Dear JITC- Are hobbies allowed according to halacha? Thanks, Margaux Dear Margaux- Thanks for your question. I assume your starting point is the statement of the Shulchan Aruch in Yoreh Deah (246:25) that anyone who is able to engage in Torah and neglects to do so is guilty of “despising” the Torah. This is actually […]
NFL Quarterback Kirk Cousins Wishes a ‘Mazel Tov’ and Cites Torah in Message to Jewish Students Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins scored a touchdown with his congratulatory message to the graduates of a Jewish student program. Cousins wished the graduates of the Jewish Student Union, a program of the Orthodox Union’s youth group NCSY, a […]
The other day, my five-year-old responded to a mention of “doing nothing” by pointing out that it’s impossible to do nothing; everyone is always doing something. In fact, all four of my kids have had a similar eureka moment at some point in their lives. It might be related to attempts to grasp the notion […]
As statues are desecrated, destroyed, and knocked down all over the U.S. in the wake of the protests from George Floyd’s horrific murder, a raucous debate has been reignited between the left and the right over whether we should destroy historical monuments because flawed leaders should not be celebrated or if we should preserve them […]
“There is nothing out there [in space] but God. If anything, I think that the Abishter, the Holy One Blessed Be He, put all that stuff out there to get our attention. And He got my attention, and many other people’s attention.”
Dear Jew in the City- Should a rabbi meddle into someone else’s personal life? Thank you, R.B. Dear R.B.- Thanks for your question. First, let’s clarify what you mean by a “rabbi.” In the Orthodox community, becoming a rabbi is not the same as becoming a priest in Catholicism. In many ways, it’s more like […]
