I had an interesting thought recently: What do you call someone who always judges favorably? …Gullible. Of course, the halacha is more complicated. However, there is an undeniable trend in the stories that the tzaddikim judged favorably even when the Torah did not require them to. There is a story of the Chofetz Chaim advising […]
Judging Others Favorably Read Post »
It’s raining in Northern California, and that means driving in the rain with Californians. This is ugly. And it made me reflect on Monday’s post. I said that I put a lot of emphasis on avoiding embarrassment. However, I realized that I have an area of my life where I actually WANT to embarrass people.
Revisiting the Mitzvah of Not Embarrassing People Read Post »
Since it’s the first day back, I’m throwing a softball. What’s your favorite mitzvah? When all’s said and done, I would say avoiding embarrassing other people. I try to put a lot of effort into that. What do I look forward to improving? Kashrut. Only because I want to be an awesome host one day.
Discussion: Your Favorite Mitzvah Read Post »
Ilan passed a week ago tonight, and this has been the hardest week of my life. In addition to the obvious, there have been other serious issues in my life this week, all conspiring to give me panic attacks. Thankfully, and much to my surprise, I have handled the anxiety, anger, hurt, frustration, pain, etc, in
Lessons from the Gentle Giant Read Post »
Since I “went kosher” in June 2010, the most annoying thing remains drinks. I am apparently incapable of remembering that drinks can and will be dairy. I don’t drink milk and I rarely eat meat products, so my kitchen is almost entirely dairy. I rarely have to think about dairy v. meat except for what
Those Tricky Dairy Drinks… Read Post »
You may have previously read When Is It OK to Say “I’m Jewish,” Even If You Really Aren’t. But what about the other side? When MUST you disclose your in-flux status, even if you really don’t want to? I make no promises that this list is exhaustive, but I will update it if other important
When You NEED to Reveal Your Conversion Candidate Status Read Post »
For those of you following the conversion/aliyah issues with Israel and the greater Jewish community, you may want to check out yesterday’s blog post at On the Fringe-Al Tzitzit, Conversion Crisis Update: the New Jewish “Papacy.” I won’t express an opinion on the content (or maybe my jury is still out?), but I did particularly
A Non-Orthodox Response to the Current Orthodox Conversion Issues Read Post »
Quite honestly, you’re probably going to look like a nutter whatever you do. But that’s ok. You can minimize your public nuttiness with a few tips. This topic always makes me think of plane trips, so perhaps this colors my discussion. Feel free to add your tips in the comments! First, seek a private location,
How to Daven in Public Without Looking Like a Nutter Read Post »
(Hatafat dam brit is the “drop of blood” drawn from an already-circumcised male as part of his conversion. It is the “completion” of brit milah, if you look at it as completing the original circumcision.) This is a question that gets bantered around a lot, but no one gives an answer. I asked around and
Convert Questions: What Does Hatafat Dam Brit Feel Like? 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 »