You know when you have a brilliant realization and then realize that it’s so self-evident that there is no way you’re the first person to think of that? I had one of those moments. “Sometimes it takes a chillul Hashem to finally motivate people to make a kiddush Hashem.” That’s been rattling around in my […]
Chilul Hashem and Kiddush Hashem Read Post »
Thanks to the ever-helpful Lifehacker blog, I came across this Psychology Today article: Are You Teaching People to Treat You Badly? Essentially, a psychological theory says that if you don’t “punish” people who treat you badly, they become conditioned to treating you badly. They think it’s ok to treat you badly. As a dog trainer, this is
Does the Squeaky Wheel Get the Grease? Read Post »
There is a lesson that many conversion candidates and newly religious Jews are not told until they’ve made a fool of themselves: There are different interpretations of halacha, and it’s possible for all these interpretations to be halachically valid and accepted. In other words, the modern orthodox, the “just plain orthodox,” the chassidim, and the
Lessons from Hillel: There Is Generally No One “Right” Way in Halacha Read Post »
Blogger Hadassah posted an interesting question on her blog: Should an invitation to a public lecture identify the speaker as a convert? “I was taught that you never ever out a convert. Even if everyone knows that so-and-so converted, it is a sin to point it out to anyone.” I don’t agree with that necessarily
Should Public Announcements List a Speaker as a Convert? Read Post »
Funny how you hear one thing…and then you run into the same thing 40 times in the next week. Here is a story written by an LDS member two weeks ago about Mormons seeking to convert to orthodox Judaism. It’s very well-written and also fairly represents the Jewish reaction. I’m glad to know both sides are
GIANT IMPORTANT POINT: This issue can approach a fine line between protecting the community and bullying. Before you accuse someone (to their face in private or to a rabbi in private) of being an insincere conversion candidate, CAREFULLY consider your motives for doing so, your options for action, and how your actions will affect the
Why Insincere Conversion Candidates Matter Read Post »
Technically, if we’re going to talk about the yetzer hara, we’ll also discuss the yetzer hatov. The yetzer hara is the “evil inclination.” Yetzer (inclination) ha (the) ra (evil). The yetzer hatov is the “good inclination.” The yetzer hara gets a bad reputation, but it is a necessary part of each of us. The yetzer
Phrase of the Day: Yetzer Hara Read Post »
I’m having soapbox Friday early this week. I’ve seen a lot of discussion lately about the price of kosher food and students becoming kosher. To be honest, the price argument eludes me. I don’t get it. If you think that G-d has commanded you to only eat meat in a certain way, then you would find
Priority-Setting and Jewish Life Read Post »
Who Are We Talking About: Please take the time to read a few paragraphs instead of having a knee-jerk reaction to the title. I’m not talking about the people you think I’m talking about. I’m not talking about people who are converting liberal but are open to the possibility of converting orthodox at a later
Tonight begins the two days of rosh chodesh Elul, the new month of Elul. (Don’t get confused. Tonight starts the last day of Av, and tomorrow night starts the first day of Elul. Both days are rosh chodesh Elul. That’s two-day rosh chodesh for you!) Elul is the last month of the Jewish calendar, as
What Is Elul and Why Does It Matter? Read Post »