During this time of growth, what have you been focusing on to make your soul “bigger”? I’ve been focusing on my davening, especially in Hebrew.
UPDATED: Why Out of Town Girls Move to New York City
I apologize for the wind and the talkers. It’s a loud day in NYC. But here is a live taste of the Maccabeats from their performance today at the Yeshiva University Homecoming. And now why those girls SHOULD be moving to NYC…the Y-Studs. If you go to their website, you can get a free song! […]
Word of the Day: Shuckle
If you don’t know the word shuckle, you probably still know what it is! In fact, if you have been davening with an orthodox congregation for at least a few months, you probably already do it. Shuckling is a swaying and/or rocking movement Jews tend to do while praying. It apparently comes from the Yiddish […]
Orthodox Inside Jokes: Mixed Dancing Makes Babies
If you really want to pass as orthodox, you have to be able to appropriately use “mixed dancing” in a conversation to evoke the most humor possible. You may think you can be orthodox without this skill, but that simply is not true. But in all seriousness, people have thought I was frum-from-birth based solely […]
New Video from the Groggers!
I know I’ve foisted the Groggers on y’all plenty already, but it’s my blog, so you have to indulge me sometimes. Power pop is my favorite genre of music, so I can’t resist anything combining that with Jewish pop culture humor. The Groggers released their latest video yesterday, Upper West Side Story. The Upper West […]
Like Israel? Then Support Israeli Artists by Seeing the Voca People! To Boot, It’s One of the Top Shows Ever
Today, I’m going to tell you why the Voca People are awesome. But I’m not going to make you take that on faith. I’ll tell you a little about myself so that you can know I am a clear authority on their amazingness. First, I saw it. Second, I’ve seen a lot of performances of […]
News: Gwyneth Paltrow Announces She’s Raising Her Children Jewish …Huh?
Gwyneth Paltrow has announced that she is raising her children Jewishly. US Weekly has one version of the story: “Gwyneth Paltrow: I’m Raising Apple and Moses Jewish.” However, the story is wrong in that the episode did not show anyone giving Paltrow lessons in Jewish halacha about matrilineal descent. While I’m sure it came up in […]
Phrase of the Day: Talmid Chacham
For your post-Tu B’Av pleasure… Doesn’t every man want to be a Talmid chacham? I know every woman wants to marry one. Even more than they want to marry the Old Spice Guy. (Old Old Spice Guy Isaiah, not New Old Spice Guy Fabio.) Talmid chacham just means Torah scholar. An illustration of such a […]
Black and Jewish
There is a lot to be said about being “black and Jewish.” I’m not sure I’m the right person to say it, but I certainly have my thoughts on the subject and knowledge of the experiences of others. I still haven’t found the right words, so the discussion will have to wait for another day. […]
A World Without Music
There are various times during the year when orthodox Jews don’t listen to music. Most of the time, it’s a practical matter. For instance, on Shabbat and yontif, my iPod is quiet simply because I don’t manipulate electricity. Other times, it’s a matter of custom (which some hold to be so pervasive as to qualify […]