Personally, my biggest tongue-twister is hashkafah and hashgacha. My brain consistently combines the two into a nonsense word: hashgafa. Hashkafah: Worldview. It generally refers to your “brand” of halacha and Jewish living. Modern orthodox, yeshivish, Satmar, etc. Hashgacha: The kosher certification of a restaurant. It’ll be evidenced by a little sign in the window, which […]
The Blessing for Children
There is a traditional bracha for children, separate from the blessings affiliated with circumcision, pidyon haben, a girl’s naming, and the various ceremonies being created to celebrate the birth of a daughter. The blessing is three-fold and can be worded in many ways. That the child should be blessed with… Torah Chuppah Ma’asim Tovim Torah […]
Handy Dandy List of Jewish Holidays with Hebrew Dates
A very straight-forward reference post for you today. You generally needn’t memorize the Hebrew dates of most holidays, unless told differently by your beit din. However, you should be able to list these major holidays in chronological order, starting either with Rosh Hashana or Pesach. You may want to compare and contrast with the post […]
Can You Paint with All the Colors of Kashrut?
(Yes, that is a Pocahontas reference.) One of the most, dare I say it, “childish” things in orthodoxy is the obsessive/OCD color-coding of kitchen items. Don’t get me wrong. It’s incredibly useful, especially when you’re learning or when you’re a guest. But sometimes my kitchen is so full of primary colors that it reminds me […]
The “Nicknames” of Brachot
You will eventually need to know the short-hand names for the eating-related brachot, so here is a handy list to help you out! Even better, you’ll hear these phrases thrown around quickly in conversations, so now you’ll understand what these people are talking about, and you can even use these phrases in your conversations! What […]
How to Prepare for Your First Beit Din Meeting
You finally have a date with your full beit din! Yay! …Now what? Whatever you do, don’t panic. Google “how to cope with stress” if you need tips on how to keep your calm over the next few days or weeks. Nervousness will trip you up in the meeting and make you forget basic facts. […]
A Hebrew Breakthrough!
Yesterday, I had a Hebrew breakthrough. It may sound silly to some of you, and certainly not worth a post, but hey, it’s my blog! I think this was a major milestone in my Hebrew education, and it’s not a milestone I expected. We spoke recently about the concept of internalization. When you internalize a […]
The Mandatory Matisyahu Post: Must Jewish Men Have Beards?
I guess I have to be like everyone else and weigh in on the Matisyahu Beardgate 2011. In case you don’t have access to any news source, Facebook, Twitter, etc…Chassidic singer Matisyahu shaved his beard. GASP! Shock! Disbelief! This is ridiculous. My initial thoughts on the news: “Oh. Interesting.” And then I moved on to doing […]
Frum and Fabulous: The Stereotypical “Shell” Look
Most of the time, dressing tzniusly just looks like a woman who works in an office. Unless you want to go with the seminary look. (The seminary look for fall and spring adds a hoodie, preferably from Stern.) But there is one look that just screams frum girl: when you’re obviously wearing a shell. A […]
Getting Ready for Chanukah: The On-Going War with Candle Wax
Just a short tip today. One of the most annoying things about orthodoxy is the sheer volume of candlewax that invades every part of your life. (Drip cups are always a good idea, but they can only lessen the inevitable.) I know Chanukah is getting close when I begin thinking, “Ok, it’s time to clean […]
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