Here is Tuesday’s awesome and modest look! Calhoun decided to photobomb me, looking for lovin’. The skirt is a black, floor-length (because I’m short) polyester/rayon blend and comes from from Nordstrom’s kids’ section. The t-shirt is from my Birthright trip to Israel, so it has the easily-spotted Birthright logo on the pocket area and a […]
Question of the Day: Women Shaving During the Omer
I apologize for today’s post being a bit late, but I always write my Friday posts on Thursdays instead of scheduling them ahead so that I can write something related to my week. Unfortunately, thanks to a dead car battery, I didn’t get back from my camp Shavuot experience until around 2:30am. But the three […]
Types of Headcoverings for Women
I won’t pretend this is an exhaustive list; it won’t be. However, it will certainly be more than enough to get you started! (In the future, I’ll do a post for men too, but that requires a bit more research on my part!) This post also does not discuss the halachic issue of how much hair […]
Halacha in a Nutshell: The Laws of Family Purity
Halacha in a Nutshell is a series that does not aim to actually teach you halacha. The goal is to acquaint you with the general ideas of a halachic issue so that you can follow conversations without looking like a total n00b. Now here’s a fun topic full of vague euphemisms. This will not be […]
What to Expect at the Seder Tonight and Tomorrow Night
Tonight is the first seder! If all goes as planned, you’re going to have a great time! And if not, ur doin it wrong. (If you don’t know this internet meme, check out this, this, and this. All are “safe for work,” assuming you’re supposed to be on the internet at all!) In all seriousness, […]
The Fast of the Firstborn
Sunrise to sunset on April 18 this year is the Fast of the Firstborn. This fast commemorates the saving of the Israelite firstborns from the final plague: death of the firstborn. All the firstborns of Egypt, the children of the garbage man to the baker to Pharaoh himself, died. Only certain firstborns are required to fast. There […]
Chodesh tov! What’s Rosh Chodesh?
Yesterday was Rosh Chodesh Nisan. So what is Rosh Chodesh? Rosh Chodesh is the first day of a new lunar month. Depending on the month and year, Rosh Chodesh can be either one or two days long. The term literally translates as “head of the month,” just as Rosh HaShanah is “head of the year.” […]
Why You Should Never Call Someone (or Yourself) a Shiksa
Shiksa is a Yiddish word that means “non-Jewish female.” It’s especially used for an attractive woman who could be a “temptation” to Jewish men. The people who use this word in conversation very rarely know its real meaning: abomination. And the people who know the meaning and use it for that meaning probably aren’t the […]
Shabbat Shalom! The Tznius and Prejudice Edition
Happy April Fools’ Day! Assuming you can call it a happy day. Personally, I’m not a fan because I’m a gullible person. Remembering that it’s April Fools’ Day is half the battle: I’m going to assume every person is a liar today. Fridays have apparently become my soapbox day, where I write about whatever’s on […]
Convert Questions: Can a Convert Keep His or Her Piercings?
Tattoos are discussed here. Piercings can be an issue for two primary reasons: 1) keeping your body intact and in its natural form and 2) because piercings used to indicate that a person (particularly a male) was a slave. In general today, piercings don’t appear to be an issue for conversion candidates except for social […]