The “tea question” seems to be a common one, according to the grapevine and my own experience. Thankfully, it’s a question that all the authorities seem to agree on. It encapsulates a key principle of the laws of Shabbat (and that’s probably why it’s such a common question): What makes something not cooking on Shabbat? The set-up: […]
How to Make Tea on Shabbat Read Post »
If you’re young enough, every conversion candidate thinks about the possibility of going on Birthright. I went on Birthright after my conservative conversion, but I was on a trip organized by an orthodox organization and the specific trip was actually labeled as “modern orthodox.” I think that effectively just meant that the trip was shomer
Converts and Birthright Read Post »
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
UPDATED: Adventures in Semantics: Hashkafah, Hashgacha, Haskalah Read Post »
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
The Blessing for Children Read Post »
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
Handy Dandy List of Jewish Holidays with Hebrew Dates Read Post »
(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
Can You Paint with All the Colors of Kashrut? Read Post »
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
The “Nicknames” of Brachot Read Post »
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.
How to Prepare for Your First Beit Din Meeting Read Post »
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
A Hebrew Breakthrough! Read Post »
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
The Mandatory Matisyahu Post: Must Jewish Men Have Beards? Read Post »