Dear Jew in the City, Everything is predetermined by Hashem and is gam zu l’tovah (ultimately all for the good), therefore, everything is bashert (meant to be), effectively, even if it appears to be detrimental. But humans (not animals) have free choice in their actions, so how is that reconciled? But if everything is predetermined and gam […]

On July 26th 2010, Charlene and Jonathan Aminoff went wave running with their sons (near their apartment in Miami) while their two year old daughter, Gali, napped by the pool with her nanny. When they returned from the outing, the Aminoffs were confronted with blood curdling screams. A man they didn’t know was holding a dead […]

Since Joan Rivers’ death, several people have sent us questions about life support issues in Judaism, similar to the way that Robin Williams’ death piqued people’s curiosity about suicide in Jewish law, particularly as an effect of mental illness. I recognize that this is a sensitive topic and I address it with two caveats. The […]

Dear Jew in the City, I was curious about some of the run-ins I’ve had with the women in local Orthodox and Ultra-Orthodox communities. Sadly, they’ve been pretty negative.  I’m gonna guess that majority of my interactions are with the ultra-Orthodox since I can easily identify them by their conservative outfits.  Any attempt I’ve made […]

Dear Jew in the City, I know that suicide is technically prohibited in the Torah, but what about people with mental illness (like the recent passing of Robin Williams who suffered from bi-polar disorder)? Is ALL suicide prohibited equally? Does Jewish law consider mental illness a justification for suicide? How do we reconcile the Torah’s […]

Dear Jew in the City, I have a few Orthodox friends who are very pro-Israel, but I have also read that some forms of Orthodoxy are vehemently anti-Zionist. I’ve heard of other sects who completely separate the concepts of Zionism and Judaism as two essentially separate belief systems. I have no idea if any of […]