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 […]

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, I saw that the Shema was trending recently. Can you tell me a little bit about this prayer? Sincerely, Jonah Thanks for your question, Jonah. There’s a lot to say about Shema. For starters, did you know that it’s a mitzvah? I don’t mean that it’s a mitzvah to recite […]

Dear Jew in the City, What is the Jewish perspective on the soul? Sincerely, Ezra   Thanks for your question, Ezra. Rather than reinventing the wheel, I’m going to share an excerpt from one of my books, on the nature of God and other spiritual matters, appropriately named The God Book. Sources in the excerpt […]

Dear Jew in the City, Can Orthodox Jews watch TV and movies? Best, Shmuel   Dear Shmuel, Thanks for your question. The obvious answer, based on simple observation, is that Chareidim (i.e., “ultra-Orthodox” Jews) are unlikely to partake of television and movies, while doing so is quite common among Modern Orthodox Jews. A review of […]

Dear Jew in the City, Was Jesus a rabbi? Sincerely, Ben   Thanks for your question, Ben. The answer depends on who you ask. As you are no doubt aware, Christians and Jews have some very different ideas when it comes to Jesus. Christians consider him the messiah; Jews don’t. Christians consider him to be […]