If you’re like most people, you haven’t really thought about this question. But yes, there are times when you will be asked if you are Jewish, and you should answer a simple “Yes,” even if you’ve had no conversion. (And even if you’ve taken no formal steps at all!) Here are the usual suspects: a) […]
When Is It OK to Say “I’m Jewish,” Even If You Really Aren’t? Read Post »
Everyone hears that a rabbi “has” to discourage a conversion candidate 3 times. Some rabbis don’t hold by that at all. Some do exactly three and then will begin a congenial conversion learning process. Some may or may not obviously discourage before working with you, but will continue to discourage you regularly and to varying
Convert Rants: Discouraging the Conversion Candidate Read Post »
Halacha in a Nutshell is a new series that does not aim to actually teach you halacha. The goal is to acquaint you with the general ideas of a halachic issue so that you can follow conversations without looking like a total n00b. Loshon hara literally means “evil tongue/speech.” It’s usually translated as “gossip,” but
Halacha in a Nutshell: Lashon Hara Read Post »
Some people might think this is a downer of a Shabbat shalom post, but it was certainly liberating for me! Quite simply, other people’s problems are just that: other people’s problems. I don’t worry about people who don’t follow halacha (or follow it differently) or judge me as a convert or any of that other
Shabbat Shalom! What to Do When People Are Crazy Read Post »
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 »
Halacha in a Nutshell is a new series that does not aim to actually teach you halacha. The goal is to acquaint you with the general ideas of a halachic issue so that you can follow conversations without looking like a total n00b. Tznius is most often translated as “modesty,” and people usually use it
Halacha in a Nutshell: Tznius 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 »
I discovered a blog post today titled Frum, Fashion, and Feminism on the Jewish Women’s Archive’s Jewesses with Attitude blog. It started so well: talking about fashion becoming more open to modest designs and the orthodox women who are working towards that end (including the fabulous bloggers Chavi and Hadassah). Then I ran into the
Orthodox Women Being Patronized by Feminists? Oh, Linguistic Irony! Read Post »
Today is the last first day of law school! I only had one class today, and B”H, my load will be very light this semester! So here are two thoughts I’ve been having today. First off, after being in a pretty tough spot, I received a significant financial windfall today. So now, thanks to my
Two Very Different Thoughts for the First Day of School Read Post »
I saw a great question about conversions. I decided to post the question and my answer to that question here because I think that’s a struggle the overwhelming majority of orthodox converts face at some point in their process. How would you respond? THE QUESTION: Not to risk offending anybody, but I’d be curious as
A Response to a Very Good Question: Why Not Fake It ‘Til You Make It? Read Post »