruch Hu made fruit beautiful so that we should recognize His kindliness. Wouldn’t we be able to recognize Him even more if He also made potatoes beautiful?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Shidduch Investigations
Q:How can we be really sure about our future partner’s true character before marriage?
Rav Avigdor Miller on A Little Davening With A Lot of Thinking
Q:Is it more of a mitzvah to say the whole seder hatefillah every morning or to say part of the davening and think more into the meaning of what I’m saying?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Why The Frummeh?
Q:If it’s so that the terror attacks in Eretz Yisroel are coming because of the chillul Shabbos and rebellion against Hashem in the country why is it that many of those killed are frum people rather than the people who are actually rebelling?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Messages of Terror
Q:How should we react when we hear about these hostile attacks by the Arabs? What message are we being sent?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Holocaust Memorials
Q:What is the Rav’s opinion of the proliferation of Holocaust museums and memorials?
Rav Avigdor Miller on How Old Is The World
Q:How do I answer someone who shows me the recent article about evolution in the Jewish Action magazine and he’s trying to tell me that evolution is true, only that it was caused by Hashem?
Rav Avigdor Miller on My Mother and My Wife
Q:Should a man say anything to his mother if he knows his mother is saying not nice things to his wife?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Calling Out Stupidity
Q:Sometimes we see in the Gemara that the chachomim in Eretz Yisroel would refer to the Jews in Bavel as בבלאי טפשאי, those foolish Babylonians. How does that fit with the idea that you’re not supposed to ridicule people?
Rav Avigdor Miller on The Danger of Misgendering
Q:Why is it that Hashem is referred to as “He” or “Him”? Why don’t we say “She” or “Her”?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Utilizing Rosh Chodesh
Q:What’s so special about Rosh Chodesh that we say Hallel and that it’s called a מועד?
Rav Avigdor Miller on The Starving Talmid Chochom
Q:What is it that causes a young man who is learning Torah and is seemingly doing well in his studies to feel dissatisfied and to yearn for success elsewhere?
Rav Avigdor Miller on The Stubborn Lose Out
Q:Makkas Barad it says that הירא את דבר השם, the ones who feared Hashem, brought their animals inside before the hail began in order to save their property. But didn’t they all see what Moshe Rabeinu had been doing with the Makkos already for such a long time? How could there be anyone who wasn’t yarei es Hashem?
Rav Avigdor Miller on חיים שיש בהם ובנו יראת שמים
Q:On the Shabbos before Rosh Chodesh, when we bless the new month before mussaf, we ask Hashem for a month of חיים שיש בהם יראת שמים – life that has in it fear of Hashem. And then a few lines after that we say, חיים שתהא בנו אהבת תורה ויראת שמים – a life that has in us fear of Hashem. Why is it repeated?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Taking The Blame
Q:The Rav said tonight that when someone gets sick or hurt, he shouldn’t blame Hashem, but he should look to blame himself for not taking care of himself properly. But shouldn’t we be looking back to see which sins we did to cause Hashem to punish us with the cold or the virus or whatever it is?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Resolving An Inferiority Complex
Q:There’s a frum boy who suffers from an inferiority complex. What should he do about it?
Rav Avigdor Miller on TV Rebels
Q:If a child comes home every day begging for a TV, should we let him once in a while go to a friend’s house in order to prevent him from rebelling?
Rav Avigdor Miller on TV Grandparents
Q:What should I do if my parents have a TV and my children want to go to their house to visit?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Accomplishing Without Confidence
Q:How can somebody who lacks confidence in himself gain confidence in order to accomplish things?
Rav Avigdor Miller on The On-The-Derech Phenomenon
Q:Why do we have so many boys and girls going off the derech?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Boys and Girls, Men and Women
Q:Should a little boy be prevented from playing with girls?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Greatness At The Wedding
Q:If someone has to go to a family event and he thinks that it’ll just be a big waste of time how can he protect himself from the negative influences?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Wild Names
Q:Why do Jewish males have names of beheimos temeios, of non-kosher wild animals? I’m thinking in particular about the name Dov, the bear, and Aryeh, the lion.
Rav Avigdor Miller on Emunah in UFO’s
Q:Should Jews believe in UFOs, in unidentified flying objects?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Couples Holding Hands
Q:Is it proper for husband and wife to hold hands in the street?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Appreciating the Gift of Food
Q:Why should we give thanks to Hashem for the food that He gives us? He made us; of course He has to feed us.
Rav Avigdor Miller on When To Complain
Q:In this week’s sedrah when Pharaoh asked Yaakov, “How long are the years of your life?” so Yaakov answered that his days were not as good as the days of his fathers. What did Yaakov intend by that answer?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Dream Interpretations
Q:Is there anybody alive today who can interpret dreams as far as the future is concerned?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Too Dead To Be Sorry
Q:How do I answer my cousin who says she went to an Ivy League college and wasn’t affected? She says she’s not sorry she went because it had no effect on her.
Rav Avigdor Miller on Children and Luxuries
Q:Is there a problem with taking children to concerts where shomrei Torah u’mitzvos will be singing kosher songs?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Which Miracle Matters
Q:Why is Al Hanisim mostly about the victory over the Yevanim and not about the nes of the shemen?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Fighting Missionaries With Chanukah
Q:What preventive measures can we take with our children to avoid them falling into the hands of missionaries or other foolish things when they grow up?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Chanukah Gifts
Q:The evening of December 25th is the first night of Chanukah. Should Jews refrain from giving gifts that evening?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Angry Kohanim
Q:People say that Kohanim are generally known to be ka'asanim, angry people. How can we reconcile this attitude with what we know are the consequences of anger?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Hillel’s Anger
Q:It says that Hillel never became angry. How is it possible that he never became angry?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Strength Through Struggle
Q:The Rav said tonight that the suffering we endure from the goyim is a benefit to us. How could it be that we benefited from the decrees of Antiochus during the days of Chanukah if we weren’t allowed to keep our religion?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Love, Favoritism and Partiality
Q:I’d like to know: It says that Yaakov loved Yosef more than his other children because he was of his old age. What about Binyamin? Binyamin was younger than Yosef.
Rav Avigdor Miller on Showing Favoritism
Q:The chachomim say that one of the lessons that we learn from the story of Yosef and his brothers is that you shouldn’t show favoritism to one child over because that’s what caused the whole Golus Mitzrayim. Does that apply even if you want to give something to somebody’s else’s kids?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Daf Yomi and Chazara
Q:A working person who wants to learn every day, is it a good idea to learn a daf a day like daf yomi so he finishes shas in seven years or is it better to do less but to do chazarah?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Working For Extra Money
Q:According to the Torah is it right for a person to strive to have more than just enough? Is it right to work to have more money than you need right now?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Like Sheep to the Slaughter
Q:The expression that the Jews in World War II went like sheep to the slaughter, is that true?
Rav Avigdor Miller on V’sein Tal U’matar
Q:Should we be storming the heavens about the bringing of Moshiach?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Hashem By The Kosel
Q:It says that מעולם לא זזה שכינה מכותל מערבי, that the Shechinah always remained by the Kosel Maaravi (see Shemos Rabbah 2:2). Is that true even today?
Rav Avigdor Miller on The Blowing Your Nose Bracha
Q:We make a bracha asher yatzar thanking Hashem for the gift of being able to expel waste from our body. Why don’t we make the same bracha for sneezing or blowing the nose?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Shabbos Sleepovers
Q:My not frum relative is inviting my child for Shabbos. What’s the best way to decline that invitation?
Rav Avigdor Miller on The Good Rebel
Q:What advice would you give to a twenty-year-old yeshiva man regarding his parents’ wish that he embark on secular education?
Rav Avigdor Miller on The One Not Worthy of Learning
Q:If everything is for somebody’s benefit, how can you explain the fact that someone wanted an opportunity for spiritual progress but was prevented because of circumstances beyond his control? Somebody wanted, let’s say, to become a yeshivah man or a talmid chacham but certain circumstances didn’t let him. If everything is min hashomayim, how do you explain that?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Yitzchok’s Error
Q:When I was listening to this week’s parsha in shul I was wondering how it could be that such a great man like Yitzchok made a mistake about Eisav?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Shopping Deals
Q:Should women travel long distances to go shopping in Manhattan in order to save a little bit of money?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Working and Learning
Q:How can one know whether he is spending too much effort on earning a living, instead of learning Torah?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Double Ring Ceremonies
Q:Recently I was at a wedding where at the chuppah the rabbi said that the kallah should also give a ring to the chosson. What do you think about that idea?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Health Foods
Q:In order to better take care of our bodies, should we eat natural health foods?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Havdalah Thoughts
Q:What should our thoughts be when havdalah is being made?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Moving From Brooklyn to Monsey
Q:Considering the moral and social climate in New York City, should people move to Monsey?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Why We Need Shoes
Q:Why did Hashem make it so that people need to wear shoes while animals don’t?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Great Ideas
Q:Why don’t you ever mention the source of your ideas, whether they come from Rav Simcha Zissel or from Rav Nosson Tzvi Finkel of Slabodka or from Rav Isaac Sher?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Kiruv Lessons From Avraham
Q:What is the best method of teaching of being mikareiv young people, even our own children, to come to awareness of Hashem and to have the fortitude to contend with nisyanos?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Hashem Manipulates History
Q:How can we see how Hashem manipulates history today?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Entertaining Guests Instead of Davening
Q:The Gemara says that from the story of Avraham Avinu in this week’s parsha we learn that גדולה הכנסת אורחים יותר מקבלת פני השכינה – it’s greater to entertain wayfarers more than to receive the presence of the Shechinah. How does that apply in real life?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Five Percent Shalom Bayis
Q:How can I help a new couple in my family who are fighting and they’re thinking of separating?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Who To Vote For
Q:How should we decide for whom to vote, especially if we cut ourselves off from the newspapers?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Religion in Politics
Q:What do you say about this subject of mixing religion into politics? It’s an accusation lately brought up against Reagan that he’s mixing religion and politics too much?
Rav Avigdor Miller on The Death Penalty
Q:What is your opinion of the death sentence that was carried out in Florida with the consent of the Governor there?
Rav Avigdor Miller on World Series Suckers
Q:What can we learn from the recent World Series game?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Likud Versus Labor
Q:What’s the Rav’s opinion of the Likud party versus the Labor party in Israel?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Voting in Eretz Yisroel
Q:To participate in voting for a memsheles Yisrael lifnei bi’as haMoshiach, a Jewish government in Eretz Yisroel before Moshiach comes, is that against the Torah?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Cavemen and Climate Change
Q:How does the age of the cavemen and the dinosaurs fit in with Torah?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Israeli Politicians
Q:What should be our reaction to Rabin handing over parts of Eretz Yisrael to the PLO?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Different Folks, Different Strokes
Q:When there are differences between different groups among the Jewish People, how are we to know who is right?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Saying It’s All Good
Q:Should we say that all is good even though we don’t feel it?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Sukkos: The Finale of The Yomim Noraim
Q:Is there a connection between Yom Kippur and Sukkos?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Hurry Up Teshuva
Q:On Yom Kippur are we trying to do תשובה מאהבה or תשובה מיראה? Are we repenting because of love of Hashem or because of fear of Hashem?
Rav Avigdor Miller on The Sa’ir La’azazel
Q:The Rambam says that the sa’ir hamishtaleiach, the goat that is pushed off a cliff on Yom Kippur, is mechaper even without teshuva. How does that work?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Teshuva and Aveiros Forever
Q:You said before that every act lasts forever and that this includes aveiros. So what happens to the aveirah after a person does teshuvah?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Pre Yom Kippur Plans
Q:What should be the first thing one should correct before Yom Kippur?
Rav Avigdor Miller on A Tzom Gedalya Lesson
Q:Can you tell us something, a lesson maybe, about Tzom Gedalya?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Rosh Hashana Happiness
Q:How can we eat a big seudah with simcha on Rosh Hashana when we’re being judged and our fate is in the balance?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Fearing the Day of Judgement
Q:Now that the judgment is coming, what can we do in order to find happiness as we approach the Day of Judgment?
Rav Avigdor Miller on The Nation That Knows the Shofar
Q:It states in Tehillim, אשרי העם יודעי תרועה – Praised is the nation that knows the shofar blowing (Tehillim 89:16). What is the meaning and significance of this quotation?
Rav Avigdor Miller on The First Teshuva
Q:Why does Yom Kippur come after Rosh Hashana? Wouldn’t it be better to do teshuva before Yom Hadin?
Rav Avigdor Miller on The Ten Minute Rosh Hashana Prep
Q:The Rav said tonight that we should get busy before Rosh Hashanah remembering all the good that Hashem has given us since last Rosh Hashanah. But don’t we have to spend the little time time we have left thinking about our sins and our behavior over the past year and making resolutions for improving this coming year?
Rav Avigdor Miller on How To Make Aliyah
Q:What is your attitude to us settling in Eretz Yisroel?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Eating Out
Q:What should be the attitude of an Orthodox Jew regarding glatt kosher Chinese restaurants?
Rav Avigdor Miller on The Importance of Gehenim
Q:What is the definition of Gehenim? And how important is it in Judaism?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Going Out-of-Town To Learn
Q:When should a boy be encouraged to go to an out-of-town yeshiva?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Elul in Slabodka
Q:Can the Rav give us an idea of what it was like in Slabodka during Elul?
Rav Avigdor Miller on The Right One
Q:How does one determine who the right one is when looking to marry?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Talmud Torah Kineged Kulam
Q:Why is learning Torah so important that we say תלמוד תורה כנגד כולם, that it’s equal to all other mitzvos?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Delaying Your Engagement
Q:I proposed to a girl who accepted but my parents are saying that we have to wait – we shouldn’t get engaged until they meet her. But they’re not able to come here until after Pesach. Should I wait or not?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Big Small Achievements
Q:What should a person do if he wants to become great but he realizes that he lacks the motivation to accomplish it to the fullest extent that he desires?
Rav Avigdor Miller on What To Learn
Q:If someone doesn’t have time, is learning halachah more important than learning gemara?
Rav Avigdor Miller on The Original Mussar Sefer
Q:How did people learn Mussar before we had the Mesillas Yesharim and the Chovos Halevavos?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Jewish Tax Cheats
Q:How should we respond to the fact that many frum people are cheating on taxes?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Hiding Your Judaism At Work
Q:Should I put up my payos and hide my tzitzis when I go to work?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Who Gives The Gett
Q:Why is it that a man can give his wife a gett, whereas the wife cannot demand a gett or give a gett?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Not Everyone Is A Nazi
Q:You’ve spoken quite harshly about the liberals, saying that they’re a danger to America. Which is worse, the old-fashioned Christians who killed millions, or the modern day liberals who stress civil rights?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Honoring Wives and Mothers
Q:When it comes to the mitzvah of kibud av ve’eim how does that fit in with honoring your wife? Sometimes both can’t be true.
Rav Avigdor Miller on Golus in Israel
Q:You made a statement earlier that the Jews in Israel today are in Galus. Can you explain that?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Sinas Chinam and Uncovering Bar Kamtza
Q:Was the Beis Hamikdash destroyed because of sinas chinam, baseless hatred, among frum Jews?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Why Golus?
Q:If we went into Exile because of our sins, doesn’t that make things only worse by sending us out to live among the gentile nations?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Night Torah Protects
Q:What does it mean when it says (Eiruvin 18b) that a house where the sound of the Torah is heard at night, that house will not destroyed?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Mourning In The Past and Present
Q:How can we mourn on Tisha B’Av for the losses to our people that took place so long ago?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Too Much Mourning
Q:You mentioned before the national tragedy of the 10 tribes going into Exile. Why didn’t Chazal establish a mourning commemoration for the galus of the Aseres Hashvotim, for the loss of these 10 tribes?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Leaping Without Looking
Q:Is there such a thing as being too picky when looking for a wife? Shouldn’t someone be able to choose what is right for him so that they can be happy?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Making Friends With Resha’im
Q:How should I deal with people who are nasty or unpleasant? Should I be nice to them?
Rav Avigdor Miller on The Flatbush Eiruv
Q:What is your opinion of the Flatbush eiruv and why is there so much controversy about the question?
Rav Avigdor Miller on How To Help A Fellow Jew
Q:What is more important, praying for your friend or doing something tangible for him?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Rejoicing With Your Friend’s Suffering
Q:How can a person not be depressed when he hears about so many people who are dying young?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Minority Jokes
Q:Is it right to make jokes about minorities? Aren’t they also tzelem Elokim?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Do I Practice What I Preach
Q:Is there a difference between the advice that you give us and what you tell yourself? I guess what I mean is, do you practice what you preach?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Trips for Relaxation
Q:What do you say about a person going on a trip for relaxation?
Rav Avigdor Miller on The One Minute Mourning
Q:Should I be saying tikun chatzos during this time of the year - the Three Weeks?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Discovering a Baby’s Gender Before Birth
Q:Is it wrong for a person to discover the gender of his child before the birth?
Rav Avigdor Miller on The Kollel Man in the Country
Q:Should I donate money to a kollel whose yungerleit go away to the country for the summer?
Rav Avigdor Miller on When to Not Do Kiruv
Q:There is a Jewish couple living next door to me - they're not married but they're living together. How would you advise going about being mikareiv them?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Being Thick Skinned
Q:If a person is sensitive to remarks is that a sign of conceit?
Rav Avigdor Miller on The Best Merchandise
Q:You’re speaking tonight about the greatness of learning Torah and how important it is for a person’s perfection. But don’t you think that some people are better off making achievements in other areas? Maybe they didn’t have the opportunity when they were younger to learn how to learn and now it’s too late?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Parah Adumah: Learning and A Lesson
Q:What purpose is there in learning about parah adumah here in exile?
Rav Avigdor Miller on The Fourth of July
Q:Is displaying the American flag on July 4th a good thing? Or is it considered a gentile idea?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Bungalow Marriages
Q:Should a husband and wife separate in order to go to the country in the summer?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Pictures in the Mind
Q:The Rav spoke tonight about the importance of having a mind that is filled with Torah pictures. How does one work on this ko’ach hatziyur? How can one gain pictures in the mind?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Obligations to A Rasha
Q:You said before that there are certainly Jews who fall into the category of reshaim. What are our obligations towards a Jewish rasha?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Rav Shach and the Lubavitcher Rebbe
Q:Is there one main leader of Klal Yisroel today?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Abortion and Topsy-Turvy Liberals
Q:You said before that according to the Torah law, life in its fullest sense actually begins only when a child is born. But when a pregnant woman, let’s say she’s in her fifth month, when she goes to a religious obstetrician and he examines her so he’ll turn around and say, “I actually feel life.” What does that mean when he says he feels life?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Carrying a Handgun
Q:When a person works in a dangerous neighborhood, is it advisable to apply for a license for a gun?
Rav Avigdor Miller on The Sin of the Spies
Q:The Rav spoke about how great the Dor Hamidbar was. But if so, how can we understand the lack of emunah demonstrated in this week’s parsha (Shelach)?
Rav Avigdor Miller on The Free Will of the Misnagdim
Q:You said that sometimes chassidim are so attached to their Rebbeh and it leads to fighting with other chassidim instead of being a ladder to climb closer to Hashem. But isn’t it true that even among the misnagdim that they also look up to and emulate the the roshei yeshiva?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Pur, Purim and the Holocaust
Q:If Purim got its name על שם הפור, because of the lot that Haman cast, why isn’t it called Pur instead of the plural Purim?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Purim Drinks
Q:How do I utilize drinking עד דלא ידע in order to serve Hashem?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Emunah and Daas
Q:In Slabodka I had two rebbes, zichronom livrocha, and boruch Hashem they were both inspirations to me. I will describe to you how different their behavior was on Purim.
Rav Avigdor Miller on Weeping For Lost Tzadikim
Q:At the outset of the shiur the Rav said that we shouldn’t be distraught when tzaddikim are niftar from this world. But shouldn’t we be upset because we don’t have their guidance and also that we don’t have the protection they give us by just existing?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Lessons From Russia
Q:What can we learn from the situation in Poland where the Russians have declared martial law and the Poles are suffering?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Simcha and Sympathy
Q:You said that when we see people who are less fortunate than us so we should use that sight as an incentive to be happy with what we have. But how can we be happy when we pass by a person with a disability who cannot walk or some other crippling disability? Aren’t we hurting that person when he sees us, that we’re able to function in ways which he cannot?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Investigating Terror Attacks
Q:What is the da’as Torah on the whole mess that’s going on in Eretz Yisrael, that they’re busy with peace talks but meanwhile Yidden are getting killed every day? What do we have to think – what’s the daas Torah?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Arson in Jerusalem: Indiscretion or Heroism?
Q:Can the Rav comment on the two yeshiva boys who were put in jail in Israel?
Rav Avigdor Miller on The One And Only Yeshayah Hanavi
Q:Someone told me that there were two nevi'im called Yeshayah. Is that true?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Evaluating Hachnasas Orchim Opportunities
Q:How far should a person go to fulfill the mitzvah of hachnasas orchim?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Fooling Your Father-in-law
Q:What's the best way to deal with a father-in-law?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Dealing With a Mother-in-law
Q:How do I deal with my husband’s mother who I would consider a difficult mother-in-law?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Beautiful Girls and Beautiful Middos
Q:What should I do if I want to marry a pretty girl because I’m concerned about what my friends will say?
Rav Avigdor Miller on When Hashem Is Not Silent
Q:When we see how the present government in Israel has appointed a Minister of Religions and a Minister of Education who are so anti religious and they’re doing other things against frum Jews in Eretz Yisroel, trying to wipe out every vestige of Torah, could it be that Hashem will remain silent?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Boycotting Walt Disney
Q:Is it wrong to allow one’s children to read Disney books like Mickey Mouse and things like that?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Owning a Dog the Orthodox Way
Q:My question is, what's the Jewish viewpoint on having a pet like a dog in the house?
Rav Avigdor Miller on A Visit to the Pet Store
Q:What should a parent tell a child that wants to get a pet like a dog or a goldfish?
Rav Avigdor Miller on How To Die The Torah Way
Q:If a person is senile at the end of his life and he dies without the ability to do teshuvah in his last years or to review let's say his learning or some other avodas Hashem, is this a form of punishment from Hakodosh Boruch Hu?
Rav Avigdor Miller on The Role Of The Father In The Home
Q:What should the role of the father be in the home?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Missile Attacks in Eretz Yisroel
Q:What should have been the proper reaction of the Jews in Tel-Aviv to the missile attacks this week?
Rav Avigdor Miller on How Many Remained?
Q:The medrash on the words וחמושים עלו ממצרים says that only one out of fifty went out of Mitzrayim. Is this to be understood literally, and if yes, why was it so?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Clean Jewish Homes
Q:Should religious Jews be careful to have neat and clean homes?
Rav Avigdor Miller on The Ten Drops of Wine at the Seder
Q:The Rabbi mentioned in his lecture tonight that we are expected to rejoice at the downfall of the wicked and that’s why we celebrate the punishment of the Mitzrim. If that’s really true, then why do we take drops of wine out of the cup of wine at the Seder?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Why We Have The Seder At Night
Q:The Rav said earlier that even more important than being freed by Pharaoh in the middle of the night, was the Yetzias Mitzrayim that took place in the morning because that’s when the Am Yisroel left Egypt and finally escaped the gentile environment. So why do we have the Seder at night and not in the morning?
Rav Avigdor Miller on How To Use Chol Hamoed
Q:What does the gemara mean when it says כל המבזה את המועדות כאילו עובד עבודה זרה – “Anyone who disgraces the yomim tovim, it’s considered as if he worshipped idols”?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Why We Say Half Hallel
Q:On the last days of Pesach we say only half-Hallel. Isn’t that because of מעשה ידי טובעים בים ואתם אומרים שירה (Megillah 10b)? Aren’t we sad that Egyptians were drowned and we therefore don’t want to sing to Hashem?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Getting Stuck On A Ladder
Q:Why are the Satmerer chassidim fighting with the Lubavitcher chassidim? And do you approve of it?
Rav Avigdor Miller on When A Boy Greets A Girl
Q:What should the response of a frum girl be when a frum boy greets her on the street?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Motor Bikes, Television, Pampers and Aristotle
Q:What's your opinion of yeshiva people who ride motor bikes?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Learning To Love
Q:Is it a mitzvah to love all Jews including the non religious?
Rav Avigdor Miller on How To Teach Tznius
Q:What is the most efficient way of teaching tznius?ֿ
Rav Avigdor Miller on Many Zivugim
Q:How does one know when he comes across the right shidduch?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Isru Chag
Q:What’s this idea of Isru Chag; of celebrating Yom Tov on the day after Yom Tov?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Why We Ignore Yom Hashoah
Q:Can you explain to me why some synagogues do not observe the Yom Hashoah (Holocaust Memorial Day) observance for the Holocaust victims?
Rav Avigdor Miller on The Coatroom and Olam Haboh
Q:You told us before a story about a Jewish woman in the Middle Ages who was dragged to her death by anti-semites who tied her to the back of a horse. Why does Hashem test His children so severely to the point of having a good woman killed like that?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Recognizing The Importance of the Chachmei Hatorah
Q:It says in the Gemara that when Rabbi Yehuda Hanasi passed away so anyone who was there at that time was rewarded with a special place in Olam Haboh. What was so special about being there when Rebbi passed away?
Rav Avigdor Miller on The Evil Eye
Q:How should we understand the principle of ayin horah, the evil eye? And how do we avoid it?
Rav Avigdor Miller on The Four Humors
Q:I heard the Rav once say that the concept of four basic elements making up the human body is not a Jewish idea. But I’ve seen it quoted in seforim.
Rav Avigdor Miller on The Chicken or the Egg
Q:When Hashem created the world, what came first, the chicken or the egg?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Contact With Not Frum Family
Q:If one has brothers who are not frum, should he have nothing to do with them?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Why Hashem Created Medinas Yisroel
Q:Why did Hashem create Medinas Yisroel?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Mother’s Day
Q:What is the Torah view of the significance Mother’s Day? And should we consider it a halachic problem of chukos akum, of going in the ways of the non-Jews?
Rav Avigdor Miller on The Hidden Sins of Talmidei Rabbi Akiva
Q:How should we understand the sins of the students of Rabbi Akiva that caused so many thousands of them to die?
Rav Avigdor Miller on How To Marry A Kollel Man
Q:Should a woman marry a man who learns in the kollel and has no parnasa?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Following Laws of Your Country
Q:How obligated is a frum Jew to keep the civil laws and statues of the country where he lives?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Kiruv Rechokim Versus Selfishness
Q:How much time should a yeshiva man give away to help others come closer to Torah and to yiddishkeit?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Melaveh Malkah
Q:What should you have in mind when you eat melaveh malkah?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Pesach Sheini Regrets
Q:What’s the significance of commemorating Pesach Sheini?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Why We Count Sefiras Ha’omer
Q:What should we think about when we count sefiras haomer?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Yawning
Q:Is it an aveirah to yawn during davening if the yawning is involuntary?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Being Like Rashbi
Q:When Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and his son came out of the cave where they were hiding for so many years they did strange things like wanting to destroy anyone who was working instead of learning Torah. Is that something we’re supposed to learn from?
Rav Avigdor Miller on The Beauty of Music
Q:You said a few weeks ago, if I quote you right, that you despise music, or what’s being done with music. Now, I’m wondering, are you denying the good effects that music can have on a person like teshuva and hisorerus to ahavas Hashem?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Are We Going to Yerushalayim Or Not?
Q:Why do we say לשנה הבאה בירושלים on Pesach? Is it true? Where is our attempt?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Attitude Quandaries
Q:If I see a frum Jew who’s not so good, should I love him for being a Jew or hate him for the bad things that he’s doing?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Satmar and Lubavitch
Q:Can you justify the motives of two groups of chassidim who are in conflict with one another?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Speaking Up About the Holocaust
Q:Many rabbonim say we should not discuss in public why the churban of Hitler happened. Why do you, Rabbi Miller, think it is important to discuss it?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Yerushalayim and Peace
Q:Many groups have called for the internationalization of Yerushalayim. What is the Rav’s opinion about that?
Rav Avigdor Miller on The Greatest Day In History
Q:In your opinion, what was the greatest event in all of history?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Lazy Or Happy
Q:
What’s the difference between an עצל, the lazy man who is criticized by the sages for not working to improve his situation, and the שמח בחלקו, the one who is happy with his lot, and who is praised by the sages?
Rav Avigdor Miller on The Happiness Plan
Q:What should a person do in order to be always happy?
Rav Avigdor Miller on John Hinckley And A Country Gone Mad
Q:What can we learn from the verdict given to John Hinckley (who attempted to assassinate President Reagan on March 30 1981) of non-guilty by reason of insanity?
Rav Avigdor Miller on A Forced Acceptance
Q:You said before that the Am Yisroel’s greatness is that they accepted the Torah. But don’t we know that it was only because Hashem held the mountain over them and forced them into it. So what’s so great about that?
Rav Avigdor Miller on The Happiness of a Small House
Q:How can one happily accept the nisayon of a large family living in a small house?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Does Talmud Torah Go Lost
Q:At the end of the fourth part of the Shaarei Teshuva, Rabeinu Yonah brings a possuk, בחסד ואמת יכופר עוון and he explains there that by doing acts of kindliness or by learning Torah even a sin as terrible as chillul Hashem will be forgiven. I’m wondering what happens to that Torah that gave you a kaparah? Does it go lost forever? Let’s say you learned a hundred hours of Torah and now that cancels out a chillul Hashem that you caused. Is that hundred hours lost forever? Or do you still have it to your credit in the Next World?
Rav Avigdor Miller on A Nazir’s Sin
Q:What is the meaning of that gemara that says that it’s a sin for a person to become a nazir because he’s taking away the pleasures of the world from himself?
Rav Avigdor Miller on A Child’s Yetzer Hora
Q:What is the purpose of a yetzer hora in children if anyhow they will not receive reward or punishment for their deeds?
Rav Avigdor Miller on Flag Burning and Flag Hanging
Q:What should our attitude be towards the phenomenon of flag burning that we have been witnessing in recent months?
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