Building a Jewish Life

Things may have seemed quiet here on the blog, but there’s been a lot going on behind the scenes. After some health challenges and the birth of my daughter and adjusting to parenthood (you know, NBD), I’ve been working to move the blog to its own domain full of exciting new, expanded content! The new […]

This video seems quite appropriate for the last few weeks: “light a candle for peace.” Enjoy the delicious 80s-ness of it. I don’t know how I discovered the song Light One Candle by Peter, Paul, and Mary, but I like it. And I listen to it every Chanukah. Maybe you’ll like it too! And since […]

In the Talmud, the rabbis require that a potential convert be asked a pretty specific question: The rabbis taught: When someone nowadays presents himself for conversion, we say to him: “Why do you wish to convert? Are you not aware that nowadays Israelites are careworn, stressed, despised, harassed and persecuted?”If he responds, “I know, and […]

The TL;DR Version Do you have to wear white on Yom Kippur? No. Will you be weird (or the only one) if you don’t wear white to synagogue on Yom Kippur? Nope.  The RTFM Version Wearing white (presumably only to synagogue because what else are you doing while fasting?) on Yom Kippur is a very […]

Several years ago, I wrote about my bentchophobia and how it strikes many of us when we enter the frum world. I can’t say I’ve improved much over the years. I still frequently avoid eating bread, solely because I’m still a slow Hebrew reader and bentcher. Sure, I have bentching memorized by now, but it […]

A friend asked an excellent question that has probably occurred to many of you: “Why is the local reform shul charging $200 for holiday tickets, but the Chabad is only charging $25 and that includes a meal??”  This contrast doesn’t always exist, but it exists in much of America, especially smaller Jewish communities where there is […]

Gather round, friends. I want to talk to you about something near and dear to my heart: you do not need to “speak Yeshivish” to be frum. If you want to, that’s fine. But I don’t want you spending time beating yourself up over the idea that you “don’t talk like everyone else talks.” Elul […]

I’m surprised how often this question comes up. After all, what do you think is the alternative? Making them go hungry or having to hire someone else to feed them? We can get so afraid of unusual situations that sometimes we don’t stop to think through them logically first. Fear is common whenever you face […]

People tend to fall into two camps: those who don’t advocate for themselves and people who are always advocating for themselves.  As a society, we tend to deride that second group of people. But why? Is their behavior really that annoying or are we jealous? I can’t answer that categorically, but in at least some […]

Oh gee willikers, guys. There’s so much going on. And I can finally share it with you!  First, let’s talk about some personal stuff. I fell off the face of the earth recently, and now I can tell you why: I’m finally pregnant for the first time, and I’ve been sick as a dog. In […]