All the conversion candidates named Sarah, David, Samuel, Rebecca, and Alexander can rejoice!  If you already have a “Jewish name” and you like it, then you don’t have to change your name! Rachel becomes Rachel, and Rebecca becomes Rivka.  However, some rabbis may insist that you use a different name in order to separate yourself […]

Yes, yes you can. But remember, you’re gonna be naked. So choose wisely. But you may be wondering, “Guests?? Why would I want guests?!” There are three types of potential guests: Asking a same-sex friend to be your mikvah attendant (to make sure you’re prepared properly and answer any questions) Asking same-sex friends to go

I’m no fortune cookie, but I see a lot of celebrations in your future. That’s right. You now have all the birthdays. Let’s count them, shall we? Your physical date of birth according to the secular calendar Your physical date of birth according to the Hebrew calendar The English date of your conversion The Hebrew

Let me tell you an almost-secret: I was kicked out of a conversion beit din. And I’m not alone. Heck, I wasn’t even alone in my own kicking out: three of us were given the boot at the same time due to one bully’s accusations. But it wasn’t the end of the world for any

Entering the Jewish synagogue, one word in particular might seem familiar: Amen. In the Hebrew world of the shul, it can be really exciting to hear a word you already know! You might already know Shabbat, shalom, and a few other words, but Amen is downright familiar to the average American. But don’t go around

I got the opportunity to review a new book from Artscroll! There has been a great deal of buzz around this book here in the NYC community, and I think it’s justified. This is not the average “frum” story. But you may not react to it exactly how the publishers hoped. First, here is the

When choosing a minhag (custom) or halachic opinion, you might think there are two choices: Ashkenazi or Sephardi. That’s not quite accurate. Ashkenazi and Sephardi are geographic categories, but they are not inclusive of every group. There are many “ethnic” groups within Judaism: Mizrachi, Ethiopian, Yeminite, B’nei Menashe, Kurdish, Lithuanian, Chassidic groups (in some communities this

As we discussed earlier this week, a siddur is one of the first purchases you should make on your Jewish journey. But there are a lot of siddurim on the market, so how do you choose one? 1) Get a paper one. Don’t rely on a phone app for all your davening needs. For one,

When you decide to start exploring Judaism, the number of books and websites is overwhelming. But really, all you need is two books. Everything else is just productive procrastination at this point. The Tanach A Siddur Tanach: The Bible “But I already own a Bible!” you might say. “I just won’t read the New part!”

Have a “stupid” question you’re afraid to ask? Tell me, and I’ll ask it for you! Check out the new website page, No Stupid Questions, in the bar above. I was inspired by a search term that was my own favorite “stupid” question: Can you flush a toilet on Shabbat? Check out the page to