NOTE: The Kvetching Editor wrote a response to this post here. I just want to point out that her situation is not what I’m describing. I’m talking about a single who enters the orthodox conversion process and then begins dating people who are already orthodox. However, for the record, I think dating is probably a bad idea […]
UPDATED: Why You Shouldn’t Date During Conversion Read Post »
What’s a Shabbat Kallah? It’s a celebration for the bride on the Shabbos afternoon before her wedding day. In some ways, it’s like a frum bachelorette party. (Note that there may also be a “normal” bachelorette party with the bride and her girlfriends!) I went to my first Shabbat Kallah last month, and it was a very
My First Shabbat Kallah Read Post »
The New York Times had an article last Friday about non-Jews using ketubot (also Englishized by us English speakers as ketubahs) as part of their wedding ceremony: Christians Embrace a Jewish Wedding Tradition. (You may have to create a NYT account to view older stories.) This definitely goes in my “least expected national news stories
Jewish Traditions in a Nutshell: The Ketubah and the Get Read Post »
Do you ever get tunnel vision? Apparently I do. And I did when I wrote Convert Questions: Converts and Aliyah. Let’s summarize that post quickly: There are two times where your “Jewish” status matters when making aliyah to Israel: (1) for the Rabbinate (orthodox converts only, and even then it’s not a given) and (2)
Update on Converts and Aliyah: Reviewing the Law of Return Read Post »
In my trial advocacy class, our fake state/jurisdiction is “Nita.” This is because our materials are created by the National Institute for Trial Advocacy. Humorously enough, “Nita” is pronounced “niddah” thanks to the American accent that pronounces middle Ts like Ds. We are in the state of niddah. Facepalm.
Adventures in Semantics: Class Terminology that Sounds like Jewish Things 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 »
We all know that orthodox dating practices are different than other Jewish groups or the secular public. However, there isn’t much explanation of the process. And most of the kvetching (whining) is about being an “older single,” which most converts and baalei teshuva are. Unfortunately, most of the internet resources on the topic are on
The Orthodox Dating Process Read Post »
As an unmarried woman who had a terrible first mikvah experience (for conversion 1.0), I would very much like all of you to read this post by fellow Chavi about the mikvah! Please comment, anonymously or not! Just Call Me Chaviva: The Mikvah Is Lost on Me.
Something You Should Read and Comment on! Read Post »
Since we’ve been discussing converting specifically for marriage this last week (See Why on Earth Would Someone Convert to Judaism and Taking a Shyne to Judaism), it reminded me of a funny story. (I’m not sure if it’s funny weird or funny haha!) But it’s the kind of story that could only happen to me.
Memory Lane: The Converting for Marriage Stereotype Read Post »
According to the Talmud, rabbis must ask potential converts a very serious question: “Why should you wish to become a proselyte; do you not know that the people of Israel at the present time are persecuted and oppressed, despised, harassed, and overcome by afflictions?” That’s a great question. And even many converts can’t quite pinpoint
Why on Earth Would Someone Convert to Judaism? Read Post »