Episode
Ep. 86 - 🎤 Ask Away! #29: God, Gluten-Free & Grandchildren [The Q&A Series]
- Published
- Feb 4, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 2760
- Processing state
not_requested- Canonical source
- https://share.transistor.fm/s/6343467e
Actions
POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/everyday-judaism-rabbi-aryeh-wolbe-5732422/episodes/ep-86-ask-away-29-god-gluten-free-grandchildren-the-q-a-series/transcription-requests
Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode.GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/everyday-judaism-rabbi-aryeh-wolbe-5732422/ep-86-ask-away-29-god-gluten-free-grandchildren-the-q-a-series.md
Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource.
Summary
In Ask Away #29 of the Everyday Judaism podcast, Rabbi Aryeh Wolbe answers a wide range of live and emailed questions on practical halacha, Jewish identity, and intentional living: Seven-grain bread — Still hamotzi (bread) because it is made from the five grains + water with bread-like consistency, texture, and taste—even with added grains/flavors. Pretzel bagels/pretzel buns — Treated as bread (hamotzi) due to consistency; the pretzel topping/flavor doesn’t change the halachic status. Matzah — Hamotzi (considered bread, just unleavened); crackers generally fall into mezonot (pas haba b’kisnin/snack category). Matriarchs & grandchildren — No specific tradition explains why Sarah, Rivka, and Rachel never saw grandchildren (Isaac married after Sarah’s death; Rivka died before grandchildren returned; Rachel died en route to Bethlehem). Leah likely saw at least Asenat (Dina’s daughter). Rabbi emphasizes the privilege of seeing grandchildren/great-grandchildren today and grandparents’ responsibility to influence positively without overstepping (e.g., no interference in naming). Naming customs — Parents alone decide children’s names (no parental/grandparental veto); alleged Midrash says parents receive prophetic guidance at birth/bris. Adding a second name (e.g., after a deceased relative) is common when appropriate. God/Hashem in English — Many poskim consider “God” (G-O-D) equivalent to writing/saying Hashem’s name in English—avoid casual use (“oh my God”); say “Hashem,” “Almighty,” or “Creator” instead. In blessings (e.g., Amidah in English), use “Hashem” with same kavana (focus/intent) as Ado-nai. Public Hamotzi & children — Educational (teaches brachot), but ideally includes hand-washing and actual bread-eating; without these, it’s not proper netilat yadayim/ham…