Hi Jew in the City- Why don’t Orthodox Jews shake hands with members of the opposite sex? Thank you, Lloyd Dear Lloyd- This is a slightly-loaded question in that it makes a number of assumptions and you’re going to meet people who may not live up to those expectations. I agree with the basic premise, […]

Dear JITC- Why do Orthodox Jews wear black? Sincerely, Rosie Dear Rosie- The short answer to your question is this. Now, I would love to link to that and be done but, unfortunately, while Allison is cool enough to let me include it, she’s not cool enough to let that be my answer in its […]

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 […]

Hi JITC- What are your thoughts on “being sheltered (from the “non-Jewish world)”? Is it a good thing or a bad thing? What’s the halacha? Thanks! B Dear B- I’m afraid that this is an area that leaves the realm of halacha and enters that of meta-halacha. You may be familiar with a famous quote […]

Dear Jew in the City- With St. Patrick’s Day approaching, I got to wondering about rabbit’s feet, four-leaf clovers and their seemingly Jewish counterparts of hamsas, blue-glass eye beads, red strings and the like. What is the Jewish view of luck and tokens of good fortune? Thank you, Nathan   Dear Nathan- Thanks for your […]

Dear Jew in the City- I was raised to believe that eating traif was the same thing as watching a movie. How are mitzvos, minhagim and chumras weighed, in other words, how do I make sense of what is really required of me from the Torah, the rabbis or just by my particular community? Thank […]