Dear Jew in the City- Why do a lot of Orthodox Jewish men have beards? Sincerely, Steve Dear Steve- Thanks for your question, which we intentionally arranged to answer following last week’s question, which was on payes (sidelocks). As we mentioned there, Leviticus 19:27 contains two prohibitions, not to round the corners of the head […]

Hey JITC- Why do Orthodox Jewish men have sidecurls? Thanks, Ivan Dear Ivan- Thanks for your question. Those sidecurls are called “peiyot” in Hebrew, meaning corners. This is commonly Yiddishized as “peiyes” and is usually rendered in English in a variety of less-phonetically-accurate spellings, including “payes” and “peyot.” (By the way, the common English-language term […]

Dear JITC- I heard that people don’t cook food on Shabbos. So do you have to just eat cold food the entire day? All the best, Karen Dear Karen- Thanks for your question. Before we discuss cooking, I’d like to discuss fire in general. To do that, I’ll quote myself, from The Taryag Companion: “The […]

Dear Jew in the City- What is a kesubah (or Ketubah) exactly and why is it good for women? Sincerely, Aspiring Bride Dear Bride- Thanks for your question. The kesubah (“ketubah” in Sephardic pronunciation) is usually translated as “marriage contract.” Basically, it’s a prenuptial agreement that outlines a husband’s obligations towards his wife. Husbands and […]

Dear JITC- All my life I’ve heard the Jews referred to as “The Chosen People.” It feels really offensive to think that we are better than non-Jews. Aren’t all men (and women) created equal? Sincerely, Nikki Dear Nikki- Let’s assume that you work in an office. The boss calls a meeting for all the sales […]

Dear Jew in the City- I came from the secular world and the hyper-sexualization is so disturbing. Women are treated like objects, sex is ubiquitous, taking away the boundaries of private and public. I am proud to be raising my kids in a sheltered environment. But at the same time, I don’t want them to […]