semantics

Jewish New Year Greetings Made Simple 🍎🍯 What Do You Say on the High Holidays?

The Jewish New Year isn’t just about apples and honey—it’s about connection. And one of the simplest, most meaningful ways we connect during this season is through our greetings. But if you’ve ever stood at the synagogue door or sat down at a holiday table wondering, “Wait, what do I say??”—you’re not alone. In this […]

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Screenshot from posted video with picture of female author with captioned text saying, “I didn't know Judaism was for me until this moment.”

The Footnote That Changed My Life

The first thing that ever felt holy to me wasn’t a ritual or a rabbi – it was a footnote.If you’ve ever felt like religion was a perfection contest you were destined to fail, this story might change that. It’s about the moment I realized Judaism didn’t need me to be flawless – just honest,

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Berating Google

I’m a lawyer, and that means I try to be precise with my language. I don’t always succeed, but I try. So this means I do a lot of Google searches of “define X” to make sure I’m using a word correctly for the idea I’m conveying. I don’t remember why, but I wanted to

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How Do You Congratulate a New Convert?

This has been a surprisingly contentious issue. What do you say to someone upon finishing their conversion?  Congratulations in English is a simple, easy way to do convey all the possible emotions. Out of the 200+ congratulations I’ve received in person and online, almost all people said “mazal tov!” to me, and I think that’s

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Should You Change or Add to Your Hebrew Name When You Have a Second Conversion?

I find it interesting that Hebrew names is the #1 topic that brings people to this blog through search engines. I wonder where all this interest in names comes from! Based on the search terms themselves, it appears to be adults choosing a name for themselves, rather than parents naming a baby. Well, this week’s

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UPDATED: Adventures in Semantics: Hashkafah, Hashgacha, Haskalah

Personally, my biggest tongue-twister is hashkafah and hashgacha. My brain consistently combines the two into a nonsense word: hashgafa. Hashkafah: Worldview. It generally refers to your “brand” of halacha and Jewish living. Modern orthodox, yeshivish, Satmar, etc. Hashgacha: The kosher certification of a restaurant. It’ll be evidenced by a little sign in the window, which

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Haikus for Jews?

All my Jew Crew on Facebook is all a-twitter about the Shema. Someone pointed out that the Shema is a haiku, and it began to spread like wildfire through status updates. After a few friends “verified” it, I decided it was finally time to investigate it for myself.  The Haiku The haiku is a traditional

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