If you’re a pet owner, you have probably already discovered that you’re a bit of an oddball in the Jewish community. Especially if you own a dog. (Much less a big dog…or two big dogs like your author.) Because of the lack of pets in the community, it is key to find a rabbi knowledgeable […]
Debate: Early Shabbat v. Late Shabbat
This is truly an eternal debate, and everyone has an opinion. Mostly, they focus on the negative opinion: which do they hate? Personally, I hate early Shabbos, but not for the reasons you would think. First, what are early and late Shabbos? Early Shabbos is in the winter, when Shabbos begins early on Friday afternoon. […]
Practical Tips: Carrying Food/Drinks to a Shabbat Meal
We discussed earlier what halachic non-Jews (and/or people who don’t keep kosher) can bring to a Shabbat meal. How do you get it there? Hopefully this thought occurred to you. And if not, maybe I’ll save you a little embarrassment (though there is no reason to be embarrassed by a lack of knowledge). What’s the problem? Carrying between public […]
Oldie But a Goodie: the Ever-Present Convert Joke
I have a lot to write about on my soapbox day, but I’m going to wait and let the chain of events play out first. And to be quite honest, it has been a little difficult to keep the blog updated these last few weeks! I’m trying to maintain momentum to keep you all informed […]
The Various Meanings of Aliyah
It’s annoying that so many Hebrew words have multiple meanings in English. Most of the time, this is because multiple Hebrew spellings could have the same sound. Today, let’s talk about the English word “aliyah,” which literally means “ascent.” A. You “receive an aliyah” when you are called up to the Torah to chant the […]
UPDATED: Schoolwork v. Shabbat
It seems that many conversion candidates discover Judaism while in school, whether high school, college, grad school, professional school, whatever. When you already feel overwhelmed (hopefully) by your studies, how on earth could you become shomer Shabbat? In my case, I fell victim to that kind of thought process in college. Just like I thought I couldn’t […]
Awkward Shabbat Moment #4,281
After several days of Blogger being broken, it seems to be working again! But not after unpublishing a post, not publishing the scheduled post (blank because Blogger was broken for 3 days), and then posted a blank future-scheduled post. UGH. I apologize for any inconvenience! I think I’ve corrected everything, and last Friday’s post is […]
Common Question: What Can’t You Do on Shabbat?
I get this question a lot, as I imagine many of you do. I’ve finally hit on an answer that I like to use on friends. I have yet to try this on someone I don’t know as well, but I would try it out. Question: What are you not allowed to do on Shabbat? […]
Shabbat Shalom! The Bitachon Edition
Word of the day: bitachon. Most basically, it means trust. Trust in Hashem. Being a Type A, practical-to-a-fault person, I often say that bitachon and emunah (faith) are very difficult for me. I’m beginning to rethink that statement. As you should all know by now, I’m moving cross-country in a week. Only today did I […]
Shabbat Shalom! The Pets and Pesach Edition
Using the Star K’s kosher-for-Pesach pet food list (locate the PDF under the food lists), I finally purchased my pet food for Pesach. For eight days and three upset pet tummies, I spent $70 on Science Diet food. The other brand (Blue Wilderness) would have been $100. I’m a little shocked, as you might imagine. One more reason […]