Dear Jew in the City, How is Tu b’Shevat connected to the land of Israel? Best, Jonah   Dear Jonah, Thanks for your question. We discussed Tu b’Shevat a few years ago, so let’s make a quick recap. The first mishna in tractate Rosh Hashana tells us that there are four “new years,” as follows: […]

This week I’m going to do something different. I’m going take two questions that were submitted separately and combine them into a single post because (a) they’re related and (b) my answers are relatively brief.   The first question is: Dear Jew in the City, “Why do we shake the lulav and other arba minim […]

Dear Jew in the City, Why do some people approach Yom Kippur as a day of celebration? Sincerely, David Dear David, Um… because it is? On the surface, Yom Kippur may resemble Tisha b’Av, which is the saddest day in the Jewish calendar. On both of these days we refrain from eating and drinking, bathing, […]

Dear Jew in the City, What is the connection between the Rosh Hashana segulot and eating those foods? Does eating them really do anything or is it symbolic? Sincerely, David   Dear David, Oh, boy. This is one of those posts that isn’t going to be very popular with some people. For those who are […]

Dear Jew in the City, What is tashlich? Does it really have to be done by a pond with ducks? Do we really have to throw bread in the water? Sincerely, Noah   Thanks for your question, Noah. Tashlich is a prayer typically recited on Rosh Hashana afternoon, intended to help guide us in the […]

Dear Jew in the City, What does it really mean to do teshuvah and how do we do it properly? Sincerely, Noah Dear Noah, Thanks for your very timely question. Taking a page from the sage Hillel, I’ll explain teshuvah “on one foot.” When my oldest child was young, he had a toy car that […]