Of course I believe in Hashem, but he’s the Boogey Man waiting to strike me down.  These horrifying words were uttered by an attendee at the first Makom shabbaton several years ago during dinner. Where did such an abhorrent idea come from? How could a person possibly have a relationship with God if she felt […]

As the Jews prepare to receive the Torah this Shavuos, let’s be honest – faith is harder to come by than ever. In a world where science has almost everything figured out, who needs God? In a time where it is exceedingly uncomfortable to see our nation as different from others, how could we believe […]

If you haven’t been living under a rock for the last twenty-four hours, you have already heard of the Laurel/Yanny debate which exploded online after a Reddit user posted an audio clip which sounds like “Yanny” to some and “Laurel” to others. (Team Laurel over here!) There are even those who hear both or a […]

Growing up as non-observant Jews, we ate whatever we wanted. And we loved our treif food. Bacon, veal parmesan, shrimp cocktail, and even escargot were part of our repertoire. When I started believing in God and Torah in my teens, one by one, I kissed those delicacies goodbye. I was determined to live up to […]

My family didn’t know any Orthodox Jews personally was I was growing up, but we knew “of” them. They were “extreme,” “closed-minded,” and “chauvinistic.” Then, when I was 16, I met some for the first time up close, and something surprising happened. These people were educated, open-minded, and kind. The women were empowered and the […]

Not every part of the Torah easily comports with science and reason. Not every part of Jewish law is simple to understand in modern times. Perhaps that is why in our age of increasing skepticism Hashem granted us something as miraculous as the State of Israel. The challenges in Judaism don’t go away, but modern […]