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How to Make Button Shirts Tznius

One thing that annoys me endlessly is when women wear button-down shirts and there are obvious gaps between the buttons, exposing the woman’s bra or undershirt. In the Jewish context, this is untznius. In the everyday world, it’s sloppy. I, too, was once a victim of this scourge on fashion. (I didn’t know better. But […]

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 […]

Adventures in Semantics: Chutzpah

The word “chutzpah” has received a lot of attention lately, thanks to Michelle Bachmann, American Presidential Candidate of Insanity [personal opinion]. While many Americans cannot correctly pronounce it (or know that there is a different pronunciation), the word chutzpah is absolutely part of the English language today. Like schlep, maven, and klutz, this Yiddish word […]

The Three Weeks in a Nutshell

Today begins the period known as the Three Weeks. At the end of this period is the Nine Days and then Tisha B’Av. During the Three Weeks, some of the laws of mourning apply, and the mourning observances are intensified during the Nine Days. In short, you “decrease” your joy. Some say that because of […]

Tomorrow Is the Fast of the 17th of Tammuz

Tomorrow is a fast day! Sunrise to sunset only. If you are uncertain how the laws of fasting apply or how they apply to you, ask your rabbi! Remember that if you are halachically unable to fast because of your health, it is a mitzvah for you to eat! The Fast of the 17th of […]

Coping with the Kletzky Tragedy

If you would like to send your condolences to the Kletzky family, please email leibykletsky.letters@gmail.com The organizers of this e-letter drive hope to collect 10,000 letters before the end of this weekend, and 100,000 letters by the end of the shiva. Please put your social media to work and advertise this through your Facebook, Twitter, Google+, […]

“All that G-d Does Is for the Good.”

Today, rather than me getting on my soapbox, I’m going to share a common Talmudic story. It happens that I didn’t know what to write about. But when I read, I mark ideas that I’d like to eventually share on the blog with post-it notes. I picked up the closest book, and this story was […]

News: Tragedy Strikes Brooklyn and the Larger Jewish Community

Being in New York and friends with many Jews in the tri-state area, I feel like this news is pervasive in the Jewish world. However, my dad told me that it didn’t even make the national news. This shocks me. (The combination of fear-mongering, gruesome details, and the ability to gawk at chassidic Jews should […]

Newsflash: Conversion Is Permanent!

At a Shabbat table, a born Jew asked me a very good question about conversion. It was so obvious that I don’t know why I haven’t been asked this question before. And believe me, I’ve been asked a lot of conversion questions in my day. When you first started the conversion process, did you know […]

Should Synagogue Membership Forms Ask If You Are a Convert?

KvetchingEditor has written about a topic that should concern all converts/converts-in-training: Membership in the Community: Invading Your Territory. The “Problem”: Synagogue membership forms that ask whether a person requesting membership is a convert. Some forms go on to ask for the converting beit din information, etc. Enough information to verify the conversion. Just about everyone […]