I’m having soapbox Friday early this week. I’ve seen a lot of discussion lately about the price of kosher food and students becoming kosher. To be honest, the price argument eludes me. I don’t get it. If you think that G-d has commanded you to only eat meat in a certain way, then you would find […]
Priority-Setting and Jewish Life Read Post »
When you first begin observing Shabbat, the food issue can be the most daunting. How do I cook for Shabbos without cooking on Shabbos?? For a long time, I didn’t eat hot food on Shabbat. (That’s ok, but be prepared for karaite jokes!) If you’re not ready to tackle the crockpot, hot plate, or blech,
Shabbat-Friendly Foods for the Newbie Read Post »
Shabbos Cholent really isn’t hard to make. Open your fridge. Is there food in it? Good. You’re on the right track already. Put your crockpot on the counter. If you’re really fancy, put a crockpot bag in there to make it easier to clean up. If you’re not so fancy, you can spray some Pam
The Only Cholent Recipe You’ll Ever Need Read Post »
We discussed earlier what halachic non-Jews (and/or people who don’t keep kosher) can bring to a Shabbat meal. How do you get it there? Hopefully this thought occurred to you. And if not, maybe I’ll save you a little embarrassment (though there is no reason to be embarrassed by a lack of knowledge). What’s the problem? Carrying between public
Practical Tips: Carrying Food/Drinks to a Shabbat Meal Read Post »
The title of this post may have confused you. Sure, there’s kosher meat and non-kosher meat. But there’s more. There are grades of kosher meat! And not in the USDA Grade A sense. Kosher Meat: Kosher meats are a) kosher animals b) slaughtered according to Jewish law. Certain internal injuries can render that meat un-kosher.
Adventures in Semantics: Types of Kosher Meat Read Post »
When you’re new to converting, it can be hardest to figure out why everyone freaks out when you get a little too close to the wine bottle. What’s that about? (And later on, you get freaked out by how many people don’t know these laws and try to hand you the wine bottle!) Let’s discuss.
Non-Mevushal Wine Survival Tips Read Post »
While researching yesterday’s post for conversion gift ideas, I came across one of the strangest bits of Judaica I’ve ever seen: The Mitzvah Measure. It is “[a] tape measure that contains measurements in accordance with Jewish Law such as tefachim, amot, minimum sizes for lulavim, etc.” I thought these measurements were hotly contested by the rabbonim;
Jewish Resources Are Getting Weirder and Weirder Read Post »
This is something that perplexes me. When I first began learning the brachot (blessings), I could not understand why water doesn’t have its own blessing. I even contacted a rabbi to ask what blessing we say on water because I believed that I simply missed it. I still don’t understand, so I thought I would
Why Does Water Not Have Its Own Bracha? Read Post »
You’ve been invited to a Shabbat meal. That’s great! But oh no, they’ve asked you to contribute something towards the meal! As a halachic non-Jew, this can raise a lot of kashrut issues. So what are your options? Bring nothing and simply enjoy the hospitality of your host. Being an overly polite Southerner, I don’t
For an introduction to hechshers, read What Are Hechshers and Why Do I Care? Now let’s go more in-depth to hechshers. Conversion candidates and others new to kashrut get hechsher-dependent and get anxious about eating anything without a hechsher because we don’t trust our own knowledge (or may still lack that knowledge). What kinds of products
Things That Don’t Need a Hechsher Read Post »