I originally thought about naming this post “how to defeat the yetzer hara,” but defeat is the wrong word. As you now know from yesterday’s post, I don’t view the yetzer hara as “the enemy.”  But even if the yetzer hara isn’t the enemy, what do we do with its bad suggestions? Merely one gem […]

There are three essential elements to repenting. This is true at at any time, but this discussion should help you prepare for Yom Kippur. Note: At other times of the year, there is a fourth step of repentance according to the Rambam. Before taking these other steps below, you must recognize what you’re doing is […]

Apparently I’ve got some chutzpah! My first YouTube attack. I guess I should feel honored. Also, you should know that my “gentile blood” qualifies me as a mudblood. Don’t tell Delores! I don’t get what my status has to do with anything, but I never understood trolling and personal attacks in the first place. Feel […]

Sometimes it feels as though every shailah ends in a machlokes. A shailah is a question requesting a religious ruling. You are usually asking your own LOR (local orthodox rabbi). Here are some examples:  Do I need to kasher a can opener? And if so, how? Can I scoop cat litter on Shabbat? Probably not, so […]

Masseuse: [Some question about church attendance] Me: Oh. I’m Jewish. Masseuse: Oh… Like Christian Jewish? Me: Nope. Just Jewish Jewish. Masseuse: …Oh. On the bright side, the awkwardness ended there, and the rest of the time went pleasantly. But that was a conversation-stopper.

Shavua tov. I hope you all had a peaceful Shabbos full of wonderful discussions about Ilan. I’ve heard from a lot of you, and I can’t tell you how much that means to me. I hope you’re all coping as best as possible. The funeral is going to be held in NJ (I have no […]

There is no post today. There may not be posts for a few days. Baruch dayan haemet. How difficult that is to say right now.

Haveil Havalim is a weekly round-up of blog posts from many members of the Jewish blogosphere. If you’re interested in seeing what’s on Jewish minds this week, check out To Kiss a Mezuzah, this week’s host!

I was driving again (See Halachic Discussion: Are Female Converts “Not Niddah” After the Mikvah? ), and had more “what if?” kinds of thoughts, but this time about Moshiach. I was thinking about the phrase “Moshiach ben David.” As most of you know, Moshiach will be the descendant of King David (and the first convert, […]

Wearing skirts in the cold winter is less awful than I expected. Not even bad, 95% of the time. (Check back with me next year during my first New York winter!) However, I’m in the snOMG blizzard experience, even in Virginia. We’ve got about 10 inches of snow as of Sunday night, and it’s still […]