Dear Jew in the City, With the pending hostage deal, does Jewish philosophy discuss if we should save lives if it means letting dangerous people free and sacrificing more lives? Thanks, Daniel Dear Daniel, Thanks for your question. This is indeed a topic of conversation, but there are a lot of moving parts and no […]

Dear Jew in the City, With the Presidential Inauguration coming up, I was wondering what Judaism has to say about inaugurations, especially of a new king, and was the transition of power always smooth? Curious in Georgia Dear Curious in Georgia, Well, for starters, kings don’t have inaugurations, they have coronations, but let’s call that a […]

Dear Jew in the City- What’s the difference between Hasidic vs. Orthodox Jews? What about the Jews on Shtisel vs. Hasidic Jews? Thanks, Michael Dear Michael- Thanks for your question. As I’ve mentioned in the past, I haven’t seen (and have no plans to see) Shtisel, so I can’t address that. But I can address […]

Dear Jew In the City, Are healing crystals considered avodah zarah? Thank you, Rikki __ Hi Rikki, Thanks for your question. When I read it, I already had an opinion on this particular matter, but I didn’t want to just share my understanding. So, I did my research and I came away with three positions. […]

Dear Jew in the City, Can we understand the fall of the Assad regime as the fall of Damascus described by Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai?  Thanks, Alexis   Dear Alexis Thanks for your question, which I didn’t understand at all. In asking for clarification, I was directed to a tweet in which some rabbi cites […]

Dear Jew in the City- Are there any Torah sources to counter anxiety? To live in the present and not worry about the future? The election outcome is making me nervous. Thank you, A.C. Dear A.C.- Thanks for your question. When I was 18, my life was profoundly changed by the book Gateway to Happiness […]