Thank you for your answer on gentiles being able to attain identical perfection as Jews. Based on the scope of your material you probably have the best Torah website on the internet today.
Blessings,
Peter

I recently spent time with someone who fully believes in Astrology. Things became a bit heated because it seemed like his ideas were not based on Torah at all. In fact, it seemed contrary to the teachings of our Mesorah. The debate lasted a few hours. Many of my arguments were formulated from my own logic on the fly, but later I decided to search your site, and lo and behold, you (and the Rambam :)) have laid out the argument against Astrology perfectly. The older and hopefully wiser I get, the more clarity I seem to have on the infiltration of foreign concepts into genuine Yahadut. So many Jews I know blindly follow what they perceive as "truth:" Kabbalah such as the Zohar, the Sefirot, etc. with no idea that it is problematic. Thank you for your efforts and for keeping Mesora.org up and available to the masses. Only Brachot for you and your endeavors!

I want to tell you that this answer alone has satisfied that which has been plaguing me for a long time. I will review this many times. I thank you for putting my mind to rest. I've always strived for perfection of character, but have had a lot of trouble progressing. I kept falling back into old habits (and still do). I listened to hundreds of shiurim over the last 19 years (mostly Rav Miller ZT'L - who I knew personally) and they helped transform me. I still felt I was missing fundamentals and have been searching for some time.
I never heard of your website, until recently when I was reading comments on another site which referred to Mesora.org a derogatory way. Understanding the type of commenters, I figured Mesora was probably a site worth looking at and I became hooked on it in a short time. The articles have already caused me to rethink a lot of attitudes I had and change my whole mode of thinking. I have already printed out some documents and read them to my wife who was amazed. I have long believed that there are quite a number of people in the community that follow the laws somewhat and have weak foundations, (from observing behavior very closely), me being among them. I'm already in my 40's and can't afford any more mistakes.
I will be spending quite a long time combing through your site learning as much as I can and will begin transmitting this information to my wife and teenage daughters. I have already been studying Chovos Halevovas extensively and recently started Rambam's Moreh Nevuchim. My quest for the truth and development of the intellect is insatiable and your website with its gold mine of information is indispensable to help fight the evil inclination and the excess attachment to materialism. Thank you again. I could say a lot more, but need to keep it short. Perhaps one day I'll be able to meet you in the future. I wish you continued Bracha and Hatzlacha in all your endeavors."

David

Congratulations, Rav, for your work. Even while I'm not Jewish, I've learned and clarified many different topics concerning Judaism and the Noahide Identity by reading the "JewishTimes".

"Your magazine and website is a repository of truth. As a non Jew, I have found more than enough to keep me busy in studying the Seven Laws. There is a mass of misinformation in the place of non-Jews regarding Judaism and God's True Religion...and i'ts confusing. Mesora is the only place I regard as providing kosher educational materials.

Again, thank you,

Bradley Whitley
Social Studies Teacher
Wellcome Middle School"

"Thank you, Rabbi Ben-Chaim, for helping clarify the purpose of modest dress. Many of the articles I've read regarding modesty seem to imply that the main reason for dressing modestly is to keep men from lusting. But I felt on an intuitive level that it was about more than this. Your reference to immodest dress as "ego" hits the nail on the head. Thank you for having sent a personal response to my question. I appreciate that very much."

"Dear Rabbis,
I want to express the immense gratitude that I have toward you all for the excellent Torah scholarship that you have made available to the general public. I am a ben Noach and I first came across some of your teachings a couple of years ago. I have listened to many of the recorded teachings over and over again. It is impossible to convey how much I have grown and freed myself from much of the entanglement of man made religious errors, especially of those of a kabbalistic nature. I was born into a Christian world by non-religious parents. At the age of twenty-seven I committed myself to seek the truth of God. I won't bore you with the details for it has been a long an arduous journey. I graduated from a Christian college with a Bible degree, but as I studied their doctrine and the historical record, I realized that the Torah had been violated and the truth of God could be found nowhere else but in the words of the Torah.
Although escaping the bonds of Christianity was an immense accomplishment, navigating through the oceans of Judaism is a treacherous voyage for a novice. My journey of searching for the truth has consumed over forty years of my life. Thanks to your willingness to share the wealth of pure Torah scholarship, I feel like I am about to enter the promised land. I cannot thank you all enough. I have enclosed a gift for your organization to express my appreciation for the pearls of wisdom that you have revealed to me."

Phillip

"Thank you Rabbi. Thanks for your website. I love it."

" I want you to know how much my wife and I enjoy reading the JewishTimes, as it is a ray of light in a world of darkness. We always felt that things like kapparot, the red string, segulos, etc. were wrong and it is very comforting to hear from a Rav who is brave enough to speak out against these practices."
Regards,
Ben

"I wanted to thank you for helping me find the correct hashkafa and direction in life. I have learned and continue to learn so much from you through your website."

Elazar

"I have the first edition of Religion of Reason and absolutely love the book. I am purchasing a second copy for my brother and his wife. It is such a pleasure to have a rational perspective articulated so clearly. Thanks again!"

Jared

"Thank you, Rabbi! You don't know how much your site and your words mean to me. You've been an inspiration for me to seek more knowledge and defend my beliefs.

Todah Rabbah, Nachshon"

"Rabbi Moshe ben Chaim, I'm from Brazil, and get the material on Mesora. I am a Jew and converted. Thanks to your work, my knowledge has grown in Torah. Today I do not see Judaism with that face of the mystical Hasidism. I see something more intellectual and more rational, something that makes sense to my life. My wife is Jewish by birth, but was removed from Judaism. Today thanks to the many things that you said on the site, she is increasingly doing teshuvah. We are very happy to know that there are people in the world like you.
My wife will be traveling in August and September for Canada and USA ...she will study English and improve it. I did not want to take your time, but as she'll be in New York she'd like to meet you personally and thank you for your work. Here in Brazil I add another couple of friends of Jews who have studied your work a long time.
I once again thank you for your tremendous effort to disclose the true Torah Judaism.

A big hug rabbi"

"Hello, I want to applaud you on such an amazing site. Purely amazing. Much continued hatzlacha.

Best,
Chaim
Baltimore, MD"

"Hello Rabbi, :) Your lecture series on the afterlife (and others) provided me with SO much insight. Thank you very much!  Your website is very refreshing after listening to almost every other popular Torah podcast website, which VERY OFTEN get sidetracked with how Hashem is constantly involved in everyone's life."

"From the very first time I sent my questions to you, more than once you showed your concern for a human being looking for the truth. That is because, as I said before, is very hard to find any Jewish source that does as you in this Mesora/JewishTimes project which: a) actually cares for persons' perplexities on Torah, be this person Jew or Gentile, to guide people to the path of truth; and b) establishes as clear as day that it is reason alone that must guide humans toward their Creator, blessed is He."

"Thank you so much for the JewishTimes and the Mesora website. I'm learning so much!"

"The information I've learned from Mesora.org has been the best information I've heard in my life, my eyes were open in a way I never thought possible my faith was strengthened and backed up by proof and reason. Words a poor a tool to express how I feel towards Mesora.org it just blessed my life in so many ways and on so many levels which will in turn be transmitted to my children as they grow up. I want to say thank you with all my heart."

"I think Mesora.org is the best website there is. Your words and articles made me see the light that our religion is logical and true and itellectually satisfying. I found this out at a time where I thought the chassidics were the only right ones. I was starting to get board with Judaism, as chassidus is explains away everything in a mystical manner, like Christianity and other religions. So thank you and G-d bless you on all that you do. –Marc"

"Rabbi, thanks for sharing this article with us. I enjoyed it. And thanks for taking the time to teach us each week. Everything that I'm learning has practical application in my daily life. I truly enjoy learning all these profound ideas we explore in class. I can't understand why more people dont want to come & learn".

"Hello, your website is wonderful. I like how you encourage people to think for themselves and to use reason. I also like how your Jewish Times (particularly God and Egypt - thoughtful thinking there) would encourage people to think thru the article, to come up with questions and try to find answers for them. This would make for a lively discussion and to engage our minds with something worthwhile learning instead of watching TV, etc."

"I've got to especially  thank you for your tape on Gentiles.  I was so Happy to hear your view that gentiles  have the same soul as Jews do. When I went to chabad Yeshiva I had issues with some of the teachings of the Tanya (or what appeared to be such teaching ) that the Gentiles have a different soul. I actually stopped going to the Tanya classes and this issue has bothered me since then....up to the point that I heard your tape."

"Rabbi Moshe Ben-Chaim,
I just want to thank you so much for your online publication and website. I have been a Noahide for about a year now and it is awesome to actually use my intellect instead of blind faith when it comes to God and His word. Thank you so much for your clarity on many issues. I was really getting confused with some so called "Jewish" website that promoted Kabbala and doctrines like reincarnation etc. I found your site and these ideas became clear. Actually there aren't many websites out there that stay true to Torah. Please continue to do the good work and help us Noahides learn the truth of Torah."

"I absolutely loved your "segula" open letter. Good point about cause and effect. We see that contemporary primitive tribes do not contribute anything substantial to humanity (ie. medicine, technology, education, ability to help others in need) because of their magical superstitious practices."

"You are the only Jewish site I have found (and I have look up many others also in different language like Spanish) that give gentiles a real opportunity to learn without making us feeling aliens.  I will keep reading an learning from your site, I have very little time and I want to dedicate this time to learn from you. For now I will not go to other Jewish sites because this disturbs me, there is much material on your site and I you give me the opportunity to ask you questions.
 
Aurora
PS: I am understanding more that it seems and I am so glad of this opportunity to learn from someone so ethically correct as you are, I could not learn from anyone different."

"I have been receiving your emails for a while now but just within the last month (January), I've just started listening to the TalkLive classes. THEY ARE AMAZING! I wish I had started listening earlier. Can I send people direct links to the classes; I would like to get more people to listen to this.
 Keep up the great work!
 
Jennifer
 
PS I'm also a creator of XXXX Jewish Yahoogroup.

"I Just want to let you know that Mesora and the JewishTimes is amazing and does a lot of good for all Jews.  It is amazing how much I have and so many other people becmae more knowledgeable in Judaism because of all your efforts!  I Can not begin to thank you enough!"

-Heshy

"Whenever  I can, I am searching answers on your website, I am reading the JewishTimes and I am listening to the audio files. I realize I have much to learn. I am happy  of this beautiful opportunity you are giving us to gain knowledge. I am very enthusiastic."

Rose, Italy

Rabbi:
 
I saw the Jewish Times Intermarriage Special Issue!  Thank you so much for addressing my question on intermarriage.  I haven't finished reading it all yet, but I have already forwarded it to my son, and printed it out for my husband and me to read.  I also intend to send it to some of my friends with children.  I'll let you know if it helps. 
 I'm praying that it helps us.
 "College Mom"

"I have to compliment you on all that your doing. The Mesora website is phenomenal and the Jewish Times publication is a visual delicacy. I wish you much success in your endeavors and may you continue to spread the light of Torah."

“Wow!  I do feel honored that I made it to your JewishTimes newsletter.  Truly a good feeling.  To be honest, I'm a regular Yeshiva Bucher returning to Eretz Yisroel next year and this question as to how learning is the greatest mitzvah and the greatest activity has been bothering me.  People generally ignored this question.  Your answer definitely helped me in my overall learning, that G-d willing when I get back to Eretz Yisroel, it'll be stronger then ever.
 
Thank you and Kol Tuv,
 
Ronen Dvash”

"I really want to thank you in general for all of the effort you put into The Jewish Times and the impact it has had on my family. It has allowed my family to have independent access to true ideas and stimulating thought on a constant basis, and has sparked numerous discussions in our household."

"Dear Rabbi Ben Chaim,

Thank you for your talk on Thursday--it was, as last time, not only informative but also thought-provoking and interesting! (After listening to the other 20 speakers, I can assure you that these three components are rarely found together....)
The students likewise had a very positive response--one of the jewish members of the class actually said that he had been lax about religion but because of you is going to "go back to Judaism." !!
I will definitely take you up on your offer of questions. I want to do a little more searching on your website before they are formulated.
Thank you again!!!"

"Today I got linked to your website. Then I started reading about different topics. I did not notice the time. I was deeply involved in the reading and the teaching of Torah when I saw the time in the computer clock - it was 00:10 Japan time.
How many hours I spent, I don't know, but what I felt was a few hours, was time better spent than my whole life."

Your Judaism101 site,...what a wonderful idea. I applaud you and your staff for this innovative program. I just retired from public school teaching, but I am working within Roosevelt University as a teacher in the Chicago area.
Once again, This is terrific."

"Keep up the good work!!! I'm relaying your site to all my students!"

"I can hear the second class. The classes are, by the way, very good. I recently decided to begin mishley from the beginning myself so it was great to see that you had recordings up that could, at the very least, aid in my study, if not teach me. I love the methodological points; they help me to be able to proceed on my own. Thanks alot and, in general, your site is great and is also very aesthetically pleasing."

"Baruch Hashem for your site. If people really listened and "heard" what you are saying about the torah life, we would merit Moshiach. In Parshah Yisro, Yisro "heard" what had happened and came to follow the Jews. He "heard" the same type of "heard" when we say Shema "Hear O Israel" and "na'aseh V'nishma". He got the message. May we all get the message."

"I wanted to thank you for your speedy reply [to my question today] on "a spirit of G-D'…. so thanks."

"I want to thank you for sparking up my interest in learning more about my Judaic roots and Torah because of your web site.  I am an active Zionist at the University of Maryland, and I have realized, thanks in large part to you, that being a Zionist requires understading why there was a Zionist cause in the first place - Preservation of Torah and Judaism, which is rooted from the holy land of Israel."

"I've gotten a tremendous amount from your site. Thanks for all your hard work."

"I really don't get a chance to visit this site enough - but I just wanted you to know that I think it is truly a great thing having a site like this on the web.  How awesome this is to be able to expose so many people to truth and real Torah that they wouldn't otherwise get.  It is nice to see the wonders of modern technology actually being used for good.  It is so important - thank you for putting in your time."

"Dear Mesora, I very appreciate your information and your offer and I am very grateful to be on your email list. I guess that my email is already in your list but to be shure it is so I send you this message. Thank you for your care very much and wish you success in the area of services you offer to us.

Shalom u´vracha!"

"I would like to thank you and express my appreciation for the work you do on your websites. Everytime I read your articles or the answers on the people's questions I am fullfilled with the special kind of consciousness of the greatness of our G-d."

Toda raba, rabbi!"

"Deat Rabbi, Thank you very much for your answer. Not being well versed in Torah and Talmud, and not having a Jewish upbringing, it is sometimes difficult for me to understand how to react properly in some circumstances. The person in question recently married into our family, we have helped considerably already but it appeared that the help we were giving was becoming something that was expected. I did not want to react to this in a way that would alienate a part of my family. Your insights have helped me to determine a course of action I think may prove fruitful but still keep peace in our family."

"I just discovered your web site this evening and was fascinated. My religious education and observance seemed to stop after my Bar Mitzvah (which was more than a couple of years ago). While reading a number of your articles, I was reminded of my college days when I would get into discussions about religion with my non-Jewish friends. Particularly one friend, who went on to become a Baptist minister. Our discussions went like my friend saying, "The Bible say this!" And I would respond, "Fine, Bruce. Now what does it mean?" End of discussion. (Which probably explains why any involvement of a religious nature ended with my Bar Mitzvah.)
Your articles go well into "what does it mean" and why is it relevant to me. I'm not sure that I agree with everything I've read - I've got to think about it. But it leads me to the question: What's the next step for me?"

"Your site is incredibly useful to me. In fact, I think that its the best sight I have ever found on the Internet. Here are a few questions that you probably can help me with, just as you have done a few times previously......."

"Thank you for taking the time to reply to my questions. Your web site is greatly appreciated."

"I just want to tell you that I absolutely loved the Mesora website and thanks to it in part, I am now living an observant lifestyle and have realized the truth of Torah."

"Your site is truly excellent. It is inspiring to read rational essays which attempt to arrive at Truth rather than the more common type these days which don't seem to go anywhere in particular."

"Thank you for your reply. I can't tell you how much I am constantly confronting truth that I never knew existed but only imagined to some extent. I constantly find that truth in Judaism. I have never found that in Christianity. Maybe that is why I never considered myself a real Christian. I always had trouble with their doctrines, from believing that there were 3 Gds in one to believing that Gd died for our sins. Now I believe I can understand to some extent why. In order for me to accept those things then I would need to deny my own mind and accept these things by faith alone. I never could and thought I was an oddball. Thank you again for your reply. I sincerely appreciate it. Gd's blessing upon you."

"I commend such an excellently presentable website. It is praiseworthy both for its aesthetic quality and also for the ease with which one can explore. The highly impressive design is complemented by a broad scope, and one can only speculate the amount of sincere effort that was devoted to this achievement."

"I have done as you suggested in that I have returned to the Mesora site and I have begun to study it. Doing this has already answered a great many of my questions. If nothing else, I am a genuine seeker of truth; rather than spend more time seeking arguments for or against the miraculous in Man I have chosen instead to "use my mind". To this end I have simply started from the beginning of the site. I thank you for your remarks and your excellent website, in which I sense both the way to truth and to proof - and more questions. For now I will continue to study and will return with my questions as they come to me."

"I commend your considerable effort to e-mail the world leaders in support of Israel's military response; I have done as you asked. However, I think you would have greater success by including one more item in the letter, and that is this: Israel belongs to the Jewish people because G-d gave us, and not for any other reason. Until we stand up in front of the world, and acknowledge this fact, I am afraid the resolution to the age old conflict will remain elusive."

"Hi, I have asked you a couple questions before and had submitted a topic before I left to learn in Israel almost a year ago. I just got back and I am glad to see the site growing and I would like to say this site is just unbelievable! I hope many people visit the site and write to you and that your successful in bringing back people to yiddishkeit."

"Moshe, this is the first time I have visited your website. It is fabulous! The range of articles is incredible and the aesthetics (design, layout & artwork) are gorgeous! I have Done alot of work on the Rambam's "Introduction to Perek Chelek" in the Pirush Hamishnayos. Would you be interested in adding that to the site? I think that a piece about "Olam Haboh" would be very attractive (and useful) to your readers. E-mail me."

"I have been a regular reader of your website for some time and am continually impressed by the quality of the articles found thereon. The articles are regularly thought-provoking and encourage much debate and discussion with my friends and colleages. I desire to come to the Land of Israel and devote my time there to Torah study some time in the near future. I am interested in knowing, therefore, if the Rabbis whose writings are presented on the web site run a Yeshiva or some other centre for Jewish learning which a person can come to attend for a few weeks or a couple of months, which would be the duration of my time in the Land? If no such Yeshiva exists, would the Rabbis be willing to recommend some institututions in line with the Mesorah and would be suitable for a 24 year old ba'al teshuva? I thank you for your time and for your consideration."

Yashar cochacha - This is a beautiful site and database"

"I do not have a topic to submit; however, I do have a question. I have been very impressed with the articles, and would like to know a little more about who Moshe Ben Chaim is. The philosophy expressed in his articles rings with a refreshing truth. If you could let me know about his background, etc., I would be grateful. Thank you very much. Much continued hatzlachah!"

"Dear Rabbi, I wish to congratulate you on your reply regrading dating of converts and clothing. If all the world would see that what matters is the heart and a righteous life, the so called "boundaries" in love would be abolished. I e-mailed you about one year ago regarding an experience I had with a young woman who was Christian. She decided to stop seeing me because I would not "convert" and would not go to church with her. On the other hand, she would refuse to convert or go to Temple with Me (I never asked that of her by the way). In my opinion your statement on the former two issues corroborate once again why I should feel proud of being Jewish. we are not here to convert or to impose our thinking. We are here to let the world see how to be more humane, kind and giving. Too bad others fail to see this and use this sort of "discrimination" to try to justify their actions and their inability to truly love another person.
Once again, thank you for writing such beautiful words."

"Shalom, A co-congregant of mine referred me to your site today. I wanted to casually peruse your pages, but found myself engaged in reading several of your articles. I havent even begun to scratch the surface of your material. However, the content appears to be well written, -- (and edited)"

"Thank you sir for responding to my concerns. You have given me a lifting of the light. I shall read Ezekiel 18. May HaShem bestow blessings and love upon your crown."

"Hi. I found your site a few days ago and have asked you some questions and recently saw in one of the articles you have that a person was criticizing your site. I would just like to tell you that I'm very pleased to see that you made this site and how you handled that situation as well as every other one as best as you can. I always looked for a site like this and for someone who would finally speak about the Jewish community, whether positive issues or negative. These days though everyone wants to hide the negative aspects of our community and I think it is great how you explain these problems of the Jewish community and to try your best to solve them. I would just like to thank you for making this site and allowing people to share their questions on an orthodox site. I think its great the way you bring proofs to all your answers to people's questions and how you really lay an answer down to someone who has a misconception about something. I just felt it was necessary to give you the compliments you deserve and give you credit for undertaking such a difficult task of proving to all the Jews the way to be a Jew. Thank you for your time."

I find your site very attractive, and your attitudes appealingly wise. I agree that we must live by reason, not by awe of miracles or "luck." I see how arrogant it is for people to think the stars tell us in detail about ourselves. We have been given the scripture to teach us, and minds to use. The stars are to show us the greatness of our Creator, not to decide for us whom to marry, what color to wear on Monday, or such matters that are petty in comparison to the needs of mankind as a whole. I also like that you view the whole message of the Holy One as inspired and unchanging. It would be frightening to be adrift in a sea of choices and surprises with no unchangable star by which to steer. If the Creator chose to instruct the people at all, would he give a guide that says swear on Tuesday but be polite on Wednesday? I think not! Why give a guide at all, if it is not meant to be reliable? The maker's guide would have, as you say, Divine precision, or there would be no guide."

Thanks a lot for the audio archives. Due to my schedule I can no longer attend the online shiurim Monday nights, so this was a long-awaited boon for me."

Dear Rabbi Moshe Ben-Chaim, I cannot tell you how many times answers from you or the website have turned me from an emotional mess, to Hashem, Torah, truth and wisdom. Much obliged, Michael."

While I am technically labeled a Christian, I do not believe in the Christian way of thinking. I've been reading alot about Judaism here lately and I feel as if I've been walking through life with a blindfold over my eyes. When I read this article, it finally sunk in just how unsubstantiated and baseless Christianity really is."

Shalom,
I am just checking to see if the JewishTimes for Nasso has come out? I pray that all is well. I learn so much from your magazine, thank you.

Yvonne"

I have just found your site and I am loving it." -Mark A.

My friend in shul prints out all your Shabbos sheets and a group in shul always reads them. They are wonderful.

"I was just introduced to your website. I am very impressed with its content. Do you publish a monthly newsletter? My e-mail address is ---@msn.com
Thank you for your good work."

"Please include me on your e-mailings of the JewishTimes. P.S This new feature is great! Thanks a lot."

"I am a father of 3 daughters, a husband to a beautiful wife, and raise my family as a Conservative Jew. My daughters go to Solomon Schechter Day School, and we keep a kosher home and they do the Shema. After reading your site, I will do it also. For some reason, perhaps preoccupation with work, I don't do it as much as I should. But I will now.
Yasher Koach, and G-d bless you."

"Thank you so much for the email leading me to your website. I have read a few pages in it and find it extremely helpful."