There is a mitzvah to make a mitzvah beautiful or otherwise enhance the mitzvah beyond the demands of the halacha through aesthetics. Generally, it refers to the beauty of a physical ritual object. The source for hiddur mitzvah is Exodus/Shmot 15:2 “This is my God, and I will glorify Him.” Many mitzvot require a physical […]
Phrase of the Day: Hiddur Mitzvah Read Post »
A conversion takes a lot of time. More than you ever expect it will. There is a lot to learn, and the frustrating thing is that there is always more to know. You will be learning Judaism until the day you die, and you will always find something new. It’s frustrating to realize how much
Working Towards Conversion: Set Aside Regular Time to Study Read Post »
Ladies, we’re in luck this fall/winter! Frum is fabulous this year, continuing the modest fashion trends that dominated the stores this spring/summer. Nordstrom and Lane Bryant have advertised their modest skirts as fashion trends already, and Nordstrom has also advertised many modest or easily-made-modest tops. (Remember to check out Nordstrom Rack for the outlet experience!)
Frum and Fabulous: The New Fall Lines Are Out! Read Post »
The Amidah (also known as the shemoneh esrei) is the high point of the prayer services. This is the long, silent prayer where you see all the rocking. Except for the maariv service and any time there is not a minyan, the Amidah is repeated by the chazzan after (most of) the congregation has finished
What to Do During the Amidah/Shemoneh Esrei Read Post »
This post is going to be a cross-over between my two main “specialties”: conversion issues and law. NOTE: I am not a family lawyer, but I did work in a family law office as a student for half of law school. While I loved working in family law, I don’t plan to practice family law
Conversion Special Cases: Converting with Children from a Prior Relationship Read Post »
Yeshivish is a language all its own. Supposedly it’s a form of English, but sometimes, you’d never know it! Yeshivish exists most strongly in Yeshivish communities (whodathunkit?), but many orthodox Jews (primarily Ashkenazim) keep some yeshivish up their sleeve. Sometimes, it’s just a faster way to communicate an idea. The words may be either Yiddish
Word of the Day: Yeshivish Read Post »
For those of you who weren’t here in the early days of the blog (last year), go check out the heinousness of my first 3 day yontif observance last year. Needless to say, I wasn’t looking forward to another season of 3 day chags. Minus a date with a minor back injury on some wet
Dr. Strangesmell (Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the 3 Day Chag) Read Post »
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
Everything You Need to Know About the High Holidays 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 »