I know, you’ve already mastered all the smooth moves you need for a Jewish event: you can dance in a circle both clockwise and counterclockwise! But maybe you want to switch it up, or maybe the dance circle is moving too painfully slow and you’re tired of stepping on other people’s toes. Or maybe you […]

Just passing this along as an FYI. Steven Weiss of The Jewish Channel is looking to talk to people who converted under Rabbi Freundel in DC. If you’re not already aware, Freundel has been arrested on charges of voyeurism related to an alleged camera in the mikvah. The most detailed story I’ve seen is in […]

When you start corresponding with a beit din (whether to ask for an application or after submitting your application), you will generally be talking to the Av Beit Din. So what is he and what does he do? Av Beit Din translates roughly as head of the beit din. Av generally means father.  Depending on […]

Unfortunately, this “problem” is already over for this year, but I want to address it now in case someone thinks it applies to all of chag. And of course, it’ll be here, ready for you as a reminder before Sukkot of 2015. Owning the Lulav Set On the first day(s) of chag, you must “own” […]

The lulav and the esrog might be the strangest-looking ritual in Judaism, but there are some common symbolisms you should know. There are two major “theories” of what they represent, so let’s go through them! That way, you won’t be caught unawares this chag. And then we’ll discuss two more symbolic theories so you can […]

As you probably learned over Rosh Hashanah, three day yom tovs require a lot of logistical awareness. I thought it might be a good idea to write it out to help you plan the 3 day chag coming up this week. However, this timeline is written for 3 day chagim generally. Always double-check the times […]

Succot, Sukkot, Succos… but for some reason, you never see it written Sukkos.  Don’t rely on the “How to pronounce Sukkot” video on YouTube. It’s a computer voice with a British accent that is actually trying to say Sukkos. Don’t bother with this other computer-generated-Brit sound file either and for the same reason. Accented Syllable […]

Daf Yomi is the practice of studying one page of the Talmud daily in a seven year cycle. By “page,” we mean two “normal pages” front and back of one sheet of paper, also known as a folio. One page a day for a total of 7.5 years. And at the end, we throw a […]

It’s that time, folks. The Ten Days of Repentance. People are probably saying a long Hebrew phrase at you, and you’re trying to figure out what the heck it is. Don’t feel bad. The first year, I was really confused for a week or so, and then it stopped, and I forgot all about it. […]

Nope. Whether your name is Shaindy or Sunshine, Chaim or Christina, Mendy or Moustafa, you are Jewish if you’re Jewish. Now, who qualifies as Jewish is a much bigger and hotly debated question!  If you’re Jewish (by whatever definition you’re using) and don’t have a Hebrew name, you can continue to live without a Hebrew […]