Let me tell you an almost-secret: I was kicked out of a conversion beit din. And I’m not alone. Heck, I wasn’t even alone in my own kicking out: three of us were given the boot at the same time due to one bully’s accusations. But it wasn’t the end of the world for any […]

Entering the Jewish synagogue, one word in particular might seem familiar: Amen. In the Hebrew world of the shul, it can be really exciting to hear a word you already know! You might already know Shabbat, shalom, and a few other words, but Amen is downright familiar to the average American. But don’t go around […]

I got the opportunity to review a new book from Artscroll! There has been a great deal of buzz around this book here in the NYC community, and I think it’s justified. This is not the average “frum” story. But you may not react to it exactly how the publishers hoped. First, here is the […]

When choosing a minhag (custom) or halachic opinion, you might think there are two choices: Ashkenazi or Sephardi. That’s not quite accurate. Ashkenazi and Sephardi are geographic categories, but they are not inclusive of every group. There are many “ethnic” groups within Judaism: Mizrachi, Ethiopian, Yeminite, B’nei Menashe, Kurdish, Lithuanian, Chassidic groups (in some communities this […]

As we discussed earlier this week, a siddur is one of the first purchases you should make on your Jewish journey. But there are a lot of siddurim on the market, so how do you choose one? 1) Get a paper one. Don’t rely on a phone app for all your davening needs. For one, […]

When you decide to start exploring Judaism, the number of books and websites is overwhelming. But really, all you need is two books. Everything else is just productive procrastination at this point. The Tanach A Siddur Tanach: The Bible “But I already own a Bible!” you might say. “I just won’t read the New part!” […]

Have a “stupid” question you’re afraid to ask? Tell me, and I’ll ask it for you! Check out the new website page, No Stupid Questions, in the bar above. I was inspired by a search term that was my own favorite “stupid” question: Can you flush a toilet on Shabbat? Check out the page to […]

Shavua tov, all! Want to learn more about Our Chametz, Ourselves? Shiur will be this evening, New York City USA time, at 6pm! If you want to join the chat, make sure you’ve downloaded Google Hangout’s software so that we can see each other’s beautiful faces. Email me at crazyjewishconvert on gmail with your email […]

With Pesach fast approaching, I did some research into what chametz means to you and me as an aspect of our personality and character. How can we search for chametz within ourselves? What does chametz come to teach us? Wanna see what I learned and share your own experiences and opinions? You’re in luck! Let’s […]

Pesach, rather than being The Time of Our Freedom, is often The Time of Our Enslavement to Community Insanity and the Vacuum Cleaner.  But don’t worry. It doesn’t have to be this way. Realize that most people are insane, and that your house is perfectly kosher even if you don’t dryclean the drapes, remove your […]