my background.... started doing Torah & Mitzvot at age 20 (1970), mostly through Chabad . Also learnt at Aish, Ohr Sameach, Diaspora & Breslov yeshivot in Jerusalem. I am very open minded, but since my main learning was at Chabad yeshivot, I took on almost all Chabad customs. Most of my kids did not follow my Chabad leanings. This gave me reason to search my ways & ask questions. I also started to question some Chabad customs (no group has all the right answers). 1. your shiur on Rabbenu Tam tefillin was very good. 2. new question: Kaddish. I said kaddish for my parents. Never missed a minyan all year (small miracle). In Chabad, the custom is to say 14 kaddishim every day of 11 months of mourning. I always felt this is 'overkill' & just becomes a 'mantra' you want to quickly say & get over with it (also a hindrance to others in shul) Never got a clear answer except: :"it says so in kabbala".or "it saves your parents from gehinnom",etc. Rabbi Lebowitz, What is the clear Halacha on how many Kaddishim to say ? When did Jews start saying Kaddish ? What is the source for Kaddish ? Could you tie this in with another question: Over the 3400 years since Sinai, I think the Rabbis & different communities just added too much to Jewish observance (probably because of long exile & Judaism becoming just a religion instead of a normal people living in their own land). for instance: morning prayers.....a 50-80 page marathon you must zip through, unless you have 3-4 free hours. Did the Jews from Yehoshua until the 2nd destruction of the Holy Temple do so much formal 'dovening'. If you answer my questions, Please let me know, so I can listen. By the way, I live in Eretz Yisroel