The High Holydays are upon us, and that means there is a lot going on. You miss a lot of work and school, and you can’t take phone calls for those days either. You cease to exist to the outside world for a couple of weeks. In order to stress the importance and insanity of […]
Explaining the High Holidays to the Clueless in 30 Seconds Read Post »
This page is a continual work-in progress. I don’t expect that this is exhaustive, but feel free to add your additions to the comments, and I’ll them to the master list. These are in no particular order. Remember that you can transfer fire, but not create new fire. The best way to have an open
Pre-Yontif Checklist: A Work in Progress Read Post »
This little piece of halacha seems like it should be obvious, but maybe that’s just me. Don’t daven or say a bracha around a foul smell. As a practical matter in shul, this usually relates to passing gas. If you really need to do that, go outside for a minute. Halachically, everyone around you should
Talking to Hashem Around Bad Smells Read Post »
This post is intended for people living outside easy driving distance of an orthodox community. We’re not talking about “living outside the community” as in “living 5 miles from the eruv and shul.” I’m going to share how I would approach living in an area without any Jewish resources. As always, each situation is different
What If You Live Outside a Jewish Community – Temporary Solutions Read Post »
When I began my conservative conversion process, the rabbi had a policy that all potential conversion candidates must visit the orthodox rabbi in town and ask him the following questions. I believe these are good questions to consider when deciding which movement to convert through. In other words, you should make an informed decision before
If You’re Considering a Non-Orthodox Conversion, Speak to an Orthodox Rabbi First 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 »
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 »
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 »
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
How to Walk a Dog on Shabbat Read Post »
As the Nine Days approaches, you should begin preparing your clothing. During this period, we do not wear “freshly laundered clothing” and don’t do laundry. So what will you wear without looking and smelling like a crazy homeless guy? It’s easy. A) You may wear freshly-laundered (aka, clean) underwear and socks (and some say undershirts)
How to Wear “Clean” Clothing During the Nine Days Read Post »