Hi JITC- I am new to your website, so perhaps this question has been answered previously. I have been enjoying watching Shtisel on Netflix, and was curious how the men actually curl their sidelocks into those perfect ringlets. Also, when a married couple’s bedroom is shown on the show, they have separate beds. Is this […]

Dear Jew in the City- On a recent trip to China I saw Shaolin Monks do all sorts of incredible feats – breaking wood and stone on their bodies and lying on swords. I was told that they do this with chi. Is there a Jewish idea of this? Did the Hasidic masters or other […]

Dear Jew in the City- Is the self-improvement thing during sefirah kind of made up? What do all the middos mean or where do they come from? All the best, TZ Dear TZ- Sefirah is an unusual… I was going to say holiday but it’s not exactly a holiday, is it? It’s something we do […]

Dear JITC- What did Rabbi Akiva’s students do wrong? Whatever they did, isn’t killing 24,000 of them a bit much? Thanks, Daria Dear Daria- Thanks for your question. Allow me to flesh it out a bit for the benefit of those who may not have the necessary frame of reference. The sefirah period, which lasts […]

Hey JITC- What is our responsibility to the environment as observant Jews? Best, Kiki Dear Kiki- Thanks for your question. Our responsibility to the environment does not vary based on whether we are observant Jews, non-observant Jews or non-Jews; we all have the same responsibility. This is because the way in which we interact with […]

Dear Jew in the City- In the Haggadah, it states “Pour out Your wrath upon the nations that do not call out Your name.” Aren’t we supposed to be compassionate and non-violent? How do we come to terms with this difficult text? Best, Jocelyn Dear Jocelyn- Thanks for your question. The first thing one has […]