Today is Tisha B’Av
No official post today, as it is a holiday. Call your mom. Love your neighbor. Love your enemy.
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Still Broken: The Beit HaMikdash and Today’s Jewish World
Starting tonight through Wednesday morning, we mourn the destruction of our Temples. As some basic Jewish education, what caused the destruction of the First and Second Temples? There’s the “easy” response: The First was destroyed by the Babylonians. The Second by the Romans. However, the Sages in the Talmud have an additional explanation, in order
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Tisha B’Av in a Nutshell: How to Observe Tisha B’Av Without Feeling Lost
This year, Tisha B’Av is sunset of August 8, 2011, until sunset of August 9. Tisha B’Av is a 25 hour fast day (sunset to sunset), but there are other prohibitions on Tisha B’Av that also apply to Yom Kippur: No washing No bathing No shaving No wearing cosmetics No brushing your teeth. Eww. No
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Chumrahs: Making This Convert Crazy Since 2004
There have been requests for more “personal” stories about my conversion process. Well, today is your lucky day! If you don’t actually care about who I am and how I got here, feel free to stop reading here and check back for a new post later today! Knowing me, this is about to get long-winded.
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Rabbi Speaks Out Against Geirus l’Chumrahs
Question: What is the status of the ‘extra’ conversion immersion [tevila leHumra] demanded by some Orthodox rabbis? You may know this as geirus l’chumrah. A geirus l’chumrah is when a convert (already converted) is required to undergo a “new” conversion because of doubt about a prior conversion. Sometimes this is necessary. That’s why it exists. You
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A World Without Music
There are various times during the year when orthodox Jews don’t listen to music. Most of the time, it’s a practical matter. For instance, on Shabbat and yontif, my iPod is quiet simply because I don’t manipulate electricity. Other times, it’s a matter of custom (which some hold to be so pervasive as to qualify
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How to Walk a Dog on Shabbat
If you’re a pet owner, you have probably already discovered that you’re a bit of an oddball in the Jewish community. Especially if you own a dog. (Much less a big dog…or two big dogs like your author.) Because of the lack of pets in the community, it is key to find a rabbi knowledgeable
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The Power of Pirkei Avot
Today, I want to share a particularly poignant thought from the Pirkei Avot Treasury. As background, Pirkei Avot is a collection of ethical teachings from the rabbis of the Mishnah. Its uniqueness is that it is the only tractate of the Misnah that does not discuss halacha (at least not overtly); it focuses purely upon
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Words You Might Never Pronounce Correctly
There are some Hebrew and Yiddish words you just might never master like a FFB (frum from birth). That’s ok. If you get close enough, people will understand what you mean. But as a practical matter, I avoid saying the words I have difficulty with simply so I don’t look like a n00b. Chutzpah Tzedakah
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Why Is Tehillim Our First Line of Defense?
I had the pleasure to hear a shiur this week about a subject I had just put on the “to blog about” list just last week! “Why is Tehillim the first resort when something happens?” As you may or may not have figured out, when something goes wrong, the first thing Jews do is organize
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