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Shabbat Shalom! The Pets and Pesach Edition

Using the Star K’s kosher-for-Pesach pet food list (locate the PDF under the food lists), I finally purchased my pet food for Pesach. For eight days and three upset pet tummies, I spent $70 on Science Diet food. The other brand (Blue Wilderness) would have been $100. I’m a little shocked, as you might imagine. One more reason […]

Management Update: New Feature on the Sidebar!

Just a blog management heads-up. I’ve replaced the “Popular Posts” gadget on the right sidebar with “The Conversion Candidate’s Toolbox.” This is a list of links to the blog posts that (I think) are most useful to the new orthodox conversion candidate. You also now have the option of sharing my blog’s link on Facebook […]

Halacha in a Nutshell: What Is an Eruv?

Halacha in a Nutshell is a series that does not aim to actually teach you halacha. The goal is to acquaint you with the general ideas of a halachic issue so that you can follow conversations without looking like a total n00b. For many people, an eruv is an essential “feature” of any orthodox community. […]

Chodesh tov! What’s Rosh Chodesh?

Yesterday was Rosh Chodesh Nisan. So what is Rosh Chodesh? Rosh Chodesh is the first day of a new lunar month. Depending on the month and year, Rosh Chodesh can be either one or two days long. The term literally translates as “head of the month,” just as Rosh HaShanah is “head of the year.” […]

Why You Should Never Call Someone (or Yourself) a Shiksa

Shiksa is a Yiddish word that means “non-Jewish female.” It’s especially used for an attractive woman who could be a “temptation” to Jewish men. The people who use this word in conversation very rarely know its real meaning: abomination. And the people who know the meaning and use it for that meaning probably aren’t the […]

Pesach Cleaning Accomplishment!

How are you doing with your Pesach cleaning? I finally got some done. The bedroom and walk-in closet are chametz-free! Maybe even clean!

The Ideal Passover: Go Away!

With all the effort that goes into Pesach, the ideal plan is to not have to make that effort! Go away from home and let someone else do the hard work for you! There is big business in “kosher for Pesach” resorts in Mexico, Arizona, Florida, New York, Israel, and just about everywhere else Jews […]

Shabbat Shalom! The Tznius and Prejudice Edition

Happy April Fools’ Day! Assuming you can call it a happy day. Personally, I’m not a fan because I’m a gullible person. Remembering that it’s April Fools’ Day is half the battle: I’m going to assume every person is a liar today. Fridays have apparently become my soapbox day, where I write about whatever’s on […]

Adventures in Semantics: D’Oraisa v. D’Rabbanan

Just a quick vocabulary lesson today! There are many ways to classify mitzvot, and one of the major ways is by source: from the Torah or from the rabbis. Mitzvot d’oraita (mitzvos d’oraisa) are mitzvot directly from the Torah, both the Written Law and the Oral Law. The theoretical punishment (when there was/will be a […]