Misconception: The first son of a levirate1 marriage (yibbum) must be named after the deceased husband/brother. Fact: There is no such requirement, although whether it is allowed, discouraged or encouraged is subject to debate. This misconception may have arisen due to a comment made by Rashi in Bereishit.
Author: Ari Z. Zivotofsky
What’s the Truth about. . .Naming the First Son from Yibbum?
What’s the Truth About…the Jews in Egypt Keeping Their Jewish Names, Language and Dress?
Why the Jews merited to be redeemed
What’s the Truth About…Breaking a Glass at a Wedding?
One of the most iconic features in a Jewish wedding is the groom stomping on a glass.
What’s the Truth About . . . “Ad Me’ah Ve’esrim Shanah”?
The Torah declares in an engimatic passage: “Hashem said, ‘My spirit shall not contend evermore concerning man since he is but flesh; his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.’”
What’s the Truth About . . . Davening Facing Pictures, Mirrors or Reflective Surfaces?
Misconception: One may daven facing a mirror, reflective window or family pictures. Fact: Even with one’s eyes closed, one should not daven facing a mirror, nor should one daven facing pictures of people or a reflective surface such as a glass breakfront or a window at night.
What’s the Truth About . . . Jews Counting Years Starting from Creation?
The earliest year-counting system used by the Jewish people, found in Tanach, counted from Yetziat Mitzrayim.
What’s the Truth about . . . Invitations to a Brit Milah?
There is a centuries-old custom not to “invite” guests to a brit and the accompanying meal but rather to merely “inform” them when and where it will be taking place.
What’s the Truth about . . . “Planting” Knives to Kasher Them?
While there are specific instances where thrusting a knife into hard soil ten times will kasher it, that does not work for other cutlery, and there is no halachic basis for leaving a knife in the soil for a long period of time.
What’s the Truth about. . .Fasting Forty Days Upon Seeing a Torah Scroll Fall?
The layers that have been added continue to develop. Irrespective of who fasts or for how long, this custom is a testament to the respect the Jewish people afford a sefer Torah.
What’s the Truth about . . . Joseph’s “Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”?
Was the ketonet passim an “Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat?” There are traditional interpretations that describe it as multi-colored, although that is not the prevalent opinion. But it was certainly not a “dreamcoat.”