Let’s be real – Pesach prep can feel like too much. Between cleaning, kashering, meal planning, and trying to remember everything to do, it’s easy to spiral into overwhelm. Especially if you’re a conversion candidate, doing this without a clear roadmap can feel impossible. That’s exactly why I created Pesach Without Panic. This guide is […]
Your dog may not be dipping into the kugel, but their kibble still counts. In this quick video, I walk you through what you actually need to do with pet food for Pesach – including chametz ingredients, kitniyot concerns, and how to avoid digestive drama by not switching their food cold turkey. Transcript is below.
Pesach is Coming. Yes, Chametz Applies to Pets Too Read Post »
Tonight starts Passover. Despite being chol hamoed, I intend to have posts next week. I hope you have a chag kasher v’sameach! So. Pesach is here. Let’s assume this is your first or second Pesach (particularly speaking to those of you who haven’t converted yet), and that you’re trying to “do it all” this year.
Pesach: The Red Sea Beach Diet Read Post »
I hope you all enjoyed my prank yesterday! That is the only successful prank I’ve ever done. I am physically incapable of playing a prank because my face gives it away every time. Enter…the anonymity of the interwebz. If you have no idea what happened, check out this explanation: What Is a Rick Roll? And no, I’m
Pesach Cleaning Got You Down? Read Post »
So you’ve heard of the mikvah because a conversion requires it. But did you realize there are different kinds of mikvahs?? The women’s mikvah, of course. That’s where most conversions happen, female or male. It’s the nicest and usually also the cleanest. It’s made for single-person use and is primarily used for taharat hamishpacha reasons.
In short: Just pick one. Your options: A full 6 hours 5 hours and one minute 3 hours 1 hour (Almost no one does this, and you better be able to say you’re Dutch or in a Dutch community. I have a Dutch name, I really should have considered this option.) I believe there is
How to Choose a Waiting Time Between Meat and Milk Read Post »
There is a lot that can be said on this topic, but we’re going to touch on the major causes superficially. This is basically a warning to make sure you realize what you’re getting into. After the steep cost of the initial set-up, living Jewishly doesn’t seem that much more expensive to the average single
Why Being an Orthodox Jew Is Expensive 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 »
(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 »