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 […]
Dear Jew in the City, I know you get a lot of questions about conversion, however, it’s something that I’ve been mulling over for a while. I would also like to say, that I’m fully aware of the serious nature of converting, as well as, “the righteous of all nations have a share in the […]
Dear Jew in the City, Can you explain how the basic Biblical commandments re: such subjects as the kosher laws have been vastly elaborated and expanded on by post-Biblical rabbis? For example, the kosher laws as spelled out in the Bible (in which God simply says “don’t eat this”) have morphed into a mammothly elaborate set […]
Dear Jew in the City, So I have a question that I have been pondering a great while. I am not Jewish but I live in a city with a large Orthodox population and I happen to live in this neighborhood and I truly love it. I do however find myself at times seeing one […]
Dear Jew in the City, I am 17 years of age and like some teens, I currently have an interest in tattoos. I know under Jewish law it is forbidden to get one, but how did this come to be and why? Thanks, Katie Dear Katie: Thank you for your question. Tattooing is specifically prohibited by the […]
