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Things That Don’t Need a Hechsher

For an introduction to hechshers, read What Are Hechshers and Why Do I Care? Now let’s go more in-depth to hechshers. Conversion candidates and others new to kashrut get hechsher-dependent and get anxious about eating anything without a hechsher because we don’t trust our own knowledge (or may still lack that knowledge). What kinds of products […]

Dressing Awesomely and Modestly

Yes, I have copyrighted the phrase “dressing awesomely and modestly,” and I will pursue any violation of my legal rights ferociously. Rawr. Here is today’s outfit, a simple black shell with flowy, hippie empire-waist floor-length dress. Less clear are the amazingly 60s sunglasses. Verdict: Surprisingly well-suited to the heat of the sun and subways. On […]

Question of the Day: Women Shaving During the Omer

I apologize for today’s post being a bit late, but I always write my Friday posts on Thursdays instead of scheduling them ahead so that I can write something related to my week. Unfortunately, thanks to a dead car battery, I didn’t get back from my camp Shavuot experience until around 2:30am. But the three […]

No Posts for Shavuot

This blog is shomer Shabbat and yom tov. Therefore, there are no posts on Wednesday, June 8, and Thursday, June 9.

Shavuot: The Holiday of Nerds, Vegetarians, and Converts

Shavuos is my favorite holiday. Really! I get to stay up all night learning interesting stuff and eating cheesecake. What’s not to like?? And I’m not the only convert who likes Shavuot best! Besides the nerdy, cheesy aspects of the holiday, it is also the holiday for converts. Quite honestly, I don’t understand why Shavuot […]

What Are Hechshers and Why Do I Care?

What is a hechsher? (Pronounced “heck-shure.”) It’s a symbol on a product that certifies that some rabbi or rabbinical organization has ruled that the item is kosher. Here is a list of hechshers you may see. What kinds of products have hechshers? In theory, something you would eat or might potentially consume (like swallowing toothpaste). […]

Shabbat Shalom! The Smell of New Books Edition

I am most definitely a person of the book. Judaism and law school only made this natural tendency worse by justifying being a book hoarder. This week, my missing seven boxes of books from California finally arrived! I mailed nine boxes when I moved from California to New York, for a total weight of approximately […]

“Funny, You Look More Jewish When You Wear Glasses.”

I hear this one a lot, and apparently so do a lot of other “white” or Middle-Eastern people. If you could possibly “look Jewish,” glasses will make you look even more “Jewish.” Even totally secular Jews have said this to me over the last 7 years. Just like glasses will make you look smarter or […]

Explaining Kashrut to the Clueless

Since I became observant of the kosher laws while living in a largely non-Jewish area, I got a lot of practice in explaining kashrut in a quick-and-dirty way. This is what I came up with, and maybe it will be useful to you! Eating kosher is essentially three levels of paying attention to what you […]

Phrase of the Day: “Staying By” So-and-So

“Who are you staying by for Shabbos?” The phrase “staying by” always gave me pause because it sounds “wrong” to my American English ear. However, it is standard in American Ashkenazi communities (which means most of Jewish America). Just to be clear, it is used instead of “staying with.” My understanding is that the Yiddish […]