I have a shiur (lecture) by Rabbi Yom Tov Glasner that I really enjoy. It’s from Aish Audio and is called Practical Spirituality: How to Make the Right Choices. The title actually has very little to do with the shiur (at least to your average listener). It’s very much about the nature of reality, kabalistic […]
Shabbat Shalom: Orthodox Judaism Is a Full-Time Job Read Post »
First, what’s a shiur? It’s usually just a lecture about something that is somehow tied to Jewish thought. And it usually has a lot of Hebrew and/or Yiddish and/or Yeshivish. I used to become very frustrated when listening to shiurim (plural of shiur) because of the frequent use of words I didn’t understand. However, now
How to Listen to a Shiur Read Post »
What is a minhag? “Custom.” Plural: minhagim. However, some minhagim have been practiced so widely and for so long that rabbis have declared them to be mandatory halacha. More generally, each large group of Judaism are considered to have a “minhag,” including Ashkenazi, Sephardi, Mizrahi, Yemenite, Indian (from India), etc. Further, some minhagim are how
How Do Converts Choose a Minhag? Read Post »
Dear creators of resources that teach people to pray in Hebrew: I have some problems with your products, and I would like to discuss them. Let’s begin at the beginning. If I am coming to your CD/book or website to get help learning to pray in Hebrew, it’s very likely that I either a) Do
How NOT to teach a convert or BT to pray in Hebrew Read Post »
My biggest hurdle in becoming orthodox has been going back to the basics. Most converts who’ve already gone through one conversion feel like we know stuff. We’re not newbies, so why are we back at the beginning?? It can be incredibly frustrating and ego-busting. Even new converts can be incredibly frustrated by suddenly feeling like
Convert Issues: Going Back to the Basics Read Post »
Reason #254 You Know You’re American: You’ve memorized the before-eating food brachot, but you don’t even know which one to use because you have no idea where your food comes from. (Since two of the brachot require knowing whether the fruit/vegetable came from a tree or a bush.)
Reason #254 You Know You’re American: Food Brachot Read Post »