rabbis

Lessons from Hillel: There Is Generally No One “Right” Way in Halacha

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 […]

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Phrase of the Day: Being “Religious”

I’ve written before that I don’t like the phrase “religious Jews.” Now I have a better explanation for it, thanks to Rabbi Joseph Telushkin. I’m still looking for a better phrase if you have one! Rabbi Telushkin sums up the situation very well in Hillel: If Not Now, When?: …[I[f two Jews are speaking about

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Public Service Announcement from a Grammar Gremlin

A short PSA this afternoon:  The plural of “rabbi” is “rabbis.” NOT “rabbi’s.”  Please don’t mistake possessives for plurals. “Rabbi’s” makes me wonder what the rabbi owns. That is all. Sincerely, The Grouchy Grammar Gremlin

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Conversion from the Rabbi’s Perspective

People are both pleased and dismayed by the “streamlining” of orthodox conversion since 2006. Some believe it standardizes the process and releases “regular” rabbis from dealing with conversion issues (which your average rabbi is not well-versed in). Others feel that American rabbis capitulated to the Israeli Rabbinate and that the process invites abuse by concentrating

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Working Towards Conversion: Set Aside Regular Time to Study

A conversion takes a lot of time. More than you ever expect it will. There is a lot to learn, and the frustrating thing is that there is always more to know. You will be learning Judaism until the day you die, and you will always find something new. It’s frustrating to realize how much

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Conversion Special Cases: Converting with Children from a Prior Relationship

This post is going to be a cross-over between my two main “specialties”: conversion issues and law.  NOTE: I am not a family lawyer, but I did work in a family law office as a student for half of law school. While I loved working in family law, I don’t plan to practice family law

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Why Insincere Conversion Candidates Matter

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

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Phrase of the Day: Yetzer Hara

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

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The 25th of Elul: The Beginning of Creation?

Tonight begins the 25th of Elul. According to Rabbi Eliezer, this is the day Hashem began creating the world. In other words, today is “the first day.” Therefore: Adam was created on the sixth day, and Rosh Hashanah marks the beginning of the year from the time Adam was created. Why would we measure the

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What If You Live Outside a Jewish Community – Temporary Solutions

This post is intended for people living outside easy driving distance of an orthodox community. We’re not talking about “living outside the community” as in “living 5 miles from the eruv and shul.” I’m going to share how I would approach living in an area without any Jewish resources. As always, each situation is different

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