Bentching gomel is a special prayer that allows you to thank Hashem for delivering you from danger. (Imagine being at a football game…”Go, Mel!” It doesn’t rhyme with camel.) You must have actually been in danger. Close to danger isn’t enough. You have defied death, so now you should thank Hashem in public during the Torah […]
Phrase of the Day: Bentching Gomel Read Post »
What happens when your community standards (which are either halacha or custom) are not the standards of a place you travel to? Let’s discuss some examples (this is not exhaustive): You live in the diaspora, so you celebrate an “extra” day of yom tov for 8 days of Pesach. You travel to Israel, where Pesach
UPDATED: Your Community Standards v. Travel Read Post »
Gwyneth Paltrow has announced that she is raising her children Jewishly. US Weekly has one version of the story: “Gwyneth Paltrow: I’m Raising Apple and Moses Jewish.” However, the story is wrong in that the episode did not show anyone giving Paltrow lessons in Jewish halacha about matrilineal descent. While I’m sure it came up in
News: Gwyneth Paltrow Announces She’s Raising Her Children Jewish …Huh? Read Post »
People have asked for office-appropriate frum fashion choices. Really, frum clothing lends itself easily to the office environment. (Women’s suits may be a very different story, based on the standards of your community.) After more than a year at my prior job, my co-workers (who were also my classmates and friends) hadn’t realized that I
Frum and Fabulous in the Office Read Post »
You’ve heard it before (and maybe you’ve even said it), “Shabbat is so restrictive. All you can do is go to synagogue.” And reenforcing that perception, a Google search looking for activities allowed on Shabbat only returns pages and pages of things you can’t do on Shabbat. For someone new to Shabbat, you’re left wading
What CAN I do on Shabbat? Shabbos-Friendly Activities Read Post »
Yes, I’m a dork. A dork who loves statistics. The blog just crossed 100,000 views. And yes, I did watch the stats page this evening to make sure I’d see it happen! I predicted that it would cross this milestone tomorrow, and I wasn’t sure whether the blog or my car would cross 100,000 first. (I
Management Update: The blog just hit 100,000 views! Read Post »
The Lubavitcher Rebbe used to tell a story: A nobleman who enjoyed the aesthetics of life hired a farmer to stand inside his castle and move back and forth with a hand pick, just as he would do in the field. The nobleman took great pleasure in the simple elegance of the farmer’s sway, and
The Value of Productivity Read Post »
For your post-Tu B’Av pleasure… Doesn’t every man want to be a Talmid chacham? I know every woman wants to marry one. Even more than they want to marry the Old Spice Guy. (Old Old Spice Guy Isaiah, not New Old Spice Guy Fabio.) Talmid chacham just means Torah scholar. An illustration of such a
Phrase of the Day: Talmid Chacham Read Post »
I’ve edited and updated the conversion candidate’s toolbox on the right side of your screen.
Management Update: Updated Conversion Candidate Toolbox Read Post »
Today is Tu B’Av, the 15th of Av. Tu B’Av is not the most well-known holiday, putting it lightly. The Shulchan Aruch doesn’t even mention its history or customs except for the adjustments to the daily prayers for a holiday. On the other hand, the Talmud considers this the most important festival of the year,
Tu B’Av in a Nutshell: The Jewish Valentine’s Day Read Post »